Lately, I’ve been doing payment process audits for several e-commerce stores.

I’ve seen a lot of different setups, and honestly, I keep noticing a few basic issues that surprisingly come up quite often.

Here are some mistakes I see e-commerce stores making in their payment processes:

1. Limited payment options

Not everyone wants to pay using traditional methods. Some prefer other options like PayPal, BLIK, Apple Pay, or even buy now, pay later (BNPL) – e.g. Klarna, Affirm or PayPo.

Limiting your payment options means losing customers who don’t see their preferred way to pay. It’s a simple fix that can drive conversions.

2. Overcomplicating the checkout

The more steps in your checkout process, the more customers drop off.

Asking for too much info or redirecting them to a different page to complete payment? That’s a recipe for abandoned carts.

Keep it simple. Make it fast. One-click checkouts should be the goal.

3. Ignoring failed payment recovery

Payment failures happen. But not doing anything about it is a huge mistake.

Set up automated retries, follow up with reminders, and offer alternate payment methods if the first attempt fails. Recovering failed payments can mean the difference between a lost sale and a successful one.

4. No local payment methods for international customers

If you’re selling internationally, you need to think about local payment preferences.

In the USA, many customers prefer payment options like Venmo or American Express. In the Netherlands, they use iDEAL.

Not offering these options tells your international customers that you don’t understand them. And they leave.

5. Lack of transparency on payment fees

Hidden fees are a conversion killer. If customers see unexpected charges during checkout (e.g. additional fees for using some particular payment method), they’re more likely to abandon their cart.

Be upfront.

Show all costs clearly.

Building trust leads to higher conversions and more repeat business.

6. No mobile-friendly payment options

More and more transactions are happening on mobile. If your payment methods aren’t mobile-optimized or don’t include convenient mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay, you’re missing out.

Make sure your payment flow is as seamless on a phone as it is on a desktop.

7. Not using payment orchestration

If you’re using just one payment provider, you’re missing opportunities.

Payment orchestration allows you to route transactions through multiple providers, optimize costs, and increase approval rates.

It’s a powerful tool that gives you flexibility and helps maximize revenue.

E-commerce payments are about more than just accepting money. They’re about making the experience easy, trustworthy, and frictionless.

If your payment process is making any of these mistakes, you’re probably leaving money on the table.

Take a look. Fix what needs fixing. Your customers – and your sales numbers – will thank you.