Central Retail Corporation Public Company Limited (CRC) has partnered with Ant Group to launch Alipay+, a comprehensive international digital payment service. This marketing solution enhances convenience for Asian tourists from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and South Korea, allowing them to make digital payments easily through existing local mobile wallets, just like they would in their home countries. Whether using China's Alipay, Hong Kong's AlipayHK, Malaysia's Touch ‘n Go eWallet, or South Korea's Kakao Pay, tourists can shop at Central Retail's affiliated stores without needing cash or exchanging for Thai currency at over 3,000 payment points across the country, including Central Department Stores, Robinson Department Stores, SuperSports, Tops, Power Buy, B2S, OfficeMate, Matsukiyo, Tops Vita, and Muji. This initiative aims to provide tourists with greater convenience and more options while traveling in Thailand.

Piyawan Leelasampop, Deputy Managing Director of Marketing at Central Retail Corporation, stated, "The collaboration between Central Retail and Ant Group to introduce Alipay+ enhances digital payment options for our customers, allowing them to access a wider range of services. This aligns with the current trend of cashless payments, particularly focusing on Asian tourists visiting Thailand, ensuring they have a more comfortable shopping experience. Tourists can shop and pay using Alipay+ through local mobile wallets at Central Retail's affiliated stores, while also enjoying promotions and benefits offered directly by Central Retail in collaboration with mobile wallet providers from their respective countries, enhancing their shopping experience. We also plan to expand services in the future to accommodate tourists from other countries, both in Asia and Europe."

Moreover, the introduction of this service aligns with tourism statistics showing a significant increase in Asian tourists traveling to Thailand. In the first half of 2023, over 12.46 million tourists visited Thailand, with the top five countries being Malaysia, China, Russia, South Korea, and India. It is expected that the total number of international tourists will reach 25 million by the end of this year. Central Retail's stores are among the popular destinations for tourists looking to shop for leading brands, resulting in a noticeable increase in tourist visits to Central Retail's stores in the first quarter, particularly at Central and Robinson Department Stores located in major tourist areas in Bangkok and other provinces like Chiang Mai and Phuket, which saw sales from tourists increase by nearly 200% compared to the same period last year and also compared to the same period in 2022.

“The launch of the Alipay+ digital payment service elevates the CRC Ecosystem to a more complete level by integrating the best technologies and systems from around the world to foster inclusive growth for customers, brands, and partners, delivering superior experiences to consumers in every dimension, in line with the CRC Retailligence strategic plan aimed at achieving growth within five years and becoming the Next-Gen Omni Retailer leader in Asia,” Piyawan concluded.

Sithipong Kittiprapapong, General Manager of Global Merchant Partnership at Ant Group in Thailand, revealed, "This is another significant collaboration between Ant Group and Central Retail to provide modern services that facilitate tourists who are customers of Central Retail, enabling them to make digital payments seamlessly across borders. At the same time, Alipay+ allows Central Retail's affiliated stores to accept mobile digital payments from Asian tourists, enhancing the shopping experience for international shoppers who can enjoy purchasing products through Alipay+, a comprehensive payment platform throughout their stay in Thailand, elevating the use of digital payment platforms to allow tourists to experience the same convenience as if they were spending in their own countries."

“Alipay+ is a borderless digital payment platform and a marketing solution designed to help businesses conduct digital payments through mobile phones in various forms. We aim to support these businesses in reaching over 1 billion consumers regionally and globally through a simple and comprehensive operational system,” Sithipong concluded.

To welcome tourists using Alipay+ at Central Retail's affiliated stores from August 15 to September 30, 2023, special discount coupons will be offered as part of the Mega Campaign:

For every spending of 200 baht, customers will receive a cash coupon worth 50 baht.

For every spending of 2,000 baht, customers will receive a cash coupon worth 250 baht.

More details about the Mega Campaign for Alipay+ users can be found at

www.centralretail.com and Facebook: Central Retail