What payment methods should I offer?

Missing a payment method a customer wants to use causes roughly 7-9% of checkout abandonments (Baymard Institute). For European stores, this number is higher because payment method preferences vary significantly by country. Getting the payment method mix right is a direct conversion lever.

The non-negotiable baseline

Credit and debit cards — Visa and Mastercard are the foundation. You cannot sell online without accepting card payments. This is handled by your payment processor (Stripe, Shopify Payments, Mollie, etc.).

PayPal — 29% of global online shoppers use PayPal regularly. Adding PayPal at checkout increases conversion by 28% on average, according to PayPal’s own research (which has an obvious bias, but the directional finding is consistent across third-party studies). The key mechanism: PayPal users are comfortable with the flow, trust the brand, and can check out without re-entering payment details. For non-logged-in customers at an unfamiliar store, PayPal reduces the perceived risk.

Mobile payment methods (Apple Pay, Google Pay)

Apple Pay and Google Pay reduce mobile checkout time by approximately 60% for users who have them set up. Instead of entering 16-digit card numbers, CVV codes, and expiry dates on a small screen, customers authenticate with Face ID or fingerprint and confirm.

Mobile conversion typically runs 15-20 points below desktop. Express checkout options like Apple Pay and Google Pay close a meaningful portion of that gap — Shopify data shows stores with Apple Pay enabled convert mobile visitors at 1.5x the rate of those without it.

Enable these through Shopify Payments or your payment processor. They should appear at both the cart page and the checkout initiation (the “buy now” button placement matters — top of checkout, before the form).

Buy now, pay later (BNPL)

For products priced above €100, BNPL options (Klarna, Afterpay/Clearpay, Scalapay in Southern Europe) meaningfully increase conversion and average order value. The mechanism: customers who can afford €120 but hesitate at committing the full amount upfront will convert more readily with “4 payments of €30.”

Klarna data shows a 41% increase in average order value and 30% higher conversion rate for merchants who add Klarna, though these numbers come from Klarna’s own research.

BNPL works best for:

• Fashion and apparel
• Electronics and tech
• Home furnishings
• Any product in the €80-500 range

At lower price points, the BNPL complexity isn’t worth it for most customers.

European market-specific requirements

European markets have strong local payment method preferences that US-centric advice misses:

Netherlands: iDEAL is the dominant payment method — 57% of Dutch online purchases use iDEAL. Not offering it in the Netherlands is a major conversion problem.

Germany: SOFORT/Klarna Pay Now and bank transfer (ELV/Lastschrift) are preferred. Germans are notably credit-card-averse.

Belgium: Bancontact is the local preference, used for over 50% of Belgian ecommerce transactions.

France: Carte Bancaire (the French card network, technically Visa/MC but requires specific processing) and PayPal are dominant.

Sweden/Nordics: Klarna was born here and has very high adoption. Swish for mobile payments in Sweden.

If you sell in European markets, use a payment processor with strong local payment method support. Mollie (Netherlands-based) is excellent for EU local methods. Stripe has expanded local method support significantly. Shopify Payments handles the major local methods in supported markets.

Balancing options and friction

More payment methods aren’t always better. Displaying 12 logos at checkout creates visual clutter and decision paralysis. The optimal range is 4-6 payment methods displayed clearly.

Priority order based on conversion impact:

1. Express checkout options at top (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal)
2. Card payment (the default if none of the above)
3. BNPL option if AOV justifies it
4. Local payment methods for your target markets

Display the payment method logos at checkout — not just in the footer. Seeing Apple Pay or PayPal logos before the payment step signals that those options are available and builds checkout confidence.

Audit your checkout today: open it as a new customer on both desktop and mobile. Check which payment methods are visible and how prominently they’re displayed. If you’re selling to European markets, verify your local payment method coverage for each country you target. For a complete checkout review covering payment methods alongside all other friction points, a UX audit covers the full picture. Book a call to discuss your payment method strategy for your specific markets.

For a complete breakdown, read Ecommerce Checkout Optimization EU Edition: The Guide US Playbooks Miss.