MUNICH, March 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Owing to Wirecard's cooperation with Travel Easy, Chinese consumers benefit from direct value added tax refund at MCM boutiques - in addition to fully digital payments 

Wirecard, one of the leading specialists in digital financial technology, has won a further customer for Alipay together with its solution partner Travel Easy. Together with Travel Easy, one of the leading experts for travel services connecting Europe and China, Wirecard will be offering European merchants an integrated payment and marketing approach for Alipay, the preferred payment solution in China. As a result of the partnership with Travel Easy, merchants will be able to expand their range of value-added services by integrating automatic 100% VAT refunds for Chinese customers at the point of sale.

The latest addition among the cooperation partners is MCM, the renowned brand for luxury travel goods and accessories. Wirecard will integrate China's leading mobile payment solution via the new digital platform Wirecard ePOS App into their existing payment infrastructure. The mobile app gives stationary merchants access to a wide selection of popular international payment methods as well as value-added services.

Due to the strategic partnership between Wirecard and Travel Easy, MCM will be able to offer Chinese customers more payment convenience as well as value added tax refunds in real-time. As an internationally recognized brand, with 500 stores in 39 countries, MCM accessories and travel items are popular products. Shopping of luxury goods is particularly popular with Chinese tourists and is an integral part of their holiday activities.

Giving Chinese tourists the opportunity to take advantage of their favorite and trusted payment method is an enhanced sales opportunity for retailers: With 520 million active users and more than 175 million transactions per day, Alipay is the world's largest mobile payment network. On account of a variety of technical solutions for the acceptance of Alipay provided by Wirecard, companies outside Asia can also benefit from this development. The experience of other Wirecard customers has proven that offering Alipay as a new payment method has led to a significant sales increase in transaction volume with travelers from China.

Ralf Kern, General Manager at Travel Easy, says: "Our strategic objective is to provide European retailers with exclusive insights into Chinese target groups, simultaneously offering Chinese consumers innovative value-added services. As payment is one of the key factors used to target Chinese travelers, we are delighted to align with such a strong partner as Wirecard."

Stephan Ritzenhoff, Team Lead Partner Management at Wirecard, adds: "There is a considerable potential for European retailers since Chinese are world champions in travel. Only in 2017, around 12.4 million Chinese tourists visited Europe. We are looking forward to supporting a brand like MCM to take a step forward in equipping their stores with an advanced, convenient payment method. In the future we are also planning to extend our collaboration with Travel Easy to further fields."

About Wirecard:  

Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. A global platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions. With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licences for card and account products. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI). For further information about Wirecard, please visit http://www.wirecard.com or follow us on twitter @wirecard.

About Travel Easy: 

Travel Easy is one of the most innovative partner for travel services connecting Europe to China. We are building a network that adds value and potential for all members, enabling travel agencies, shops and tourists to benefit from a clear win-win synergy. In our headquarter in the heart of Europe's financial centre experts work around the clock on technological innovations and marketing strategies for "here & now" as well for the future. Smart solutions for small shops as well as for shopping malls, even better and faster options for Duty Free-Returns, more efficient processes and transactions. We build bridges between companies and people, between cultures and systems, between visions and reality. We are in the business of connecting, streamlining and improving.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG
Jana Tilz
Phone: +49(0)89-4424-1363
Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com

SOURCE Wirecard AG