We’d like to provide a brief update on Alipay mini programs, which were launched in September 2018. With an increasingly diverse portfolio of services, a convenient user interface and low barriers to entry for merchants, Alipay mini programs have seen high user conversion and retention rates, underscoring Alipay’s position as the super-app for payment, lifestyle and commerce.

In addition to its consumer applications, Alipay mini programs also provide business applications, including supply chain management, loyalty program management and precision marketing, utilizing Alipay’s expertise in financial and commercial services.

Since the launch:

• Alipay mini programs now have 230 million daily active users, nearly doubling its initial user base of 120 million
• The platform has grown from 20,000 to over 120,000 mini programs that cover approximately 290 sectors and sub-sectors ranging from dining and ride-hailing to healthcare and housekeeping
• Alipay mini programs have expanded beyond major cities, and are now available in most provinces and cities across China
• The average seven-day retention rate stands at 43%, an indication of high user loyalty
• Post-bookmarking user revisits have increased more than 20x over the past month after an additional access point was added on the app homepage, allowing for easy bookmarking and navigation of mini programs and indicating high user retention
• The top three categories for Alipay mini programs are: Retail, Errands (e.g. paying utility bills and picking up dry cleaning) and Travel (e.g. accommodations, transportation and tourist attractions).

Alipay remains committed to building an open ecosystem with its partners. Alipay mini programs are designed to be easily deployable and affordable for small merchants. Alipay has also co-developed sample mini programs with its partners so that merchants are able to implement them easily at price points as low as RMB 9.9 per program.

Excluding social media apps, Alipay was the top app in the world in terms of monthly active users (MAU), according to App Annie. In China, Alipay ranked as the second most used app in 2018 by MAU among all categories, according to TrustData. 

Merchant Case Study: How an Alipay mini program helps China’s largest convenience store chain increase customer loyalty

Meiyijia, China’s largest convenience store chain, has more than 10,000 stores across China, accounting for 22% of the country’s total stores, excluding those in gas stations, according to the China Chain Store & Franchise Association. Like many brick-and-mortar retailers, Meiyijia faces challenges of capturing foot traffic and building customer loyalty. The company previously attempted to launch its own mobile app, which only attracted a few hundred new members per day and incurred high operational and marketing costs. 

In September 2018, Meiyijia launched its Alipay mini program embedded with a membership function and promotional benefits, sparing users the hassle of registration and enabling them to store benefits like coupons within the mini program. Between September and November 2018, Meiyijia’s Alipay mini program added over 800,000 new members, or an average of 5,000 new members per day.

In early January 2019, Alipay added an additional access point that allows users to easily bookmark mini programs on their app homepage via an additional access point. After this was introduced, the ratio of users bookmarking the Meiyijia Alipay mini program after the initial visit almost tripled from the low single-digits to more than 15% over the past month. Later this year, Meiyijia will join Alipay mini programs’ pilot initiative for precision marketing that personalizes promotions for individual customers. 

By integrating an Alipay mini program, Meiyijia has been able to accelerate its digital transformation and leverage a much more efficient, effective and easier-to-use digital channel to engage with existing and future customers.