NEWS
Alipay, STB collaborate to boost
Chinese tourist spending
MOBILE and online payment platform
Alipay and the Singapore Tourism Board
(STB) have launched a series of joint-
marketing initiatives aimed at raising
destination awareness of Singapore and
driving tourist spending among Chinese
visitors.
The marketing activities are designed
to incentivise Alipay users, through
rewards and discounts, to spend across
different types of tourism businesses such
as retail, F&B and attractions, further
boosting their spending in Singapore.
Alipay and STB will also create
tailored itineraries that will encourage
Alipay users to explore and discover
new attractions, dining and shopping
experiences. It will also give them more
reasons to visit and spend more in
Singapore.
Additionally, the partnership will
deepen STB’s understanding of Chinese
visitors’ consumer behaviour and
spending patterns, leveraging Alipay’s
insights.
“With China being Singapore’s
top source market for visitor arrivals
and tourist spending last year, we are
pleased to partner with Alipay as their
keen insights and deep understanding
of Chinese consumers will help us to
continue to grow in this critical market.
We hope to continue to broaden over
time our partnership with Alipay to
explore mor e innovative marketing
initiatives in the areas of content, digital
and technology to further enhance
the Chinese visitor experience,” said
Jacqueline Ng, director, Marketing
Partnerships & Planning, STB.
Cherry Huang, general manager,
Cross-border Business for South and
South-east Asia, Alipay, noted
that Singapore is a favourite
destination for Chinese
travellers. “According to
research released by Nielsen last year, it is
one of Chinese tourists’ top 10 preferred
travel destinations in the world. Alipay
is very pleased to be working together
with the STB to ensure the consistent
smart lifestyle for Chinese travellers in
Singapore that they experience at home.
At the same time, we are excited to
connect more merchants in Singapore
with Chinese tourists and be discovered
through the app.”
Alipay and STB signed a
Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) in September last year to
enhance Chinese tourists’ overall
experience in Singapore. Under the
MOU, both parties agreed, among
other things, to explore co-investing in
joint-marketing initiatives to encourage
Chinese tourists to spend with Alipay
while in Singapore.
Since signing the MOU, Alipay
— operated by Ant Financial Services
Group — said it has experienced double-
digit growth in user spending. ra
Starbucks to eliminate plastic
straws globally by 2020
STARBUCKS Coffee has announced it
will eliminate single-use plastic straws
from its more than 28,000 company-
operated and licensed stores by making a
strawless lid or alternative-material straw
options available, around the world.
The US coffee company and
coffeehouse chain anticipates the move
will eliminate more than one billion
plastic straws per year from Starbucks
stores.
Starbucks has designed, developed
and manufactured a strawless lid, which
will become the standard for all iced
coffee, tea and espresso beverages. The lid
is currently available in more than 8,000
stores in the US and Canada for select
beverages. The lid is also being piloted
for Nitro beverages in additional markets
including China, Japan, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
In addition, Starbucks will begin
offering straws made from alternative
materials — including paper or
compostable plastic — for Frappuccino
blended beverages, and available by
request for customers who prefer or need
a straw.
“For our partners and customers,
this is a significant milestone to achieve
our global aspiration of sustainable
coffee, served to our customers in more
sustainable ways,” said Kevin Johnson,
president and chief executive officer for
Starbucks.
Customers in Seattle and Vancouver
will be the first to see the strawless lids
implemented, starting this fall, with
phased roll-outs within the US and
Canada to follow in FY19. A global
roll-out of the strawless lid will follow,
beginning in Europe.
“Starbucks’ goal to eliminate plastic
straws by 2020 from their stores globally
represents the company’s forward
thinking in tackling the material waste
Starbucks is cited to be the largest F&B
retailer to make a global commitment to
eliminating single-use plastic straws.
challenge in totality. Plastic straws that
end up in our oceans have a devastating
effect on species,” said Erin Simon,
director of sustainability research &
development and material science at
World Wildlife Fund, USA.
The company said the movement to
eliminate single-use plastic straws has
been gaining tremendous momentum
globally, with consumers showing
increased concern for the greater issue of
waste. ra
Retail Asia August 2018
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