SHENZHEN, China—Walmart said it plans to team with Alipay, Alibaba's financial partner, to bring mobile payments to 25 Walmart-owned stores in this country.
Customers at those stores will be able to purchase items using the Alipay Wallet app, China’s answer to Google Wallet and Apple Pay. CNET quoted a Walmart representative as saying the company expects to expand the service to more of its roughly 400 Walmart and Sam's Club stores in China. Alipay claims 300-million registered users.
Walmart made the move in the wake discussions between Apple and Alibaba over expanding Apple Pay into China. CNET reported that mobile has become a huge focus for Alibaba this year, as more of its users are drawn to searching for products and making payments on their phones.