iFresh expands payment options with Alipay

Customers at iFresh, an online grocer and chain of 13 Asian American grocery stores on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, will soon be able to pay for purchases using Alipay’s Mobile Wallet.

“Electronic wallets and mobile e-commerce are continuing to gain popularity due to the rise of easy-to-use mobile devices,” said Long Deng, chairman and CEO of iFresh. “As the first local supermarket chain to accept Alipay, we are looking forward to a revenue growth.” 

Alipay is a digital payment platform operated by Ant Financial, and a popular means of online and mobile payment for Chinese consumers. Once available, iFresh will provide Alipay services online and in stores in the U.S. through the activation and implementation support of CITCON, a cross-border mobile payment and marketing solutions provider that helps connect merchants with Chinese mobile wallet users.

Customers shop the fresh produce section of an iFresh market.

Deng also noted that, in addition to its home customer base, Alipay will allow students and tourists from China to shop iFresh stores seamlessly.

According to Souheil Badran, president, Alipay Americas: “Many Chinese consumers shop at specialty grocery stores in the U.S. where they can find Asian foods and other products that may not be available at local supermarkets. By accepting Alipay at the register, iFresh will provide both in-store and online customers with the ability to pay using a familiar payment method, diminishing any language or payment barriers they may have otherwise faced.” 

iFresh, based in Long Island City, N.Y., was founded in 1995 and was listed on Nasdaq in 2017, becoming the first Chinese-American supermarket chain to be listed on a major U.S. exchange. Its New York Mart and iFresh stores are located in New York City and Long Island, Boston and Houston, with locations opening soon in Connecticut and Miami.