Bic Camera, a Japanese consumer electronics retailer, launched last week its duty-free online store on Fliggy, Alibaba's online travel service provider, with the goal of expanding its business and reach the Chinese market.
Chinese travelers can now buy products on Fliggy at duty-free prices before departure, and pick them up at Bic Camera stores in Japan within 3 to 30 days after payment.
Bic Camera offers free delivery to hotels for purchases over 5,000 yen (about 46 US dollars) and to the airport for purchases over 100,000 yen.
The store has cooperated with Alibaba since 2015 to offer its products in more than 200 of its Alipay stores, China's leading mobile and online payment platform.
According to Bic Camera, duty-free stores based in Japan welcome over 100,000 Chinese consumers every month. The company aims to expand online cooperation with Fliggy and increase the number of pick-up stores to make purchases easier for Chinese travelers.
Chinese tourism overseas has seen a boom in the past years. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in 2018, more than 150 million outbound trips were made; increasing by 14.7% over the previous year, with Japan being one of the most visited destinations.
Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) show that more than 1 million Chinese travelers visited Japan in July only.