Alipay+, a suite of global mobile payment and digital solutions operated by Ant International, has partnered with Starbucks Korea to offer exclusive promotions to international tourists throughout 2024.
This collaboration aims to enhance the brand experience for visitors by providing significant savings on purchases made at any of the 1,916 Starbucks locations across Korea.
Customers using Alipay+ partner e-wallets, including Alipay (Chinese Mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), and others like TrueMoney (Thailand) and GCash (Philippines), will enjoy benefits such as discounts up to 10%, depending on the campaign and product pricing.
This agreement builds on the initial partnership that began in 2018 when Alipay was first introduced in Korean Starbucks stores, expanding significantly by 2022 to include all users of Alipay+ partner wallets globally.
The marketing collaboration is designed to capitalize on the increasing influx of foreign tourists to Korea, which saw over 11 million visitors in 2023, recovering to 63% of pre-COVID-19 levels.
Special promotional periods including a Summer Campaign and Golden Week Campaign have been aligned with local holidays to draw additional visitors.
“We are excited to expand our partnership to actively promote and market in line with the continued rapid increase in foreign tourists to Korea,” said Danny Chung, General Manager of Alipay+ Korea, Europe, Middle East, and Mongolia at Ant International. “This collaboration will not only enhance payment convenience but also enrich the travel experiences of our global customers.”
Starbucks Korea’s Chief Marketing Officer, Bumsoo Kim, also expressed enthusiasm about the partnership’s potential to introduce the brand’s offerings to a broader audience and to continue providing diverse benefits to international tourists.
This strategic move is expected to drive more engagement between Starbucks and its customers, ultimately increasing Alipay+ payments at their locations. Alipay+ currently connects over 88 million merchants globally to 1.5 billion users across 57 countries.
Business-News-Asia.com