Relevant or not? How to understand individual payment trends

09.07.2025

Payment is not just the last step in the purchasing process – it is a decisive moment in the customer experience. The world of payment is currently changing rapidly, driven by technology, new sales models and customer expectations. But not every payment trend is right for every business. Our evaluation aid helps you to understand individual trends.

Trend towards invisible payments: payments are triggered entirely in the background, without any active effort on the part of the customer. Image: AI generated

At a glance

  • Payment is a success factor: the right payment strategy can reduce cancelled purchase numbers and increase customer satisfaction.
  • Not every trend is right in every situation: the relevance of a trend depends on factors such as strategic fit, target group relevance, sales channels and technological infrastructure.
  • Our payment trend relevance matrix gives you clarity, allowing you to systematically evaluate which trends you want to prioritize in your retail business.

Discover PostFinance’s payment solutions. Go to in-store payments, online shop payments and omnichannel payment solution.

The world of payment is changing rapidly, driven by technology, new sales models and customer expectations. From a multitude of innovations, retailers are faced with the challenge of choosing the trends relevant to them.

This post explains why payment trends are relevant for retailers, the three developments that are currently of particular interest, and how you can assess which of them are really worthwhile for your business.

Payment trends: why they are important for your retail business

For retail companies, it is now more important than ever to know and understand current payment trends. Modern payment solutions have long been more than just a service: they have a direct impact on customer satisfaction, revenues and competitiveness.

  • Many customers want payment to be flexible, quick and easy – whether by card, smartphone or invoice. If you don’t meet these expectations, you risk dissatisfaction or cancelled purchases.

  • When payment works smoothly, the likelihood that a purchase will actually be completed increases. Complex or unreliable payment processes, on the other hand, put people off.

  • Retailers who accept modern payment methods offer a service in keeping with the times that can set them apart from the competition.

  • Automated payment processes reduce sources of error, speed up checkout processes and reduce the amount of background work required − for example, for booking transactions.

Already on your radar? Three selected payment trends

In concrete terms: which trends are right for your business?

Not all trends are equally relevant to every retail company. Their importance depends largely on how well they fit your own strategy, target group and sales focus.

For example, a high-street business with digitally savvy customers can benefit in particular from offering mobile payments, while omnichannel payment makes most sense for retailers who sell both in-store and online, or who want a presence in multiple channels in the medium term. Invisible payments, on the other hand, are particularly suitable for retailers with high footfall, simple shopping baskets and digital customer loyalty, especially in the convenience and mobility sectors.

Systematic evaluation allows retail companies to assess which trends are relevant today or will be in the near future, enabling the systematic use of resources to further develop the payment landscape within their company.

Evaluation aid

Use our evaluation aid to find out which payment trends are really relevant to your company.

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