Macy's links with Alipay to woo Chinese shoppers

US department store chain Macy's has teamed up with China's leading online payment solution provider Alipay to help Chinese online shoppers buy across borders.

The move came in time for Black Friday, the annual US cut-price shopping bonanza.

Macy's, along with several other retailers in the US, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, allows Chinese shoppers to buy goods in yuan through Alipay's ePass payment option.

Alipay, the e-payment arm of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, is the country's largest third-party payment service.

Kent Anderson, president of Macys.com, said in a statement that his company selected about 100 types of merchandise for Chinese online shoppers during this year's Black Friday online shopping program.

"This move to test the waters could be very meaningful in terms of driving up Macy's sales in coming years," he said.

The company does not record sales revenue categorized by ethnic group, but its revenue in 2013 was $27.9 billion, up from $25 billion in 2010.

Kristen Esposito, Macy's tourism marketing and development vice-president, said the company's key locations have reported growth of about 15 to 20 percent for Chinese customers over the past year.

Meanwhile, the presence of a China-themed float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time on Thursday was perhaps symbolic of the rising importance of Chinese customers to one of the world's largest department stores.

Macy's in Herald Square, New York City, has undergone a $400 million renovation in the past four years.

It has reorganized its main floor, where handbags and cosmetics are sold, revamped its shoe store, which the company says is the biggest in the world at the size of two football fields, and brought in new high-end luxury brands like Gucci, Burberry and Longchamp.

International tourists are making up more of Macy's business, including Chinese, who spend more in the US than any other foreign visitors. The company has seen business from these visitors grow for the past few years.

"It's really increasing by leaps and bounds," said Esposito. "The UK used to be our No 1 group - now the Brazilians are outpacing them and the Chinese are right behind."

Macy's sees more Chinese visitors by volume at its US West Coast locations, but has seen a significant increase in tourists as they move east.

The company tailors its locations to its customers, and for the large numbers of Asian visitors shopping at the Herald Square premises, it has expanded its brand lineup to include more US products.

Chinese shoppers head for clothes from brands including Ralph Lauren Polo, Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors when visiting the US, Esposito said.

"It's the convenience of having a one-stop shop, and we have very competitive pricing. I think that's the exciting thing about Macy's, because we have price ranges for everybody, with moderately priced shoes and then shoes from Gucci or Louis Vuitton that can run to $1,000 a pair."