Online payment: trust, number one priority for cyber-buyers

Nearly one in two French people (47%) make purchases or payments online every week. This is one of the lessons of the European study E-Commerce Index, conducted in 2022 by ACA Research for PayPal**. If the breakthrough of e-commerce is confirmed in France, this survey of more than 15,000 consumers shows that our European neighbors are doing even better. On the first place of the podium, the Dutch are 78% to buy online every week with, on average, more than four weekly purchases. As for the Swedes, they are the biggest spenders with 486 euros per month (against 270 euros for the French).

How to explain such a gap between France and the rest of Europe? The study reveals that concerns about security or lack of trust when paying are the main obstacles. And the greater the sensitivity to risk, the more it weighs on the purchase decision. Thus, 48% of the French point the finger at the subject against only 39% of the Dutch. To a lesser extent, procedures that are too long and complex or even the need to create a customer account appear to be barriers to purchase. Other obstacles: the inadequacy of cyber-buyers with the values ​​of the company or the importance of delivery costs.

PayPal, trusted third party

The challenge for merchant sites is therefore to establish trust and simplify purchases. First element of response for businesses: offering reassuring payment solutions. 28% of French people say that PayPal is the payment method that inspires them the most confidence, compared to only 14% for credit cards. In Germany, this figure even reaches 47%. This enthusiasm could be explained by the protection of purchases that this solution guarantees. This gives the right to reimbursement of the total price of the item if it is not delivered or does not correspond to its description.

This high level of trust is measured concretely on the probability for customers to validate their basket. In Europe, consumers are twice as likely to make their purchase on a site that offers PayPal (62% vs. 27%). The key is the possibility for companies to limit the abandonment of baskets, which is very common since nearly two out of three French people (66%) have not completed their payment or their online purchase.

E-commerce beyond borders

The issue of security does not stop at borders: on average, 31% of online purchases are made abroad. In this respect, French companies are the biggest exporters: 91% of them sell their products and services to foreign cyber-buyers and have generated 33% of their turnover there over the past six months. And to optimize their sales, they again have every interest in establishing a climate of trust. More than two in five consumers say they feel safer shopping abroad if PayPal is available. They are even twice as likely to buy a product if this payment solution is offered. Weighty arguments to take into account to optimize your e-commerce strategy.

*Review of e-commerce in France: The French spent nearly 147 billion euros on the internet in 2022, press release of February 7, 2023, Fevad.
**E-Commerce Index, compiled by Paypal, is based on a study by ACA Research conducted among more than 15,000 consumers, including 2,043 in France and 4,600 companies, including 405 in France. The study was conducted from June 15 to July 22, 2022. Return to the field for BNPL data was from August 26 to September 2, 2022.