Alibaba Group’s travel service platform Fliggy has launched a service called Fliggy Buy offering overseas merchants a new solution to benefit from the growing purchasing power of Chinese outbound travellers.
The Fliggy Buy service offers a new shopping channel for Chinese travellers to browse and buy goods on Fliggy before reaching their destination, picking them up in stores after they arrive. It also advances Alibaba’s “Global Fun” strategy, which promotes international travel for Chinese tourists by working with industry players to give them a richer experience while abroad.
Merchants on Fliggy Buy will include duty-free and tax-free stores, both overseas and within Mainland China; internationally renowned brands; specialty local stores and an increasing range of shopping destinations. Furla Hong Kong and Laox of Japan have already joined this channel, and more merchants are expected to sign up.
“Fliggy is committed to making it easy to conduct travel business in the digital era,” said head of Fliggy Buy, Roman Zhu. “The launch of Fliggy Buy represents our latest move to work with merchants targeting the vast numbers of tourists from China to develop innovative solutions, and offer them targeted customer traffic. Our aim is also to embrace the potential of digital technology and provide a holistic travel experience encompassing food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment.”
Through Fliggy Buy, Chinese customers can access detailed information and buyers’ reviews about products, presented in their own language, prior to an overseas trip. This helps them understand features and compare prices across different merchants before committing to a purchase. They can ensure the items they want, especially limited editions, are in stock before the trip and make reservations online, as well as seek online customer service. Buying from duty-free and tax-free stores is an added benefit.
