AppleInsider Staff
Chinese consumers have flocked to Apple's contactless payment solution in the weeks since its debut, with one bank reporting that more than 3 million cards were activated on Apple Pay in the first 2 days of availability.
The activation figures come via China Merchants Bank, one of the country's largest financial institutions. Its customers were responsible for approximately 1 million activations — around one third of the total.
"I would rate our first-day performance as 1,000, if the full score is 100," Apple Pay chief Jennifer Bailey told Chinese press, as noted by Internet Retailer.
The biggest beneficiaries of Apple Pay's launch were said to be Groupon competitors Meituan and Dianping, Starbucks, convenience store chain FamilyMart, and McDonald's.
On average, Apple Pay users in China spent just over $15 each during the launch period. One web-based retailer booked more than 10,000 Apple Pay orders.
In all, nearly 20 banks representing 80 percent of UnionPay cards issued in China are on board with Apple Pay.
Amber Neely
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
48 Comments
China keeps showing up the rest of the world. It's too bad no one in China can afford Apple's products¡
Tim Cook had predicted 2015 would be "The Year of Apple Pay", but I'm thinking it may be this year. 2015 laid the foundation, seeded the market, and got an initial surge from early adopters. 2016 may be when use grows beyond those early adopters... including the growing list of non-US markets.
I'm noticing more merchants take Apple Pay in California and understand what's going on than in Washington state. This makes sense and I'm not sure how much more training Apple can give to get merchants to use it. I still see lots of chip readers not being used and others with notes on them saying they're broken. The latter could simply be a lack of understanding on how to configure them.