Chirag Patel, President of Digital Wallets at Paysafe.
While keeping their payment details safe is a top priority for customers when shopping online, they’re not willing to jump through endless hoops or accept poor user experiences as the inevitable price of greater security.
Online payment security has been top of mind for merchants since the very first internet purchase: a copy of Sting’s ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’ CD. Even though payment technology has become more sophisticated over time, the eCommerce explosion has brought about an ongoing battle between increasing security and ensuring convenience.
Customers are ever more aware about the risks of online shopping and concerned about their financial details falling into the wrong hands. Simultaneously, demand for a good user experience has also risen steadily. But greater security typically introduces friction into the checkout process, which continues to be one of the leading causes of cart abandonment.
In our latest Lost In Transaction report, we surveyed 11,000 consumers in 10 countries across Europe and the Americas regarding the balance between security and convenience in online payments.
Here are the key take-aways for online merchants moving forward.
How concerned are consumers about online fraud?
According to our research, customers continue to grow increasingly worried about online fraud.
59% of respondents are more concerned about it today than they were 12 months ago. Not feeling comfortable sharing financial details online has increased from 49% in 2021, to 70% in 2022.
More to the point, our research shows that, when they have a choice, 44% of respondents will invariably pay with the method they perceive as safest while only 21% will choose the most convenient payment method, and even fewer (14%) will choose the fastest one.
These findings aren’t surprising considering that fraud has become more frequent and more serious during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in 2021 the average US fraud victim lost $500 and the average UK victim lost £806.
However, what merchants need to keep in mind is that, even though security typically dictates the choice of payment method, there’s a limit to how much friction customers are prepared to tolerate. And our research suggests this limit is close to being reached, with 42% of customers reporting that they would prefer more payment security but only 19% open to accepting whatever measures are necessary for increased protection against fraud. The other 23% would only accept a minimal increase in inconvenience.
A fine line to walk
If you’re a merchant, the situation is positive but challenging to navigate.
Fortunately, 44% of consumers think merchants are getting the balance between security and convenience right — up from 26% in 2021 – and trust is also high. 53% think online payments are more secure than they were twelve months ago. And 64% of respondents are more likely to shop from merchants who already have their payment details on file, compared to 54% in 2021.
The challenge is that security risks are ever evolving. Cybercriminals are constantly refining their techniques, which means measures that are highly effective today can become inadequate tomorrow. And regulation is constantly developing, at times at odds with consumer sentiment. The introduction of Strong
Customer Authentication rules, for instance, sparked fears that the deliberate friction they required would hurt sales, which, admittedly, has had less of a negative impact than anticipated.
Consequently, while security enhancements are inevitable if merchants are to continue meeting high standards, there’s margin for error now that more consumers are reaching the limits of their tolerance for friction.
For every new security measure they introduce, merchants must be increasingly mindful of the impact on the streamlined payment experience customers expect.
Finding a common ground: boosting security with trust and technology
While maintaining – or even improving – the current balance between security and convenience might seem impossibly tricky, payment technology has evolved to a point where it’s doable.
With embedded payments, for instance, the consumer pays through a user-friendly interface at the point of need. And because financial details are stored securely in tokenized format, there’s no need to share them every time you make a purchase.
eCash is another such solution that enables customers to buy online quickly, securely, and privately.
A unique barcode is generated at the checkout which customers can then get scanned at one of one million points of sale in 55+ countries to pay in cash. Which means they can buy online without having to share or even store any financial details.
This presents a great opportunity for merchants to take advantage of the high levels of trust these payment solutions enjoy. While our research shows that there’s still a significant knowledge gap, particularly in embedded payments, consumers are becoming more open to both technologies. So now is the time to explain the benefits clearly to customers and, more importantly, address concerns.
Online payment security is crucial, but not at all costs
Keeping their financial details safe is the most important element of the payment process for most customers. But while fraud protection may be winning the battle against convenience hands down, merchants need to carefully navigate the process of increasing security without adding too much inconvenience.
As critical as it is for merchants to protect customers’ data, a zero-fraud strategy would also likely cause way more friction than most customers are prepared to tolerate. A smooth, seamless payment experience remains as important as ever.
