Payment systems matter in e-commerce because checkout is where intent turns into revenue, and the payment step is where much of it is lost. In Baymard Institute's research on US shoppers, 19% of those who abandoned a checkout did not trust the site with their card details, 10% had a card declined and 9% did not find enough payment methods. Preferences also differ sharply by market: in 2025, digital wallets took 77% of online spending in Asia-Pacific, while 71% of Dutch online purchases were paid with iDEAL.
Below are the figures that matter most for an online store, what they mean in practice, and what to do about them.
Key payment statistics at a glance
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average documented cart abandonment rate | 70.22% (average of 50 studies) | Baymard Institute, 2025 |
| US checkout abandoners who didn't trust the site with card details | 19% | Baymard Institute, 2025 |
| US checkout abandoners whose card was declined | 10% | Baymard Institute, 2025 |
| US checkout abandoners who found too few payment methods | 9% | Baymard Institute, 2025 |
| Digital wallets' share of global online spending, 2025 | 56% | Global Payments Report 2026 |
| Cards' share of online payments by number, euro area, 2024 | 48% | ECB SPACE study, 2024 |
| Share of EEA card fraud in remotely initiated (online) payments, 2024 | around 83% | EBA and ECB, 2025 |
1. The payment step is a major source of abandoned checkouts
Baymard Institute puts the average documented online cart abandonment rate at 70.22%, based on 50 studies (page updated September 2025). Many of those visitors were only browsing, but among US shoppers who abandoned during checkout for other reasons, several of the most common causes are directly about payment:
- Trust: 19% did not trust the site with their credit card information.
- Declines: 10% abandoned because their credit card was declined.
- Choice: 9% said there were not enough payment methods.
Other top reasons sit right next to the payment form: 40% cited extra costs such as shipping, tax and fees, 18% were asked to create an account, 17% found the checkout too long or complicated, and 12% could not see or calculate the total order cost up front. Baymard also estimates that an average large e-commerce site can gain a 35.26% increase in conversion rate through better checkout design.
The lesson is that "payments" is not one problem. Trust signals, the number and type of methods, approval rates and the clarity of the final price each account for a separate slice of lost orders, and each needs its own fix.
2. Local payment preferences differ more than most merchants expect
There is no single global default. A checkout that converts well in one country can look incomplete in another. A few verified snapshots:
- Worldwide: digital wallets accounted for 56% of global online spending in 2025 and direct card use for 31% (Global Payments Report 2026, covering 42 markets).
- United States: cards still lead online, with direct card use at 49% of online spending in 2025 against 40% for digital wallets. The same report forecasts the online card share falling to 43% by 2030.
- Asia-Pacific: wallets dominate, with 77% of online spending in 2025 and direct cards at just 15%. In India, wallets accounted for 68% of e-commerce spending; in Thailand, the account-to-account scheme PromptPay drove 44% of online spend.
- Euro area: cards were used for 48% of online payments by number in 2024 and e-payment solutions such as wallets and mobile apps for 29%, according to the European Central Bank's SPACE study.
- Netherlands: iDEAL, the bank-based method, accounted for 71% of online purchases in 2025, with credit cards at 8% (Dutch Payments Association).
- Brazil: the instant payment system Pix took 42% of e-commerce in 2025, just ahead of credit cards at 41% (PCMI/EBANX, January 2026).
These numbers explain why a "cards plus one wallet" setup can be enough in one market and a real barrier in another. A shopper in Amsterdam or São Paulo who does not see the local bank-based option may simply leave. Before expanding into a country, check which methods lead there and whether your checkout offers them.
3. Wallets are overtaking cards, but cards have not gone away
The shift toward wallets is real and generational. The Global Payments Report 2026 found that 39% of US consumers aged 18 to 24 and 41% of those aged 25 to 34 use digital wallets most for online shopping. Wallets suit mobile checkout because the shopper does not have to type card numbers or addresses.
Two caveats keep this in proportion. First, many wallet payments are funded by a card underneath, so card acceptance and card approval rates still matter. Second, preferences are uneven: cards still hold the largest single share in the US and, by number of payments, in the euro area. The practical takeaway is to offer the wallets your customers actually use alongside cards, rather than replacing one with the other. For the trade-offs of each method type, from cards and wallets to bank transfers, buy now, pay later and cash on delivery, see our guide comparing popular payment systems for e-commerce.
4. Fraud, 3-D Secure and strong customer authentication
Security is the other side of the conversion equation. Shoppers abandon when they don't trust a checkout, and merchants lose money when fraud gets through.
