The news: Merchants’ mobile apps drive growth through wide digital payment acceptance, per a Visa and PYMNTS Intelligence report.

• 57% of merchants with in-app checkout said sales through that channel rose YoY.
• Comparatively, 55% of merchants reported that sales increased on their websites, as did 54% for physical store sales.

Merchants’ mobile apps beat their websites on digital payment acceptance for 11 out of 14 checkout methods.

How we got here: Merchants have implemented desirable digital payment methods in mobile apps faster than on their websites, in part because the tech is more readily available. Mobile users are more likely to have access to biometric checkouts through their phones, compared with desktop or laptop access that may not have a scannable thumbprint key or face scan.

• Mobile apps beat websites for biometric/Face ID acceptance by 16 percentage points.
• One-click checkout—merchants’ most requested wishlist item for tech, per a PYMNTS.com and Mastercard report—was also more prevalent in app vs online.
• And autofill from digital wallet acceptance in app outstripped websites by 7 percentage points.

Why this matters: Low-friction checkouts drive conversion, and merchants may be missing an opportunity to direct more consumer traffic through their apps. 

We forecast that retail mcommerce will hit $615.25 billion in sales this year—within spitting distance of retail ecommerce via laptop/desktop at $696.13 billion. Taking steps to prepare for increased sales volume over smartphones can help merchants secure younger consumers who are more mobile-first in their shopping behaviors. 

Recommendations for payment providers: Apps may be driving more conversions, but merchants need access to more frictionless payment methods across all devices. 

Sixty-two percent of merchants don’t offer biometric checkout across apps or websites, and 31% lack autofill digital wallet integrations. Offering merchants quick plug-ins to level up their checkout would drive value.

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