Alipay taps Avalanche for Web3-powered voucher program

Avalanche said the initiative allows brands to test Web3 solutions and how to create new engagement opportunities with their users.

Online payment platform Alipay has collaborated with the smart contract blockchain platform Avalanche to create a voucher program powered by Web3 technology. 

On March 20, Avalanche announced that Alipay’s ordering solution, Alipay+ D-store, and its partnered e-wallets are using Avalanche for a Web3-enabled voucher program.

The program was rolled out in Southeast Asian milk tea stores, letting consumers acquire vouchers by playing a mini-game. After completing the game, customers can claim a voucher in their e-wallet. 

Avalanche explained that the vouchers let users get up to 50% discounts on over 500 milk tea shops. 

The vouchers are powered by an Avalanche Subnet built and managed by its blockchain service AvaCloud. According to Avalanche, the vouchers aim to allow brands like Alipay to experience solutions powered by Web3 technology. Avalanche wrote:

“The POC will allow brands like Alipay+ D-store to test Web3 solutions, including how they can help merchants foster new forms of interaction with users, helping retain them and generate new revenue streams.”

Furthermore, the blockchain platform said that this program opens up possibilities for Alipay to collaborate with other brands using blockchain-powered features and digital collectibles.

Avalanche highlighted that the program is still in the first phase of its proof-of-concept (POC) stage. The blockchain platform said the program is looking to roll out to more than 2,000 stores and aims to introduce the vouchers to 100 million users.

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Avalanche has been building up its ecosystem in 2024, partnering with well-known brands. On Feb. 20, the smart contract platform partnered with Sports Illustrated’s ticketing arm, SI Tickets.

The collaboration let Avalanche host SI Ticket’s nonfungible token (NFT) ticketing platform, Box Office. This means that the NFT tickets on the platform are now minted in the Avalanche network.

The proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain has also been diving into gaming. On March 11, Avalanche announced that the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) MapleStory will expand into an Avalanche subnet, offering content-generation opportunities to users.