Figuring out the best payment solutions for your customers and your business is a massive eCommerce headaches. New online payment processing options pop up all the time. It’s hard to keep up with the latest trends, and the stakes are high. Unfortunately, if you’re not offering your shoppers the latest and greatest payment processing options, you’re going to lose out on sales.
Payflex can help! As a leading provider in eCommerce payment solutions, we’re always up-to-date on the freshest tech and trends to come out of the payment industry. Our guide to flexible payment solutions will keep you informed so that you can keep your customers happy!
Are you offering your shoppers the payment solutions they want in 2022?
When it comes to choosing the best payment solution for both business and customer, you need to answer three important questions. Firstly: what are your customers’ preferred payment options? If you’re trying to appeal to more buyers (tip: you should be), then you’re going to be looking at offering multiple payment options online.
Secondly – if this is the case – then you need to ask yourself: do I have the resources required to offer and manage multiple options?
Finally, your third question is likely to be the one that drove you to this article in the first place. What eCommerce payment choices do customers want in 2022?
Well, according to 2019 research by Salecycle, credit and debit card payments are still the most popular payment methods for online shoppers. But customer preferences are changing all the time. It’s wise to preempt customer needs by offering multiple payment methods. At the end of the day, offering your shoppers flexibility and variety is what is going to keep them checking out with full carts.
What factors are influencing your customers’ payment option preferences?
There are three major factors which influence a shopper’s preference for certain payment options. These are speed, accessibility, and security. People want assurance that their payments will be processed quickly and safely.
If shoppers don’t feel as though they’re being offered a payment solution that works for them by your business, then the chances of them abandoning their cart grow exponentially. That’s why it’s so important to understand the wants, needs, and behaviour patterns of your customer base.
For example, let’s say that your business sells primarily to young people who tend to shop on their mobile phones more often than they shop on a desktop. It makes sense to offer a payment option that is a) fast and b) optimised for mobile use.
If your business is selling higher-ticket items to working-class shoppers, then you might want to look into offering them the option of paying in instalments. So, you’ll want to look into using credit card or BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) payment mechanisms.
Ultimately, you need to decide on a payment solution that is going to ensure that nobody is abandoning their carts because just they can’t pay in the way that they want to.
How flexible payment solutions are reducing cart abandonment in 2022
Giving your shoppers the gift of flexibility is the best way to retain their loyalty and reduce cart abandonment. Offering BNPL as a payment option can help with this. According to a November 2021 survey from Forbes Advisor, more and more shoppers are turning to BNPL to help fund their purchases. A third of the people surveyed reported that they preferred using BNPL to paying with a credit card.
Forbes Advisor also suggests that shoppers aren’t just using BNPL for big-ticket items. Most BNPL shoppers are using the service to pay off clothing, shoes, accessories, home decor, and appliance purchases. That makes BNPL an ideal payment option for SME businesses to offer their shoppers.
What are the customer benefits of BNPL?
BNPL appeals to shoppers for a few reasons:
- Like a credit card, BNPL plans allow budget-savvy shoppers to break their payments into more manageable chunks
- Unlike a credit card, however, BNPL plans offer full transparency. Shoppers know how much they’ll be paying upfront, and they frequently do not have to pay interest charges on their purchases
- BNPL allows shoppers to trial a product or service without having to pay for it in full first
Ultimately, however, BNPL is a favourite amongst shoppers because it offers them what they all want: flexibility. The more breathing space they get, the less likely shoppers are to abandon carts because they’re afraid that they can’t pay for their purchases.
Conclusion
If you want your business to appeal to a wide range of shoppers, then you’re going to have to offer a wide range of payment options. Selecting the best one for you and your customers is about choosing an option that gives you both a lot of flexibility. Payflex can do just that! We’ll even guide you through setting up your merchant account and integrating Payflex into your site.
