Global cross-border payment facilitator Alipay+ has revealed that transactions used with digital wallets have become the predominant payment method during EURO 2024.
The Ant Group-owned subsidiary revealed that transactions in Germany grew by more than 67% throughout the opening week of the tournament; 13-19 June
The number of customers paying with Alipay+ partner wallets in the opening week also increased by 59%. Total value per transaction increased by 56%, benefiting local small businesses across food & beverage, retail, travel and other segments.
Beyond Germany, as fans congregated in pubs, bars and hotels across the continent to watch the opening matches, overall European Alipay+ transactions rose by 13% during the opening week.
Over a quarter (29%) more tourists travelling to Europe are paying with Alipay+ than in 2023, and 11% more compared with the previous week, given an increase in international tourism from China and other Asian countries, as well as the growing popularity of Europe as a travel destination since the pandemic.
One business owner seeing the benefits of seamless contactless payments is Louise Farina, owner of the Farina Duftmuseum. She commented: “It’s so exciting to experience the electric energy of Cologne as football fans congregate from all around the world and visit our museum.
“Offering Alipay+ as a payment solution is a great convenience for tourists from Asia, which are an important demographic for us, when purchasing our renowned fragrances”.
As an official sponsor of EURO 2024, Alipay+ supports over 400,000 European merchants with up to 15 mobile partners active in the German market.
Some of Alipay+ mobile partners include Bluecode, TrueMoney, MPay, Naver Pay and Toss Pay.
Pietro Candela, General Manager of Europe at Alipay+, added: “The EUROs is just one testimonial to the rising interest in more immersive, experience-based travel from young Asian mobile app users.
“We will step up collaboration with partners, including Asia’s e-wallet and mobile banking leaders, to innovate more flexible, SME-ready digital tools on Alipay+ which support German and European businesses to effectively engage the new digitally-native traveller.”
As well as providing a range of mobile payment options, Alipay gained significant branding exposure across LED sign boards visible during matches, as well as TV advertising and more.
