DocuSign targets growth in Europe with subscription payments through GoCardless

 DocuSign Inc. (NASDAQ: DOCU) has selected GoCardless, the global leader in recurring payments, to provide customers in Europe with a new way to pay for their subscriptions – in response to growing customer demand.

DocuSign helps organisations connect and automate how they prepare, sign, act on, and manage agreements. Its customers will now be able to subscribe using GoCardless, as an alternative to credit/debit cards and PayPal.

“We want our global customers to have access to simple and easy payment methods when purchasing DocuSign,” said Robin Joy, SVP of Digital, Demand & Web Sales at DocuSign. “We’re delighted to be working with GoCardless to offer bank debit as a payment option throughout the UK and Europe to ensure customers are able to complete quick and easy transactions with DocuSign.”

Hiroki Takeuchi, CEO of GoCardless, says: “We’re excited to welcome DocuSign as one of the growing numbers of SaaS businesses choosing GoCardless to power their subscription payments. GoCardless’ global platform provides a new way for businesses to collect internationally – one which meets changing payer preferences and saves businesses time, hassle and money.

“Historical payment options designed for ecommerce are just not fit for purpose when it comes to collecting recurring revenue – and a binary choice between cards and PayPal can be a blocker on growth. Businesses are realising that there is a better way to solve their recurring payment needs.”

In the first phase of the roll out, significant portion of DocuSign’s new customers in Europe have chosen to pay by direct debit when given the option. This echoes findings from the recent Global Payment Preferences research report conducted by YouGov and GoCardless, which shows that at least one third of consumers are likely to choose Bank Debit/Direct Debit to pay for online subscriptions. The report surveyed more than 12,000 consumers across 10 global markets.

Further research by GoCardless and YouGov on business payer preferences across these same markets, shows that in the UK, 44% of businesses were likely to pay by Direct Debit: more than corporate cards, bank transfer and digital wallets.

DocuSign is the latest in a number of global Subscription businesses that have chosen GoCardless to provide direct debit payments, including TripAdvisor and SurveyMonkey.

The business will access the GoCardless platform through Zuora, fully-automating their billing, collections, quoting, revenue recognition, and subscription metrics.