payabl. Launches Checkout Readiness Guide to Help Merchants Maximise Sales Across the Holiday Shopping Season

payabl., a leading European fintech provider, today announced the launch of its new eBook, Is Your Checkout Black Friday Ready?, a comprehensive guide to help merchants optimise their checkout experience and secure more sales during the peak shopping season – from Black Friday and Cyber Monday through to Christmas and the January Sales.

The holiday shopping season is the most intense period in the retail calendar. Global ecommerce sales hit record highs in 2024, and volumes are forecast to surge again this year. For merchants, every second counts: slow load times, failed payments, or unclear fees risk abandoned carts and lost revenue.

The guide combines exclusive consumer research from Coleman Parkes with payabl.’s deep expertise powering payments for thousands of European merchants. Key findings include:

• 43% of shoppers say a poor checkout experience stops them from returning to a retailer.
• 56% of 18–34 year olds abandon carts if checkout takes too long.
• 61% of consumers abandon purchases if their preferred payment method is unavailable.
• 75% of shoppers are willing to accept slightly slower checkout speeds if it means stronger fraud protection.
• In 2024, over 40% of ecommerce sites experienced payment errors or outages on Black Friday alone.

The eBook outlines five strategies merchants can implement to capture more revenue during the entire holiday sales cycle:

1. Checkout experience: speed and simplicity win – Sub-3 second mobile load times and streamlined fields can increase conversion rates by up to 35% during peak traffic.
2. Local payment preferences matter – Offering market-specific methods such as Wero, Bizum, iDEAL, Blik, or PayPal prevents last-minute drop-offs and increases approval rates.
3. Fraud protection without friction – AI-driven fraud prevention and adaptive 3D Secure balance strong security with seamless user flows.
4. Serve high-spending shoppers better – Households earning €80,000+, who account for 28% of frequent online shoppers, demand premium, mobile-first checkout experiences and flexible payment options such as American Express and Buy Now, Pay Later.
5. Plan for volume at scale – Stress-testing systems, deploying smart routing, and real-time monitoring ensure resilience throughout Black Friday, Christmas, and January discount peaks.

“Peak shopping season is no longer just a single weekend, it spans from November to January,” said Ugne Buraciene, Group CEO of payabl. “For merchants, this period represents both their greatest opportunity and their biggest stress test. At payabl., we make sure money keeps flowing so businesses can capture sales today and loyalty tomorrow.”

The guide highlights that a seamless holiday checkout experience not only drives revenue in the moment but also builds trust, ensuring customers return well beyond the January sales.

Download the free eBook here.