Payment culture in North America

Credit card heaven

For online retailers North America is the perfect market. Why? Because no market currently delivers more revenue (approx. 36% worldwide in 2012) and is so clear cut about payment methods [1]. The credit card is paramount here. In the USA plastic is used for 71.5% of all online payments and in Canada for roughly two in every three online purchases (65%). So anyone who wants to sell something online in North America has to accept credit cards as a payment method.

Digital wallets are up-and-coming

In the wake of the credit card’s popularity, digital wallets are also gaining increasing momentum. In the USA (17.6%) and above all in Canada (23.3%) this payment method is firmly established, with PayPal being the most popular option. The other payment methods do not make a big impact, accounting for no more than 3 percent (bank transfers in Canada). Mobile payment methods too still have to gain a foothold. In the USA only 1.2% of online purchases are paid in this way and the figure is even lower in Canada at only 0.3%. A relatively large proportion of payments – 7.2% in Canada – are still made with cash.

[1] www.worldpay.com/sites/default/files/Report_Alternate%20Payments_20140313.pdf