Online purchases are practical and quick. Once you’ve found what you want, you just click on it to add it to your shopping basket. The final factor when deciding to buy is the range of payment methods. As a customer, you want to pay in the way that suits you best. 

Payment methods in online shops: a question of habit, situation and trust

The payment method a customer favours in online shops or for online bookings is more than just a question of habit. It also depends on the situation in which the person finds themselves, how much they trust the shop and their attitudes towards the goods or services they wish to purchase. Let’s take Ben as our example. He’s going to be the best man at his sister’s wedding. She will be getting married in Portugal in a few weeks, and brother Ben is preparing for the trip and the party. There is a lot to organize and a lot of things to buy. He’s happy that he can choose how he wants to pay in the online shops. 

Example: wedding preparations. How Ben books, orders and pays online

Reserving a hotel with a credit card

Ben uses a credit card to book a room for himself and his partner in a Lisbon hotel. He uses his credit card, because the hotel requires a credit card to guarantee the booking.

Ordering clothes on account

For the extended wedding celebrations, Ben orders four different outfits including shoes, most of which he will keep, but not all. In this case, he prefers to make his purchases on account. This means he will pay only for the clothes that he chooses to keep. Otherwise, he would have to pay for the entire order in advance. 

Buying a wedding gift on account

Of course, he also needs to get a gift for his sister. Ben finds the perfect surprise in an online shop from which he has never bought anything before. A couple of negative reviews make him a little suspicious. That’s why he also chooses to buy on account in this instance. That way, he doesn’t have to pay until the shop has actually delivered the gift. 

Buying luggage using PostFinance payment methods

It’s not long to go now. As they have a lot of things to pack, Ben’s family needs another travel bag. He finds a particularly practical one in a shop from which he has often shopped before. Because he is confident in the shop, he pays using the PostFinance E-Finance payment method (to be replaced by PostFinance Pay via the PostFinance App in all Swiss online shops by the end of 2025). The amount is debited directly from his account.

Buying a camera with PayPal

In another shop, Ben finds a camera that has long been on his wish list. He can make particularly good use of it now to get some great snapshots at the wedding. He buys the camera with PayPal, where he has saved his credit card as a payment method.

Buying a guestbook with PostFinance TWINT

Ben then remembers that, as best man, he also wants to get a guest book. He finds one in an online shop that specializes in weddings. Ben pays for it with PostFinance TWINT.

Buying a train ticket with PostFinance payment methods

Ben pays for his train tickets to the airport with his PostFinance Card debit card, as he has saved this payment method in the SBB app.

Tip: stay flexible when paying

Whether you’re paying for a wedding or in any other everyday situation: PostFinance can provide you with the right payment method. That way, you can stay flexible when paying. 

How ready are Swiss online retailers to provide different payment methods?

The fact is that customers don’t always want to pay using the same payment method. Sometimes they will pull out a payment card, sometimes they choose to pay on account or by mobile phone. In technical jargon, these customers are also called mixed payers. It is therefore important for online shops to offer customers a suitable choice of payment methods. But how ready are Swiss online shops to provide this? The e-commerce automation study 2024 answers this question.

Survey result: Which payment methods do you offer in your online shop? (multiple answers possible)

Simple payment collection in your online shop

As a retailer, would you also like to maximize your sales potential at your online checkout using a smart range of payment methods? PostFinance is the ideal partner when it comes to collecting and processing payments in online shops. With the Checkout Flex payment solution, you can integrate all common payment methods such as PostFinance Pay, Mastercard, Visa, PayPal or TWINT into your online shops. It’s up to you to decide which of the many payment methods you want to connect. Simply select the ones you need and negotiate rates with the acceptance partners independently.

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