What Shoppers Want and How Retailers Can Deliver What Shoppers Want and How Retailers Can Deliver
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In retail today, the product matters—but payments make the difference. Shoppers choose where to buy based on how fast, easy, and reliable checkout feels. Whether it's online, in-store, or on mobile, payments are no longer just a transaction. They're a key moment in the customer experience.

"Consumers now expect the same payment experience everywhere," says Maria Prados, SVP, Go to Market, Global Enterprise at Worldpay®. "They want to pay how they like, when they like—and they want it to work the first time. If it doesn't, they walk away."

And that walk-away costs more than one cart. It can cost a loyal customer.

Retailers that lead the market are building connected commerce experiences that remove friction, offer instant refunds, and support local payment methods worldwide. "You need to meet shoppers where they are—not just physically, but behaviorally," Prados says. "That's the next frontier."

Worldpay® supports six of the top 10 global retailers by delivering that consistency and scale. Its end-to-end platform processes payments in 135 currencies across 174 countries. Retailers get global reach with local relevance—and a payment experience that drives loyalty.

What Shoppers Expect in 2025

Today's shoppers want more than convenience—they expect instant approvals, one-click checkouts, and the ability to pay their way without friction. Whether it's Apple Pay, Klarna, PayPal, or a bank transfer, choice matters—but so does personalization.

"In Japan, I saw a kiosk with 50 payment options," Prados says. "It was overwhelming—even for someone in payments. Retailers need to offer the right options, not every option."

Using data to prioritize payment methods by geography, device, or past purchases makes checkout faster, smarter, and more trusted. And when checkout goes wrong, that's often where the drop-off starts.

Cart abandonment is frequently payment-related—a slow process, a missing payment method, or a false decline. Every disruption creates doubt. Prados explains, "Checkout isn't the end of the funnel—it's part of the brand experience. It's where trust is either confirmed or broken."

Managing Complexity Behind the Scenes

Retail is complex. From FX rates to regional regulations, managing payments across borders and channels takes work. Worldpay helps retailers simplify it with dynamic routing, tokenization, retry logic, and unified reporting. That means higher approvals and better insights.

"It's not enough to connect systems," Prados says. "You have to optimize them. Every rescued transaction is revenue back on the table."

Fraud prevention is another pressure point. As ecommerce grows, so do false positives—legitimate customers blocked by overly strict systems. Worldpay's AI-driven fraud tools reduce manual reviews and keep more good customers in the flow.

Returns also matter more than many think. Fast refunds can turn a bad moment into brand advocacy. "If I get my money back instantly, I'm more likely to spend again immediately," says Prados. "That's a moment to delight the customer—and most retailers miss it."

The Future: Payments That Reflect People

We're entering a new phase of retail where payments feel invisible—and personal. "We call it identity commerce," says Prados. "It's about meeting people where they are, how they shop, and how they want to engage."

Think voice search. AI agents. A request like "Find me a blue shirt in my size under $100" that leads directly to one-click checkout. For that to happen, payments must be tightly integrated with inventory, personalization engines, and customer data.

Retailers who get this right unlock a loop of loyalty. Frictionless checkout builds trust. Trust builds repeat purchases. Payment becomes the handshake that seals the relationship.

"When it's done right, no one notices the payment. But when it's wrong, everyone remembers," Prados says.

In 2025 and beyond, payments aren't just how money moves. They're how confidence is delivered.