After recently announcing a partnership with e-commerce firm Alibaba, American retailer Walmart has launched a new Online to Offline (O2O) platform in its Chinese stores.
In May, Payment Eye reported that Walmart had formed an alliance in China with Alibaba, a partnership which included Alibaba’s mobile payment firm Alipay. This allowed its mobile wallet to be used in Walmart stores within the Shenzhen area.
Chinese shoppers will now begin to see the effects of this partnership, with the launch of the ‘Walmart To Go’ Platform. The platform launched early last week.
The platform consists of the newly launched Walmart mobile shopping app and a ‘To Go’ service centre, which will operate in Walmart’s 23 Chinese stores, allowing customers to pick up their goods after ordering them online. Walmart’s app now provides flexible payment options for cardholders using Union Pay and Alipay.
‘‘Walmart To Go’ is an important milestone as it is an enhancement and extension to our brick and mortar business. We are uniquely positioned to integrate physical and digital retail seamlessly,’’ explained Sean Clarke, president and CEO of Walmart China.
The platform is operating within the Chinese city of Shenzen and is working strictly on a pilot basis. Walmart To Go will be adjusted and upgraded according to customers’ feedbacks and will gradually expand its service nationwide.
‘‘Walmart wants to be a real O2O company. We will continue to innovate both online and offline to meet the changing demands of our customers, and will be the most trusted omni-channel retailer in China,’’ continued Clarke.
Whitepapers
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