ShopRunner announced a new partnership with Alipay that aims to pave the way for Chinese online shoppers to buy directly from U.S. retailers e-commerce sites. ShopRunner will launch the service with a select group of existing ShopRunner
merchants this holiday season and expects to expand it rapidly over the coming months.
ShopRunners ability to drive growth and profitably for our retail partners has increased dramatically this past year with the rapid expansion of our member base as well as the launch of our first cross-border program with Alipay in China,” said Scott Thompson, CEO of ShopRunner. “This particular offering will help to eliminate many of the obstacles
that have stood between our retail partners and the dynamic China
domestic market.
The new partnership combines ShopRunners marketing expertise and proprietary checkout capabilities on retailers e-commerce sites with Alipays ePass payment and logistics solutions to connect high-value Chinese consumers to U.S. retailers. Alipay is China’s leading e-payments provider and is widely used by hundreds of millions of Chinese online shoppers.
The ShopRunner-Alipay strategic partnership solves historic pain points for both Chinese consumers and U.S. retailers. It enables highly-motivated Chinese consumers to shop and buy the same assortment available to U.S. consumers through the retailers e-commerce sites and have it reliably shipped to them. The partnership provides retailers a channel to serve Chinese consumers using their existing infrastructure and leveraging ShopRunners knowledge of both markets. The service launches with a select group of existing ShopRunner merchants and is expected to expand rapidly over the coming months.
Our partnership with ShopRunner enables us to deliver on discerning Chinese consumers unmet demand for high-quality, well-priced U.S. merchandise,” said Jingming Li, President and Chief Architect of Alipay U.S. “ShopRunner has a keen understanding of U.S. retailers needs and priorities. We are excited to work with ShopRunner and U.S. merchants to provide Chinese shoppers with what they want and value, he said.
In connection with its plans to attract and engage Chinese consumers, ShopRunner has hired Ming Yang, former Chief Digital Officer of Best Buy China and a Vice President with Amazon China, as Country Manager for its China business and has opened an office in Shanghai.
Eddie Bauer joins roster
ShopRunner enables retailers to offers their online customers unlimited free two-day shipping, quick and easy check out, hassle-free
returns and exclusive members-only deals ahead of the holiday shopping
season. Many big box retailers are looking to such services to compete with
Amazon’s $95-a-year Amazon Prime shopping service. Shoprunner already partners with nearly 100 retailers, including Eastern Mountain Sports, eBags, Fanatics, FansEdge, Gore Bike Wear, Helly Hansen, MLB.com, Moosejaw, NASCAR.com, NBA Store, NFL Shop, Shop. NHL.com, Onlineshoes.com, Shoes.com, Speedo, TaylorMade and Timberland. On Thursday it disclosed that Eddie Bauer, Bergdorf Goodman, Narciso
Rodriguez, Neiman Marcus Last Call, and The Limited have joined its roster.
ShopRunner
has been a strategic partner for Neiman Marcus over the past year,
states John Koryl, President of Neiman Marcus Stores and Online. We are
excited to expand our partnership with ShopRunner by adding other
portfolio brands including Last Call and Bergdorf Goodman to the
ShopRunner network in advance of the holiday season.
By the end of 2014, ShopRunner will have well over 2 million members. The company is led by Scott Thompson, CEO, and a seasoned team of internet and ecommerce professionals based in San Francisco and Philadelphia. The company is backed by Kynetic, Alibaba, and American Express.
