Purchase on account still popular in Germany

For almost a third of all German online shoppers, purchase on account is the most popular payment method. In 2019, a total of 32.8% of all payments were made through purchase on account in Germany, according to EHI Retail Institute.

Most popular payment methods

The purchase on account ranks first among the most popular payment methods in online payments in Germany, with a share of 32.8%. Compared to 2018, the popularity of this payment method increased with 1.5% in 2019. One possible reason for this development could be that Amazon was actively promoting the payment method to its clientele. In addition, PayPal ranks second among the payment methods with the highest turnover. The share of this payment method is 20.2%. Furthermore, taking the third place is direct debit with a share of sales of 18.3%.

Mobile-optimized checkouts

The EHI Retail Institute study also made it clear that online shop operators are currently grappling intensively with topics such as mobile-optimized checkouts and the establishment of mobile payment solutions in e-commerce. The study thus indicates that currently around 80% of all internet shop operators have adapted payment processes to the requirements of mobile devices.

In this context, the missing 20% emphasize that they will also deal with this topic in the near future. Numerous retail companies are striving to include mobile payment methods, such as Google Pay or Apple Pay. In addition, some companies are even talking about introducing Chinese payment methods such as, Alipay or WeChat Pay.

Effects of COVID-19

Consumers used the PayPal payment option much more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several internet retailers eliminated their omnichannel payment methods, such as cash on delivery in times of lockdown. In addition, numerous online shop operators were optimistic that online trading will become even more important in the future.