Karen Millen stores in Europe can now take payments via the Chinese mobile payment solution Alipay, both in store and online. The Alipay integration was carried out by fintech firm Wirecard. It is integrated into the retailers existing payment infrastructure via the Wirecard ePOS App, which can be used via any Apple or Android mobile device.

Karen Millen has over 400 stores and shop-in-shop stores in 63 countries on six continents, while Alipay boasts over 1bn users.

Vanda Astfäller, head of sales, consumer goods at Wirecard, said: “Alipay is not just a payment method – its a digital platform for retailers to reach out to Chinese visitors. We are pleased to be collaborating with Karen Millen to enable Chinese travellers in Europe to use their preferred payment method, providing a seamless purchasing process for both the retailer and the customer.”

A 2019 report by Nielsen found that 93 per cent of Chinese tourists would be more willing to spend more while travelling if a larger number of merchants accepted mobile payments. The solution is especially attractive for retailers: shopping remains the most popular category for Chinese tourists, comprising 25 per cent of their on-location spending.