Offer your customers the way they want to pay

Finding the right way to accept payments is one of those tasks that sounds simple on paper, but it can quickly become a headache when you're trying to grow a business.

If you’ve been trading for a while, as your business scales, you’ve likely noticed that the way your customers want to pay is just as important as what they are buying.

In the UK, the way people spend money is changing faster than ever. Over half of UK adults (57%) now regularly use mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay for things, while cash usage continues to fall. For small businesses and micro-enterprises, keeping tabs on payment trends ensures that you aren't accidentally turning customers away.

Cart abandonment is a common problem. After adding their product to their basket and making their way through the checkout, they suddenly drop off at the final stage.

While limited or expensive delivery options and other fees are often blamed, the payment experience is also a major factor.

Research shows that 70% of shoppers say being able to pay using their preferred payment method is an important factor when choosing where they shop. Additionally, 45% stated they would go elsewhere if their payment method wasn't offered.

If you’re only offering card payments, a customer has to find their physical wallet to type in 16 digits. By giving them no choice but to do this, you’re adding unnecessary friction, which could be the deciding factor in a customer making a purchase.

Security is another major factor when customers are entering payment details. For smaller businesses, the easiest way to stay safe is to use a hosted payment page. This means the actual payment happens on a secure, third-party server that handles the heavy lifting of PCI DSS compliance for you. It protects your brand's reputation and ensures your customers' data is kept under the highest global security standards from day one.

By focusing on making the payment part of the journey as easy as possible, you aren't just taking money - you're building the kind of trust and convenience that keeps customers coming back.

You might think that the more payment methods you offer, the better. But the trick isn't to integrate every payment method on earth into your payment page; instead, offer the ones that solve your specific business challenges.

• Payment links: If you’re a wholesaler, in transport and logistics, or run a service-based business, you might not even have a traditional checkout page. This is where payment links are the perfect fit. Instead of sending a static invoice and waiting weeks for a manual bank transfer, which contributes to the £11bn late-payment crisis in the UK, you send a secure, clickable link via email or WhatsApp. Your customer clicks, pays instantly by card or phone, and the funds are settled quickly, helping your cash flow stay healthy.
• Digital wallets: For e-commerce, Apple Pay and Google Pay are essential. They use biometrics (like FaceID) to complete a transaction in seconds. Since 70% of online transactions now happen on smartphones, removing the need to type in card details is the fastest way to boost your conversion rates.
• Subscriptions: If you run a gym or offer online training, recurring payments are your best friend. Automating these means you aren't chasing individual payments every month, and it gives your customers a seamless way to stay members without any extra effort.

As you grow from a micro-enterprise to a larger small business, your payment needs will shift. Here is a simple way to know when it’s time to add new methods:

• Look at your demographics: If you are using website analytics or social media, you can gain insights into who your customers are. If your customers are primarily 18–34, digital wallets and mobile-first options are mandatory.
• Monitor your margins: High street banks often charge complex "tiered" fees that can reach up to 4% per transaction. As your volume grows, switching to a transparent, fixed-rate model (like 1.30% + £0.20 for UK cards) makes it much easier to forecast your costs.
• Check where people are located: If you’re scaling into international markets, you’ll want a system that handles multi-currency payments so customers can pay in their local currency without hidden fees.

Choosing the right partner to handle these complexities is what turns payments from a backend chore into a strategic advantage.

Whether you need to send instant payment links to settle invoices faster, integrate Apple Pay and Google Pay to capture mobile shoppers, or set up recurring subscriptions for predictable revenue, our platform scales alongside you.

Ultimately, the goal is simple: offer your customers the way they want to pay, and the growth will follow. Don’t let a clunky checkout hold your business back. Switch to a transparent, flexible solution that keeps your cash flow healthy and your customers coming back for more.