Source of this article: Times Finance Author: Xie Yiwen
On July 8, Alipay held an open day event in Shanghai, announcing the upgrade of the barcode payment experience and the launch of a new "Alipay Touch" function.
In July 2011, Alipay launched the first barcode payment product, and then upgraded the barcode to the two-dimensional code, and "scanning" gradually became the daily payment method of Chinese people. By December 2018, the face-swiping payment service that does not require a mobile phone was launched. Now, there is no need to display the payment code, no need to switch apps, even if you are on a call, you can "touch" to complete the payment.
Times financial reporters experienced the "touch" payment function on the spot, no need to open the Alipay APP to click to display the payment code, just need to unlock the mobile phone "touch" and click OK to complete the payment. The unlocked interface can be the desktop of the mobile phone, or any interface such as calls or games, as long as you touch the merchant's payment device, the payment can be completed in the fastest step.
According to Gao Zheng, product manager of Alipay, at present, the "Alipay Touch" terminal equipment has been rolled out in six cities: Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, Changsha, Hangzhou, and Fuzhou, and more than 2,300 brands and merchants have been connected one after another, including restaurants, convenience stores and other daily consumption places. Consumers in these six cities are expected to be the first to enjoy the latest payment experience.
"Alipay Touch" currently supports both Android phones and Apple phones, as long as you upgrade to the latest version of the Alipay App, you can "touch it".
Source: Photographed by Times Finance Reporter
"Touch" also guarantees the security of payment
It is understood that compared with Alipay's previous scan code payment, "Touch" uses the near-field communication technology on the mobile phone, and after the interaction is completed with the above-mentioned sensors, the payment is completed on the network side, and the two have the same security. And "touch" needs to open the lock screen before payment, and the mobile phone without unlocking cannot complete the payment, which greatly reduces the possibility of the mobile phone being "stolen".
Regarding the security of payment, Li Jiajia, vice president of Alipay, told Times Finance and other on-site media that Alipay's "you dare to pay, I dare to pay" security guarantee program launched ten years ago still continues to ensure the payment security of users. For micropayments, you can complete the payment by tapping to confirm after "touching" your phone, but for large payouts, you still need to verify it for security.
Source: Photographed by Times Finance Reporter
According to Gao Zheng, product manager of Alipay, there are currently two types of terminal equipment for "touching", including desktop and handheld, of which the desktop model is more suitable for convenience stores, milk tea shops, bakeries, makeup stores, and other places where the cashier counter is fixed, while the handheld model is more suitable for clothing stores, electronic product stores, jewelry stores and other places with more diversified payment scenarios. The terminal device comes with its own networking function, does not rely on store WiFi, and is compatible with payment platforms other than Alipay.
From "scanning", "swiping" to "touching", Li Jiajia, vice president of Alipay, believes that the payment plan chosen for different business scenarios will be different. With the continuous iterative upgrading of mobile phone devices in the future, he believes that the QR code scanning scenario will appear more in long-tail small merchants, and "touching" will become the mainstream payment choice for merchants at the waist and above.
"Touch" at the same time to enjoy membership discounts and points
According to Li Jiajia, in the first batch of merchant pilots of "Touch", the function of opening up membership + payment at the same time is an innovative function derived from customer feedback. At the same time, it helps merchants to quickly complete problems such as member registration points, and improves the retention of members. Users only need to "touch", and the cashier does not need to take out the code scanning gun, which can shorten the time for members to attract new users and improve the retention rate of members while improving the efficiency of merchants.
Cao Shiru, general manager of Hongqi chain, is very optimistic about the innovative function of synchronous registration and login of members. Cao Shiru told Times Finance and other media present that "Alipay Touch" is more convenient in terms of payment function, the process is more simplified, making it easier for convenience store members to register and log in, and the average time for each new member in the store to attract new members has been shortened from nearly 1 minute to 3 seconds. Less than two weeks after the store went live, member transaction orders surged by 38%.
It is understood that for brand merchants, "touching" can allow new users to complete membership in 3 seconds at the earliest, and members can enjoy membership prices and points by touching, which solves the problem of fast cashiering, new recruitment, member operation, and private domain precision marketing at the same time. According to the calculations of the first batch of pilot cooperative merchants, "Alipay Touch" can improve the efficiency of brand operation by 10%-40%.
Li Jiajia, vice president of Alipay, said that the highly popular domestic digital infrastructure construction and the rapid development of China's mobile phone industry have created conditions for continuous innovation in payment. On this basis, the innovative "Touch" not only optimizes and improves the convenience of user payment, but also has a more open possibility, which creates more business sparks for merchants' digital operation and creates new value for users and merchants.
"The design of the entire product is open, and the infinite imagination is left to the merchants and partners. Innovation is the only way for us to foresee the future in advance, and I believe that the future can bring more imagination to everyone. Li Jiajia told the media.