However, with this growth of digital commerce came the importance of cross-border payments. Businesses have to expand their payment methods to accommodate those used in other target markets. This guide explores these digital commerce payments and their impact on global business growth.
When selling products or services through a digital channel such as a website or mobile app, you need a payment method that allows customers to complete the transaction. For example, a customer at home scrolls through your website, identifies a product they want, adds it to cart, and continues to check out. For this process to complete, they will need to select a payment option among the options you provide on the platform, enter payment details, and confirm payment. The payment method is a form of digital commerce payment.
Digital commerce payments cover the full process of moving money from the customer to the business in an online transaction. It can include payment methods, such as credit and debit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, buy now, pay later (BNPL) options, and local payment methods. The payment systems also support important functions behind the scenes, such as payment authorisation, currency conversion, fraud prevention, and settlement.
If you want to grow your business today, you have to integrate digital commerce payments into your systems. These payments can influence your sales performance, long-term growth, and customer experience.
As a global merchant, your access to international markets will depend on your ability to leverage digital commerce payments. This is because digital commerce involves working with customers from different countries who use multiple currencies and payment methods. Integrating digital commerce payments allows them to shop on your online store and marketplaces where you list your products.
A customer may add products to the basket and still leave without completing the purchase if the payment process feels too slow, complicated, or unfamiliar. For example, a report shows that 19% of online shoppers abandon their carts if the checkout process is too long or complicated. However, integrating digital wallets like Apple Pay increases conversion by 22.3% and revenues by 22.5%. This shows the potential of digital payments in reducing the likelihood of losing sales.
Customers expect to pay in ways that feel familiar, convenient, and secure. In some markets, that may mean cards and digital wallets, while in others it may involve bank transfers, local payment methods, or mobile-first payment tools. As a global merchant, understanding your customers' expectations and aligning your payment methods can lead to business growth.
The payment experience can influence how customers perceive your business. For example, customers may feel more confident buying from your business if checkout feels secure, reliable, and easy to complete. But if the process feels suspicious and is long, they may fear providing their payment details.
Digital commerce payments improve operational efficiency in multiple ways. For example, digital systems can consolidate multi-currency payments, automate tax calculations, and automatically prevent fraud or suspicious activities. In addition, the systems can improve how you manage settlements, refunds, reconciliation, chargebacks, and reporting across multiple markets.
The rise of global digital commerce continues to positively impact the digital commerce payment market due to increased cross-border business activities. For instance, the global ecommerce will generate USD 3.88 trillion in 2026. This revenue will continue growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.84%, reaching USD 5.05 trillion by 2030. The number of ecommerce users will reach 4.1 billion by 2030, with the average revenue per user at USD 1.01k.
At the same time, the transaction value of digital payments will increase from USD 37.45 trillion in 2026 to USD 46.25 trillion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.51%. The mobile POS system will account for the largest market share with USD 28.32 trillion in transaction value.
Cards account for 49% of ecommerce sales and 53% of POS transactions. At the same time, BNPL payments accounted for 8% of ecommerce transaction value. Digital wallets are gaining traction with a projected market share of 32% of POS transactions by 2030.
There are multiple factors contributing to this growth, including:
Despite the global adoption of digital payments, different regions have varying levels of adoption and usage. The usage of these payments also differs due to local habits and financial infrastructure developments.
|
Region |
Digital commerce payments |
Notes |
|
North America |
Cards, digital wallets, BNPL |
The region has a mature financial ecosystem. Thus, the growth of digital payments comes from feature improvements, replacement cycles, and financial integration. |
|
Europe |
Cards, bank transfers, digital wallets |
Policy-driven standardisation and cross-border ecommerce continue to drive the adoption of digital payments. |
|
Asia Pacific |
Digital wallets, QR payments, and local payment methods |
Asia-Pacific region has the strongest structural momentum due to mobile-first consumer behaviour and rapid platform scaling. |
|
Latin America |
Local payment methods, instalment payments, wallets |
Latin America is an emerging market for digital payment technologies driven by adoption among underbanked populations and mobile connectivity |
|
Middle East & Africa |
Mobile money, wallets, cards |
Internet and mobile penetration are driving the use of digital payments. Mobile-first adoption and growing innovation to solve financial infrastructure gaps are also leading to growth. |
Apart from facilitating payment transactions, digital commerce payments can have significant impacts on your business’s growth. For example, customers are more likely to come back if they notice that your checkout process is easy with minimal steps.
Digital commerce payments influence how fast you receive settlements, payment success rates, and the efficiency of cross-border collections. If the payment processor approves the payment, you can have this money in your business account in a few days, thus stabilizing your business’s cash flow. This differs significantly from traditional invoicing and bank transfers, which can be relatively slow.
With a growing business, manual accounting soon becomes a huge bottleneck. Imagine manually matching every digital sale, refund, and chargeback to bank statements? This would take hours to complete and also has higher risks for human errors.
Digital payment systems reduce this challenge by allowing the integration of accounting software, such as QuickBooks, Xero, or ERPs, to automate this reconciliation process in real time. This automation allows you to focus on other tasks like optimising operations or strategic financial planning.
If your business sells to customers in different countries, a payment setup that supports multiple currencies can improve both the customer experience and internal operations. For instance, the platform can dynamically show local pricing and process payments natively. This removes a significant psychological barrier for international buyers.
An example of such a platform you can partner with is Antom. This AI-powered growth and payments platform allows you to serve customers in over 200 markets and supports 300+ payment methods and 140+ currencies. This diversity gives you the flexibility to launch your brand internationally without the payment restrictions.
Digital commerce payments generate useful information about how customers pay, where transactions fail, which payment methods perform best, and how different markets behave at checkout. Businesses can use this data to identify friction points, understand customer preferences, improve payment strategy, and make better decisions about market expansion, checkout optimisation, and payment method coverage.
Build better digital commerce payments today with Antom. Click here to learn more.
No. Digital commerce payments can support a wide range of digital business models beyond online retail, including subscription services, online marketplaces, travel platforms, digital service providers, and businesses that sell through apps or social commerce channels.
Yes. Payment setup can influence how quickly a business enters a new market because expansion often depends on supporting the right currencies, payment methods, and checkout experiences for local customers.
Customers may behave differently depending on whether they shop through a website, mobile app, online marketplace, or another digital channel. Understanding these differences can help businesses offer payment experiences that feel more relevant to each channel and reduce friction during checkout.