E-commerce checkout

Two frictions break the checkout.

Online shoppers face two pain points that drive cart abandonment and lost sales. The first is checkout friction. Cards demand multiple data fields and security checks across several verification screens. Each extra step is a point where the customer drops off, and mobile makes it worse.

The second is lack of delivery trust. For high-value cross-border purchases, especially custom items that need preparation, customers hesitate to pay upfront without a guarantee that the item will actually ship. The merchant wants payment before producing or dispatching, but the customer wants delivery confirmation before paying. The trust gap blocks transactions in both directions.

Mollie surveyed 10,000 European consumers across Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. 81% stress the importance of an efficient checkout process, and 86% favour retailers offering a variety of payment methods. Across Europe, payment security concerns drive cart abandonment, with 48% of UK consumers citing payment security as a reason for leaving items at checkout.

Mollie — European Ecommerce Report, 2025

Online shoppers in the EU are over 60% more likely to experience problems with their purchases compared to those shopping offline. Cross-border e-commerce keeps growing: 35% of EU consumers purchased from another EU country in 2024, and 27% from outside the EU. 45% of consumers encountered online scams, with many also experiencing fake reviews and misleading discounting practices.

European Commission — Consumer Conditions Scoreboard, 2025 Edition

One workflow, three ways to use it.

SEPA Request-to-Pay combined with SEPA Instant Credit Transfer creates a flexible payment experience that adapts to what you sell and how quickly it ships. Three implementation patterns cover the full range of e-commerce scenarios, from instant checkout to maximum buyer trust.

Default flow - One-Tap Checkout

For ready-to-ship items

• Merchant integrates SRTP as the default payment option at checkout
• Customer receives a structured, pre-filled SRTP via their bank app
• One tap (biometric or PIN) triggers an instant SEPA payment
• Bank-based experience with no card forms or third-party redirects

For items needing preparation - Pay When It Ships

Deferred SRTP triggered on dispatch

• For custom or backordered items, the merchant defers the SRTP
• When the item leaves the warehouse, the merchant issues the SRTP
• Customer approves and SEPA Instant settles in seconds
• Reduces abandonment on high-value or cross-border orders

Maximum buyer trust - Pay on Delivery

SRTP triggered on delivery confirmation

• For high-risk or first-purchase orders, the merchant defers the SRTP further
• When the carrier confirms successful delivery, the SRTP triggers
• Customer approves and SEPA Instant settles in seconds
• Echoes the cash-on-delivery model familiar across CEE markets

A Polish customer shops on a Spanish electronics site. Different items go through different flows: in-stock items use One-Tap Checkout, custom or backordered items use Pay When It Ships, and high-value cross-border orders can use Pay on Delivery for maximum trust.

Universal flow, flexible trigger.

1. ‍Merchant chooses when to send the SRTP - For ready-to-ship orders, the SRTP is sent at checkout. For items that need preparation, the merchant defers the SRTP until shipment. For maximum buyer trust, the SRTP is held back until delivery is confirmed by the carrier.‍
2. Customer receives the request in their bank app - Whenever the SRTP triggers, the customer's bank presents a structured, pre-filled payment request. The request contains all order details already populated, with nothing for the customer to type.‍
3. Customer approves with biometric or PIN - The customer reviews the structured request and confirms with biometric or PIN, the same way they confirm any other payment in their banking app.‍
4. SEPA Instant settles in seconds - Funds move from customer to merchant within seconds, 24/7, across the SEPA zone. The transaction skips card networks and chargeback exposure entirely. Every step is recorded with structured ISO 20022 data for full audit trail.

What merchants and customers gain

• ‍Higher conversion at checkout - One-tap approval in the bank app removes the friction that drives abandonment. The checkout becomes as fast as confirming any other payment.‍
• Reduced cart abandonment on mobile and cross-border - The biggest abandonment gains come where friction is highest: mobile checkout and cross-border purchases. SRTP works the same across all SEPA countries, in the customer's own banking app.‍
• Real-time payment confirmation - The merchant receives confirmed settlement within seconds, with full payer authentication built in. Order fulfilment can begin immediately.‍
• Trust for "pay-on-shipment" and "pay-on-delivery" models - For custom items, backordered stock, or high-value cross-border orders, the merchant defers the SRTP. Some merchants trigger payment when the item ships. Others wait for delivery confirmation. Either way, the customer pays only after the merchant has fulfilled the order.‍
• Lower chargeback and non-payment risk - SRTP is an authenticated bank transaction. The architecture lacks the chargeback mechanism that comes with cards, and the merchant has no card fraud exposure. Funds arrive confirmed and settled in central bank money.‍
• Audit-ready ISO 20022 transaction trail - Every payment carries structured ISO 20022 data with full request, approval, and settlement history. Compliance and finance teams gain complete visibility into each transaction.