Mobile commerce is on track to comprise over 63% of ecommerce sales in 2018, and an estimated 73% by 2021 according to Statista. It’s no wonder that top-tier companies are investing heavily into their mobile strategies. These investments are often used to improve the user experience with intuitive, fast-loading designs, mobile-first optimizations to rank well on Google, and the reduction of friction at checkout. In many cases, ecommerce directors will focus on designing product pages and optimizing content, but they often neglect the shopping cart and checkout pages, relying instead on the default settings of their ecommerce software, particularly when it comes to the mobile experience. Explore this opportunity by following these five best practices for mobile payments and you’ll have an edge over your competition.

Fraud Prevention & Authentication

Fraud prevention will protect you and your customers from theft, which translates to higher profitability, better conversion and customer retention. For these reasons, it may be the most important factor in selecting a mobile payment gateway. Some consumers are skeptical about submitting their credit card information online, so be transparent and robust with your fraud-prevention.

First, your ecommerce website needs to be PCI-DSS compliant by including a firewall, data encryption, anti-virus software, and other security measures. Not only will this help your customers, but PCI-DSS compliance is required by card issuers, and failure to follow these standards may result in large fines. Address Verification (AVS) and Card Code Verification (CVV) will also reduce fraud by enabling you to monitor transactions in real time.

Another way to protect sensitive data is through tokenization, where a customer’s primary account number is replaced with an algorithmically-generated code, or “token” that can be used to process a payment. You may also add smart authentication as an added step for online payments, using a method like 3-D Secure, now a part of Europe’s PSD2 regulations. Note that you may want to use it dynamically, as turning it on for every transaction may result in a negative impact on conversion. Even better, consider biometric authentication, with fingerprint or facial scans, and eliminate the need for passwords.

Simple, User-Friendly Checkout

A general rule for simplifying the checkout process is to remove unnecessary distractions. These include navigational links that take the user out of the checkout experience, and banners that aren’t driving the user to complete the transaction. Minimize form fields, and optimize your layout for mobile, with large, readable fonts, touch-friendly elements and high-contrast designs that can be viewed in bright sunlight. Adding type-ahead addresses will save your customers keystrokes, with the added benefit of improved deliverability.

Last, give users lots of payment options. These should include all major credit cards, as well as mobile wallets like PayPal and Apple Pay. If you’re doing business internationally, then you may also want to include local options. To put this into perspective, 94% of all mobile payments in China are processed with WeChat and Alipay.

Offer Guest Checkout Options

Some users are sensitive about creating logins and getting signed up for email newsletters. To get these customers to convert, you’ll need to offer guest checkout. Let the user know that they do not need to create an account or register for a newsletter, and keep it simple. After they’ve completed their transaction, you’ll have another chance to pitch them on the benefits of creating an account and signing up for promotional newsletters.

Quick Checkout for Registered Users

Website registration should give your customers a number of perks. This should include the ability to personalize their shopping experience. Let users select their default payment methods and shipping options without the need to re-enter payment details, and tokenize cards for one-click payments. This will keep your repeat shoppers happy by simplifying the checkout process without risking security.

Provide Multiple Contact Methods

Some customers will have questions that they need answered before making a purchase. While your FAQ, shipping and return policies should answer most of their questions, some people just want to be reassured by speaking with a customer service representative before completing their transaction. Others will need to reach out to you to cancel and return orders. Make this process painless by giving them lots of ways to contact you. Publish a phone number that’s easy to find, as well as an email address, contact form, live chat and social media. Also be sure to tag phone numbers with a “tel” link for click-to-call functionality. If you have physical stores, then be sure to include a link to the nearest location. The more ways you can communicate with your customers, the more opportunities you’ll have to prevent chargebacks and earn future business.

Conclusion

By following these five best practices, you’ll provide your customers with a better overall shopping experience on your website. Not only will this improve your bottom line, but customers will leave your website feeling good about their purchases, and may be more likely to tell other buyers about your products.