Online card payments carry most card fraud
The joint European Banking Authority (EBA) and European Central Bank report on payment fraud, published in December 2025, found that remotely initiated card payments accounted for around 83% of all card fraud in 2024, even though remote payments made up only about 28% of the value of card transactions. Fraud on cards issued in the EU/EEA reached €1.329 billion in 2024, up 29% year on year. Total payment fraud across all instruments rose to €4.2 billion from €3.5 billion in 2023, although the overall fraud rate stayed at around 0.002% of transaction value.
Strong customer authentication works
Under the EU's revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), strong customer authentication (SCA) has been a legal requirement since 2020. For online card payments it is usually delivered through 3-D Secure, where the cardholder confirms the payment, for example in their banking app. The EBA and ECB conclude that SCA has helped reduce fraud: SCA-authenticated card payments showed lower fraud rates than non-SCA ones, and card fraud rates were about seventeen times higher when the counterpart was outside the European Economic Area, where SCA may not be required, than for domestic transactions.
What this means for a store
- If you sell to European cardholders, make sure your payment provider supports 3-D Secure and applies SCA exemptions sensibly, so low-risk payments stay smooth and risky ones are challenged.
- Watch your decline rate. Declined cards caused 10% of checkout abandonment in Baymard's survey, and an over-strict fraud setup can turn away good customers.
- Use a provider that handles card data for you, through hosted payment fields or a redirect, so card details never touch your own servers.
- Show the total price, including shipping and taxes, before the payment step, and display familiar payment logos. Both address the trust and surprise-cost reasons for abandonment.
5. How to turn these statistics into a payment strategy
- Map your markets. List the countries that bring most of your revenue and check the leading online payment methods in each.
- Cover the essentials first. Cards plus the leading wallet, then the local bank-based or instant option where it dominates, such as iDEAL in the Netherlands or Pix in Brazil.
- Measure the payment step on its own. Track how many shoppers reach payment, how many attempts fail and why, and which methods convert best.
- Balance security and friction. Use strong authentication where it is required, and tune exemptions and fraud rules with your provider instead of adding manual steps.
- Review regularly. Payment habits are moving quickly, especially among younger shoppers. Revisit your mix at least once a year.
Payments in CIQRA
CIQRA stores can offer Stripe, PayPal, iyzico, PayTR, Param, Moka and bank card gateways, plus bank transfer and cash on delivery, so you can combine international and local options to match the markets you sell in.
FAQ
Why are payment systems important in e-commerce?
Because the payment step decides whether a visit becomes a sale. In Baymard's 2025 data, distrust of the site with card details (19%), declined cards (10%) and too few payment methods (9%) were all common reasons US shoppers abandoned a checkout.
What is the most used online payment method worldwide?
Digital wallets, with 56% of global online spending in 2025 according to the Global Payments Report 2026. The leading method still varies by country, from cards in the US to iDEAL in the Netherlands and Pix in Brazil.
Does strong customer authentication hurt conversion?
It can add a step, but the EBA and ECB found that SCA-authenticated card payments have lower fraud rates. Using 3-D Secure with sensible exemptions keeps the extra step for riskier payments.
How many payment methods should an online store offer?
There is no fixed number. Offer the methods your target customers use most: typically cards, the leading wallet, and the dominant local option in each key market.
Sources
- Baymard Institute, "Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics" (2025): baymard.com
- Global Payments (Worldpay), "Gen Z Driving the Shift from Cards to Digital Wallets, New Research from Global Payments Suggests (Global Payments Report 2026)" (2026): investors.globalpayments.com
- Worldpay, now Global Payments (via Treasury Today), "Global Payments Report 2026: digital wallets, QR adoption, real-time payments and A2A growth (APAC press release)" (2026): treasurytoday.com
- European Central Bank, "Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE) 2024" (2024): ecb.europa.eu
- European Banking Authority and European Central Bank, "2025 Report on Payment Fraud (EBA/REP/2025/40)" (2025): eba.europa.eu
- European Central Bank, "Joint EBA-ECB report on payment fraud: strong authentication remains effective, but fraudsters are adapting" (2025): ecb.europa.eu
- Dutch Payments Association (Betaalvereniging), "Online payments" (2026): betaalvereniging.nl
- EBANX, "Digital wallets become the fastest-growing payment method in Brazilian e-commerce in 2025, PCMI/EBANX reports" (2026): business.ebanx.com