Integration

The following sections introduce how to design your system and integrate with Alipay. 

The following figure illustrates the vending machine solution system architecture. 

Figure 1. Vending machine system architecture

Generally, the solution contains three parts: front end, back end, and Data. Each part contains more specific modules that provides conrresponding services.

Front end

Front end contain modules to present merchant QR code, display Alipay brand materials and related marketing materials (where applicable).

Back end

Back end might contain modules such as vending machine inventory control, merchandise inventory management, and payment systems.

Data

Based on big data platform, merchants can collect and analyse sales data, tagging users, and gain insights on choosing hot districts and carrying out target marketing.

Alipay-provided abilities cover the following modules:

• Alipay brand exposure 

Alipay provides free Alipay brand POSMs for merchants. In addition, deisgn guidebook is provided in case merchants want to design POSMs by themselves.

• Payment system

Alipay provides various tailored payment services to meet merchants' payment requirements.

• Sales data, user tag, hot district, and tartget marketing 

Alipay provides various data tools to facilitate the business analysis,  and help merchants gain data insights. For example, based on sales data customers are identified with different tags, and merchants can then carry out target marketing in hot districts accordingly.

• Cloud server, load balancing, big data platform

Alipay has a lot of mature products and services that can support these modules.

Before you start, configure and obtain information that is required when you do the integration, such as the identity information, the sandbox environment, and the secret key. If help needed, contact Alipay Technical Support. 

When making API calls, a key is required to sign the data and generate a signature. Prepare keys according to the sign type is specified in the API doc. If RSA/RSA2 algorithm is used, swap the public key with Alipay. 

The following sequence diagram illustrates the message-flow and time-order of the VM solution:

In this solution, a QR code is used to identify a VM device. For each VM device, the merchant must request a QR code by calling Alipay QR code generation interface, print and then post the QR code on the device per POSM display guidelines.

API used: 

alipay.commerce.qrcode.create 

alipay.commerce.qrcode.modify

alipay.commerce.qrcode.modifyStatus

After receiving the top up result through the customized API, the vending machine delivers the merchandises the customer selected, and then refund the left balance where applicable.

API used: 

alipay.acquire.overseas.spot.refund 

After the development for system integration is completed, you can test it in the sandbox. You can make API tests based on your own requirements. See Sandbox for details.  

When you completed tests in the sandbox enviroment and get ready for going live, move to production environment by changing the gateway, PID, and keys to real ones.

The vending machine server must closely monitor the remaining balance and customer's subsequent purchase operation. In the way, the refund processing (where applicable) can be initated accordingly and the remaining balance can be returned to customer in time.

Case 1: Pay first and then purchase

Merchant back-end  waits 5 minutes for the operation on the device. After 5 minutes, the remaining amount is refunded.

• If the money runs out, the refund will not be initiated.
• If the customer does not purchase, or if the money does not run out, a refund is initiated to return the remaining amout.

Case 2: Purchase first and then pay

Merchant back-end waits 25 seconds, and then decide whether a refund should be initiated.

After receiving payment result, merchant system immediately delivers goods or initiates a refund.