# Smiling Payment Systems Alipay Uses Smile to Pay to Let KFC China Customers Pay With Smiles By Joey Haar | Published 2017-09-04 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kfc-china-customers References: [theverge](https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/4/16251304/kfc-china-alipay-ant-financial-smile-to-pay) As artificially intelligent systems continue to improve, [Alipay](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heytea-1) is looking to capitalize for [KFC](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kfc-x-fiiiiiingers) China customers. The massive online retailer's payment system has recently enabled payments through smiling at a single KFC location in Hangzhou, China, hoping that the system will ultimately lead to safer and more reliable payments for customers in all areas of retail. Smile to Pay might seem like a gimmick to get people excited about their trip to the fried chicken restaurant, but it has practical purpose for both KFC China customers and sales more broadly. By both entering one's mobile phone number and allowing Smile to Pay to conduct a one- to two-second [facial scan](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/biometric-system), the system prevents identity theft far more effectively than simply paying with a credit card or even a smartphone alone. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.1/10 - Popularity: 37% | Activity: 78% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Retail](https://www.trendhunter.com/retail) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Facial Recognition Payments:** Opportunity to disrupt the payment industry by using facial recognition technology for secure and convenient transactions. - **Artificial Intelligence Payment Systems:** Potential to revolutionize the way payments are made by integrating AI technology into payment systems for enhanced security and user experience. - **Biometric Authentication:** Disruptive innovation opportunity to improve identity verification in payment systems through the use of biometric data such as facial recognition. ### Where This Applies - **Retail:** Adoption of smile-based payment systems can provide an innovative and seamless payment experience for retail customers, enhancing convenience and security. - **Hospitality:** Implementation of facial recognition payments in the hospitality industry can streamline check-in and payment processes, offering a convenient and efficient experience for guests. - **Technology:** Opportunity to develop and advance facial recognition and biometric authentication technologies that can be integrated into various payment systems across different industries. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Smile-Detecting Shopping Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-joy-fully.md) - [Seamless Biometric Payment Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mastercard-1.md) - [AI-Powered Payment Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mashgin-1.md) - [Palm-Enabled Contactless Payments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amazon-6.md) - [Facial Recognition Checkouts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/contactless-store.md) - [Facial Recognition Payment Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/facial-recognition-1.md) - [Smart Cashierless Shops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cashierless-shop.md) - [AI Checkout Kiosks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/self-checkout-lines.md) - [AI-Powered Retail Payments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/focalpay.md)