Local Payment Methods, Done Properly
Payment options that dominate specific markets, such as bank transfers, wallets and local card schemes.
Marcus Adeyemi
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Card-only checkout in markets that prefer other methods
- Enabling methods you cannot support operationally
- Untested refund flows
- Displaying every method to everyone
What good looks like instead
- Research payment preferences per target market
- Enable local methods through your provider
- Show methods relevant to the visitor's country
- Test refunds for each method
- Review method performance by market
Why it matters
Offering only international cards suppresses conversion in markets where people expect local methods.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Regional preferences | payment habits vary significantly by country |
| Settlement | methods differ in settlement time and fees |
| Refunds | some methods handle refunds differently |
| Compliance | local methods may carry their own requirements |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when expanding into new countries.
Where this comes from
- Stripe Documentation — Payment methods
- European Commission — Payment services
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
We take on E-commerce Development work for teams who want it done once, properly. Tell us what you are building and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it. Start a project.
Where to go next
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