SOUTH KOREA. Shinsegae Duty Free has partnered with Alibaba Group’s online travel platform Fliggy to deliver exclusive travel and shopping benefits for Chinese visitors to Korea.
The strategic agreement, announced yesterday (4 December), is designed to connect to more Millennial and Gen Z consumers, key growth drivers in Asia’s tourism market, while enhancing the retailer’s presence across Alibaba’s online travel platform (OTP) ecosystem.
The collaboration could extend to other offerings within Alibaba-affiliated services.
The partnership also taps into the surging global popularity of K-culture, positioning Korea as a leading Asian destination, and the resurging demand from Chinese independent travellers.
Highlighting shifting travel trends, Shinsegae Duty Free notes the growing importance of mobile-first services such as Fliggy to younger tourists planning their trips, especially for those in their 20s and 30s.
Leveraging Fliggy’s vast user base of over 500 million annually, the retailer aims to accelerate customer acquisition and its presence in global markets.
Since its launch in 2016, Fliggy has grown into one of China’s leading travel platforms, with access to over 25,000 domestic and international flight routes, 1.5 million hotels worldwide and more than 8,000 theme parks and tourist attractions.
The platform’s 88VIP paid membership, comprising approximately 56 million high-spending, brand-loyal members, makes it an attractive segment for retail partners.
As part of the agreement, Shinsegae Duty Free will offer tiered membership benefits and exclusive shopping experiences to Fliggy and 88VIP members.
It also allows the retailer to engage travellers with targeted messaging throughout their journey, from planning and travel to their stay in Korea and upon returning home.
Looking forward, Shinsegae Duty Free outlined its plans to enhance engagement across Alibaba’s broader digital ecosystem, creating more touchpoint with global travellers and reinforcing the integrated travel-commerce journey.
Shinsegae Duty Free Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing Division Hyunchul Kim said: “This partnership represents a major step toward connecting travel, technology and retail to create easier access to premium duty-free shopping throughout the entire trip.
“By expanding our membership integration and co-branded programmes with Fliggy, we look forward to delivering a differentiated global duty-free shopping experience for today’s young, experience-driven travellers.” ✈
