Most Popular Online Payment Methods
As consumers’ shopping habits shift online and the global ecommerce market share rises, online payment methods are changing along with it. As an online business, knowing what the most popular ecommerce payment methods are can help you to know what forms of payment to implement.
Here’s a look at the top online payment options consumers use for ecommerce purchases.
Top online payment methods worldwide
A recent report shows that currently, 49% of the total ecommerce expenditure worldwide is paid using digital wallets, making it the most popular online payment method among global consumers.
Not only do digital wallets have a strong lead over all other types of online payment methods, but they’re also expected to cement their top position in the coming years as the usage of many other online payment options declines.
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By 2026, more than half (54%) of all ecommerce spend is expected to be carried out with digital and mobile wallets.
The second and third most popular online payment methods are credit cards and debit cards, which are currently used for 20% and 12% of global ecommerce sales respectively. Though these methods will continue to be popular online payment options for consumers, their combined shares of online payment options are expected to fall from 32% in 2022 to 26% by 2026.
Account-to-account transfers (9%), also known as A2A, buy now, pay later (5%), and cash on delivery (2%) make up the top online five payment methods worldwide in 2022.
Top online payment methods in North America
Digital wallets are strengthening their stronghold as the top online payment option worldwide, and this is no exception in North America. In 2022, digital wallets were North American consumers’ preferred online payment method, dethroning credit cards from their top spot for the first time. They were used in 32% of transactions.
Experts had previously attributed the widespread use of credit cards in the region to the strong attachment and loyalty of North American consumers to cards and a general unwillingness to adopt innovation.
In 2022, credit cards were the second-favorite online payment method in North America, used in 31% of the region’s total ecommerce expenditure.
By 2026, digital wallets are expected to make up 41% of the total transaction value. By then, the share of credit cards is forecast to fall to 23%, nearly half of that of digital wallets.
Debit cards (19%), account-to-account transfers (9%), and buy now, pay later (5%) round out the five most popular online payment methods in North America in 2022.
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