E-Commerce Payment Methods: Mobile Payment Options
By: Kemal Sidar
Tags: Amazon, Retail, Sales, Ecommerce, Marketing

E-Commerce Payment Methods: Mobile Payment Options

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

There is nothing nicer than getting to the final click in the purchasing process and you know that your purchase has started its process of arriving to your front door/collection point but in order to get there often you need to still put in all your details for payment possibly for the nth time and this can be frustrating and may just give you that extra time to leave the item in the basket and reconsider your purchase and retailers do not want that.

Mobile payment options can go a long way to get rid of this and make the process feel much more personalised.

Now not everyone agrees which is why there are so many different payment options available.

Sales enablement companies in the UK are always looking for ways in which to provide a seamless and personalised experience.

There are specific country quirks that also play a role in the way in which customers choose to pay for their goods. It is essential to understand the current preferences for customers in the market as well as the trends going forward, therefore, local sales support for international businesses in the UK can be very useful

There are a growing number of different payment options available for payment on e-commerce channels.

In 2019 there were 140 online payment methods available.

This is a dizzying array of choices and it would be a bit of a headache for customers and retailers alike to offer all of these.(European Payments Council. 2019. Payments Methods Report 2019.)

In order to wade through this selection and choose the best one for the retail experience seeking Amazon sales support in the UK would assist.

The ways in which we are used to paying include; card, digital wallet, cash, direct debit and bank transfer.

In the UK cards are the most popular methods of payment for e-commerce purchases making up 53% of online payments.

In order to explain the popularity of this method you need to understand the specific country context; the UK is a very active banking country with 96,4% of the population making use of a bank account and in the UK these accounts generally include a card facility, in addition there is a historical acceptance of card payment going back as far as the 1960s.

Therefore, card payments are familiar for point of sales and this familiarity has translated across to e-commerce platforms.

Direct debit payments are used for a limited percentage of market transactions but as a method it is rising in popularity, again this could be because of the specifics of the UK and it being a “highly banked population”.

It is another familiar method with 9/10 adults using this method to pay bills. It is the familiarity that makes this payment method a contender for further growth.(J.P. Morgan 2019 Payments Trends — Global Insights Report)

Cash for the purchasing of online items had a degree of popularity for a number of reasons including ability to check the item quickly before paying and overcoming online security concerns, however, cash transactions mean that a lot of handling and personal contact takes place which is not ideal when social distancing both for the payee and the delivery personal.

Mobile payments through digital wallets is now used for 25% of payments and is a growing trend.

The growth in this method is actually being pushed by e-commerce channels as they are presented as an easier option on e-commerce channels and then become more familiar. In the UK PayPal dominates the digital wallets options accounting for 20% of all UK digital wallet payments. ( J.P. Morgan 2019 Payments Trends — Global Insights Report)

The growth for mobile payments also stems from the popularity it experiences by the 16–34 age group which is also the age group.

This group is the most likely to change its payment preferences and be open to technology and changes. It is a major growth group for e-commerce in general.

Whichever method retails choose as their preference it is not an either/or choice. In the UK research in sales enablement in the UK shows that 17% of customers place a focus on the availability of difference payment options as the most important aspect of their online shopping experience.

These customers are more likely to repeat their shopping experience if multiple payment options are provided. (European Payments Council. 2019. Payments Methods Report 2019) However, at the same time remember that 140 might just be a few too many.