How to form the optimal payment method pool for your business

We don’t immediately meet with businesses that are launching their business online. Usually, our acquaintance takes place when we need to add a ‘payment’ button to a website or app. Some merchants conduct research and therefore know exactly what they need, while others come to their payment partner with these questions. Both approaches are correct – after all, the level of trust, conversion, average cheque and repeat sales depend on the convenience and relevance of the payment experience. bill_line team is online and today we would like to focus on the second part of this experience – how to choose payment methods for a website or an app and why your final result largely depends on this payment pool.

Some things are popular – and some are timeless

According to last year’s McKinsey report, digital payments continue its way to the ‘new norm’ status in all markets, both online and offline. In the US and Europe, nearly 9 out of 10 consumers have made at least one payment via a digital channel (website, app or digital wallet) in the last year.

No one is surprised by the stable trend of growing popularity of digital wallets and mobile payments. The Worldpay report for 2024 showed Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other platform wallets we’re familiar with are becoming the default payment method, and more and more people don’t even keep a physical bank card in their wallets.

At the same time, classic debit or credit card payments (online acquiring with data entry) are the main payment method in many niches and form the basis of statistics for large e-commerce platforms.

Read also: Everything you need to know about classic internet acquiring

Moreover, conservative payment methods (bank transfers, sometimes even cash or cash on delivery) are still relevant for a large share in some markets, especially where customers have well-established payment habits (e.g. the EU).

At the same time, the popularity of ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) is growing, especially among young audiences. This market is growing rapidly in this segment: the global volume of such payments for the first three quarters of 2025 is over $560 billion.

Considering user behaviour, BNPL often becomes a key factor in motivating purchases, especially in categories with medium or high average transaction values (electronics, furniture, clothing, home and household goods).

How to choose payment methods: why do you need a whole pool

When you launch payments on a project or optimise your checkout page, it’s important to look at your audience, the type of goods, the sales channel and the market. There’s no universal ‘master’ pool for everyone – but there’s a logic that helps you choose the right methods.

Let’s look at some cases to make this clearer:

• Case #1: An online store selling fashionable and trendy clothing for young people with active mobile traffic. You need: digital wallets as basic acquiring to reduce the number of steps in the payment flow, optimised checkout without unnecessary methods. The maximum emphasis should be placed on convenient methods – while leaving the classic form of bank card data input as a backup.
• Case #2: A store selling gadgets, furniture, and household appliances. You have an average or high-average cheque, so you need: basic acquiring and BNPL (or another type of quick interest-free credit) in addition to a simple payment form. This will significantly increase the average cheque and make the purchase more affordable for all customers.
• Case #3: Resale platform with goods from users or online auction. Your business involves delivery and relies on the trust of some customers in others. You are the third-party guarantor of everything that receives a fee for using the platform. Your payment methods pool should include cash on delivery after verification of the goods. Also, part of your audience still prefers cash, so consider that as well.
• Case #4: International service. This always means versatility, so you need: bank cards, wallets, BNPL, bank/local methods that can be enabled on the payment form depending on the market. If your business involves subscriptions, recurring payments are obviously your basic thing.

So, about instant lending (BNPL) again: where it makes sense and why

BNPL / ‘payment by parts’ isn’t a passing trend. It’s a tool that significantly refines the purchase  logic. It simplifies things for the customer and somewhat complicates them for the business. It works best when:

• the product isn’t very cheap (medium or high price);
• the purchase decision may require a ‘low entry threshold’ (no need to pay the full amount for a new TV or top-of-the-line laptop right away);
• you are prepared to a slightly higher service (integration, risks, possible returns/refunds) as a price for new customers.

A number of market studies show that BNPL often increases the average cheque and encourages people to buy even what they didn’t plan to buy or would have bought later. However, this isn’t a universal solution, as ‘payment by parts’ requires a careful approach: high-quality integration, understandable UX, and transparent conditions for the customer. Otherwise, it can result in losses – both in revenue and audience.

Read also: returning ‘lost carts’ and fixing payments 

How to choose payment methods for your website or app: what to look for

So, to choose the payment methods right for you, you need to analyse the following factors:

• • Sales channel: mobile, desktop, offline;
  • Audience: age, habits, financial behaviour, trust in cards and loans;
  • Type of goods/services and receipt: purchase price/impulse;
  • Frequency of recurring payments/subscriptions;
  • Markets/geo: if customers are from different countries with different payment habits;
  • Logistics, shipping and returns methods: whether to add cash on delivery уес.

With this approach, the pool should cover your customers’ real scenarios, rather than just doing ‘what everyone else does’.

Choosing the ‘golden mean’ of payment methods

In most cases, the optimal setup for modern e-commerce or multi-channel business looks like this:

• Entry level: standard card payment form: always available, works as usual;
• New basics: Apple Pay and Google Pay, which simplify payment and increase conversion with zero effort;
• Booster: ‘payment by parts’ \ BNPL: if you want to sell more goods with an average/high cheque;
• Adaptation: invoicing, mobile payments, etc.: if you operate in different markets with unique conditions;
• Cash on delivery or cash on collection: if you don’t know why you need it, then your business definitely doesn’t need it.

Read also: how to increase payment conversion on your website or in your app

You can already find all of this on most checkout pages of popular merchants. Not because it’s a universal recipe for success, but because it covers the basic needs of today’s shoppers. From ‘pay quickly from your phone’ to ‘I made up my mind to buy something expensive, but I don’t have all the money.’

By offering different payment methods, you’re not just making it more convenient for customers. You’re showing that you understand their needs – and giving them a choice. This builds trust, reduces barriers and helps your business grow.