4 Mobile Payment Trends That Will Meet Customer Expectations and Boost Conversions

Focusing on your online business is a must if you want to be successful in the modern world. The US economy witnessed a 33% increase in e-commerce sales in the first three quarters of 2020, continuing a long-term trend that has accelerated due to the coronavirus. 

It’s essential to make it as easy and safe as possible for your customers to conduct transactions online, which is why you should keep yourself informed of the current mobile payment trends, and that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss today. 

In this article, we will talk about five mobile payment trends that you need to embrace if you want to meet customer’s evolving expectations and boost conversions. We’ll cover the importance of flexibility and security when choosing an online payment processor, and why online shopping is part of a larger global tech trend.  

Flexible payment options

When you allow customers to pay in a variety of different ways, you increase your chances of making a sale. Customers should have the choice of paying with a variety of credit cards or payment methods when checking out via a mobile device. Buy now, pay later and installment programs are popular as well, because they enable customers to make the purchase and split the payment, without affecting how much the vendor gets paid.

Your shopping cart solution should come with the ability for customers to update their billing details at any time and be notified before their card expires, or in case it declines. Most of us have experienced the hassle of getting a new debit or credit card and having subscription services turned off when we forget to update our payment information. 

Source: https://pixabay.com/users/photomix-company-1546875/

Customers find it convenient when there is an option to include a second payment method in these scenarios because it saves them time and frustration. It also makes sure you get paid without having to chase a customer down for an updated card.

PayKickstart allows vendors to customize the checkout experience on both their desktop and mobile websites and provides a huge variety of payment options for customers to choose from. The checkout experience is incredibly important for online businesses, as complicated checkout procedures and lack of payment options are the leading cause of abandoned carts. 

Be sure to choose your sales solution wisely to avoid spending time and money to attract customers to your website, only to lose them due to a less than satisfactory payment experience. 

Mobile checkout technology 

Mobile shopping cart technology is important for retailers who aren’t limited to one physical location when it comes to making sales. Shopping cart technology can also offer customers a variety of payment options outside the standard Mastercard, Visa or Amex. In addition, it should be very responsive and make use of autoforms that reduce text input and make it easier for customers to insert their shipping and payment data.

Once users have everything they want in their cards, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your checkout screen is optimized to include everything that your customers need.

As a golden rule, make sure that your checkout screen includes each of the following:

• Name and photo of the product
• The ability to increase or decrease quantity of the product
• Any discounts that are applied 
• Total value of the products after discounts are applied 
• A call-to-action (such as ‘complete your order’’ or ‘checkout now’)

In addition, don’t make the mistake of asking customers to register first in order to complete the purchase. Doing so could dissuade them from continuing if you give them an extra hoop they have to jump through. 

Once the customer has decided to proceed with the purchase, send them right to the billing page. After the customer has completed the purchase, send them a genuine thank you note, and consider offering an additional discount for another product. 

Social media shopping

Research shows that over 80% of people trust recommendations from family and friends more than online reviews from strangers when they are looking to buy products. With social media, our circle of trusted family and friends has extended to include influencers who are able to convince their fans and followers to buy certain products by endorsing them. 

Source: https://pixabay.com/users/lobostudiohamburg-13838/

Choose a cart solution that can be used with your social media pages and provides social media marketing management tools where you can send instant commissions, access built-in marketing materials and track leads and sales as well as a variety of other helpful features. It would help if you always aimed to engage customers and learn more about their needs and pain points. There are few better platforms for that than social media platforms. 

Additionally, consider using customer information gained at checkout to ask for reviews for your product or service after purchase and delivery. You can also use customer demographic data to better understand your consumers and how to advertise to them.  

A renewed focus on cybersecurity 

According to a recent report, 60% of mobile device vulnerabilities derive from the client side. That means that the responsibility for ensuring secure transactions and reducing the chance of a data breach largely falls on you. 

Keep in mind that customers care a lot about the security of their data, especially when it comes to financial information, and many won’t buy items online unless they can use a trusted platform to complete the payment. 

Source: https://pixabay.com/users/biljast-2868488/

Any payment processing software you use must be PCI DSS Level 3 and SCA compliant. It is necessary if you want to keep your customer’s data secure throughout the payment process. This means that all transmission of cardholder data is encrypted across public networks, assigning each customer a unique ID that must be verified before a transaction can be made, restricting access to cardholder data on a need-to-know basis, and ensuring that each payment processing system undergoes regular security audits.

Conclusion

Few aspects of the customer journey are as important as the payment process. This is why it’s crucial for businesses who want to stay competitive ensure they provide a seamless online checkout experience for their customers. While security and flexibility of payment options is a top concern, other aspects that improve the overall customer experience, as we have discussed, should be considered as well.

Nahla Davies

Nahla Davies is a software developer and tech writer. Before devoting her work full time to technical writing, she managed -- among other intriguing things -- to serve as a lead programmer at an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organization whose clients include Samsung, Time Warner, Netflix, and Sony.

Read More About Nahla Davies