October 09, 2025
Retailers Find Growth in Letting Customers Pay Their Own Way
Retailers are learning that the fastest way to grow might not be through new products or promotions. Instead, it’s letting customers pay however they want.
A global study from ACI Worldwide and Payments Dive finds that 65% of retailers say offering flexible payment options has directly lifted their revenue. What was once seen as a technical detail at checkout has become one of the most powerful levers for growth.
Payment Choice Becomes the New Currency
Flexibility equals convenience. Whether it’s mobile wallets, buy-now, pay-later plans, or Account-to-Account transfers, customers expect to move money on their own terms. The majority of retailers have taken note, with 83% now prioritising mobile wallets when choosing new payment partners, followed by Account-to-Account payments (67%) and BNPL (57%).
As a result, almost every retailer that had expanded its payment options (and that’s 96% of them) reported higher revenue. They’re seeing better conversion rates, fewer abandoned carts, and smoother international transactions.
Adapting to Local Habits
Global expansion is another reason retailers are focusing on payment flexibility. Eighty-five percent plan to enter new markets within the next year, and they know a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Almost 70% are adding local payment providers, and 58% choose acquirers that support regional methods, whether that means real-time bank transfers in Europe or QR payments in Asia.
These local adjustments do more than boost acceptance rates; they help brands build trust in markets where unfamiliar checkout experiences can turn customers away.
The New Additions: Crypto and AI
Although a growing number of people own cryptocurrencies, not that many actually use them in real life. Still, offering crypto payment options might be a good idea if brands want to meet every customer where they are.
The acceptance of cryptocurrencies, according to more than half (55%) of retailers, affects the partners they choose. Younger consumers like Millennials and Gen Z are particularly interested in stablecoins because they process transactions more quickly and cheaply.
Behind the scenes, AI is keeping these systems running smoothly. Around 70% of retailers already use this technology to detect fraud or predict which transactions are likely to fail, allowing them to keep payments fast and frictionless.
“The next wave of retail growth is being driven by AI-powered tools and insights, enabling merchants to optimise performance and increase customer engagement, while embracing emerging payment methods such as mobile wallets, A2A payments, and digital currencies,” said Adriana Iordan, Global Head of Merchant, ACI Worldwide.
The bottom line is, the more freedom customers have at checkout, the faster the business grows.
