Global payment services provider Ingenico Group has launched a new suite of payment methods for international ecommerce firms that is aimed to cater to the preferences of local Chinese consumers.
Aimed at “transforming how international ecommerce companies operate in China,” Ingenico has partnered with leading mobile payment platforms, Alipay and WeChat Pay, as well as with local card scheme UnionPay.
With 82% of the local Chinese population being unique mobile users, partnering with the likes of Alipay and WeChat is expected to help businesses reach “the vast majority” of online consumer in China.
“Our long-time presence and activity in China means that we are perfectly positioned to partner with merchants wanting to access the truly local consumer market,” said Gabriel de Montessus, SVP Global Online (Retail BU), Ingenico Group.
“Our expertise here, combined with this new set of payment capabilities, will allow international merchants to reach Chinese consumers that were previously difficult to access.”
Ingenico claims to be one of the first international payment service providers (PSP) to support all use cases for WeChat Pay, including the capability to integrate into WeChat Official Accounts and Mini-Programs.
The Paris-headquartered firm believes this is a “crucial advantage” as it enables the 1.1 billion WeChat users to complete their purchase without leaving the WeChat environment.
Through Ingenico, merchants can now offer Chinese Yuan (CNY) to consumers via all these payment methods, predicted to boost conversion and customer experience.
de Montessus concluded: “Our merchants will be able to offer all the relevant local Chinese payment methods in local currency denomination as part of their digital experience, which will help increase conversion.”