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WooCommerce Payments in South Africa: Cards, Instant EFT, QR & Payment Links
January 16, 2026Checkout conversion rate measures how many shoppers complete a purchase after reaching your checkout. For South African online stores, poor checkout design and limited payment options are the biggest causes of lost sales. Do you ever wonder why?
Cart abandonment is one of the biggest chokeholds in eCommerce. This is when a shopper adds items to a cart, but leaves the site before completing payment. There are many reasons why this happens, such as limited payment methods, slow loading times, buyer uncertainty, and a lack of trust.
Improving your checkout conversion rate means identifying those pain points and fixing them. But how? That’s exactly what we’ll answer in this guide, as we unpack common challenges online stores face, payment options that build trust, and checkout tips that boost sales.
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Common checkout challenges for South African online stores
Many South African online stores lose customers at the finish line. Here’s why:
- Slow or confusing checkout: A recent study shows that nearly 17% of South African retailers blame a complicated checkout process as a major cause of cart abandonment.
- Limited payment options: Shoppers often prefer using methods that they already trust, such as BNPL, instant EFTs, and mobile wallets. If they don’t see them, they leave.
- Hidden costs: Extra fees that appear late in the checkout process, such as high delivery costs, taxes, processing, and service fees, can quickly push customers away.
- Account creation barriers: Forcing customers to sign up and create an account before allowing them to pay often leads to drop-offs. It’s a daunting task and requires them to keep track of usernames and passwords for every online store they want to buy from.
- Security concerns: If your website doesn’t look secure, customers will hesitate to share their card details. Some key security concerns for customers include whether your online store lacks an SSL certificate, contains spelling and grammatical errors, or has no verifiable contact details.
Read Next: Payment tips to avoid cart abandonment ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Online payment options that build trust with customers
Payment methods that consistently improve checkout conversion rates in South Africa include:
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Buy Now, Pay Later for high-value baskets
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Instant EFT for bank-first shoppers
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Mobile wallets for fast, mobile checkout
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Cards with 3D Secure for broad acceptance
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QR code and voucher payments for unbanked users
Offering a range of trusted payment methods can help your business get more sales and reduce checkout drop-offs. By providing shoppers a choice to use their preferred payment option, you cater to a broader audience, build trust with existing buyers, and improve the overall customer experience.
Here’s how each payment option can help reduce abandoned carts and improve conversions.
1. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)
Allowing customers to make purchases immediately and pay at a later stage in usually interest-free instalments, BNPL has transformed online shopping. Reported to increase eCommerce conversion rates by 20–30%, BNPL can boost business sales and cart sizes.
When you integrate BNPL into your business operations, you reduce hesitation caused by a high price. It also lets your offerings appeal to a younger demographic and budget-conscious South Africans. This builds loyalty as shoppers are more likely to return to stores that offer flexible payment choices.
2. Digital wallets (also referred to as mobile payments)
Global brands such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Wallet are growing in popularity in South Africa, but local options like SnapScan are also on the rise. Over 70% of consumers have used mobile wallets for everyday payments, thanks to their convenience and enhanced security.
Offering this kind of digital payment service allows you to remove many of the friction points associated with traditional payment methods. The ease, speed, and convenience of “one-tap” or “one-click” checkout, and the enhanced security of biometric authentication, build solid trust.
3. Bank EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer)
As one of the first major efforts to encourage South Africans to move from paper-based transactions to electronic payment systems, bank EFTs are reliable. While many businesses prefer instant payments, customers still opt for traditional EFTs because of the lower costs.
It may take one to two business days for funds to clear into your account, but with a bank-agnostic Netcash account, payments are paid and reconciled all the same. As a business owner, you can ask customers to provide proof of payment as a fraud-prevention measure.
4. Instant EFTs
Facilitating immediate and secure bank-to-bank transfers, Instant EFTs remain one of South Africa’s most trusted payment options. Unlike traditional bank transactions, which may take days to process, third-party providers such as Ozow and Payfast offer quick, secure payments.
Because no cards are involved, customers tend to feel safer, and the funds are reflected immediately. This reduces the risk of non-payment and speeds up order processing.
5. Cash vouchers
Not all South Africans have access to credit or debit cards. That’s where cash vouchers, such as 1Voucher, come in to bridge the gap. This payment option allows customers to convert cash into a digital code that can be used for online shopping, paying monthly bills, or subscriptions.
Accepting voucher payments allows your business to serve the unbanked population, broadening your customer base. The method requires no sensitive information, making it highly secure. It’s also very accessible; vouchers can be bought at grocery stores and via mobile apps.
6. QR code payments
These make checkout faster and more secure. Allowing shoppers to pay by scanning a QR code with their mobile wallet of choice, this method is quite popular in South Africa, particularly for online shopping. Zapper, SnapScan, and Netcash’s Scan-to-Pay are some local favourites.
This method is easy, contactless, and ideal for mobile-first users. SMEs can greatly benefit from offering flexible payment options, such as QR code payments. They require no card details, so they’re secure, and the “one-action payment” reduces friction, leading to less cart abandonment.
7. Card payments
A vital eCommerce payment trend business owners should be aware of is that card payments are the most common payment method in South Africa. So accepting them is a no-brainer.
However, as fraud tactics become more sophisticated, customers need more reassurance that their private information will not be compromised. Offering credit and debit card options with visible security badges, such as PCI-DSS compliance , builds customer confidence and trust.
UX best practices to boost your checkout conversion rates
A clean, simple checkout page can dramatically increase conversions. Customers want speed, clarity, and trust; not clutter or confusion.
Here are some of the best practices to follow:
- Keep it short: Limit your checkout to the essential form fields. Every extra step increases the chance of drop-off.
- Offer guest checkout: Let customers buy without creating an account. You can still invite them to register after payment.
- Be transparent: Show all costs upfront, including delivery fees or taxes. It’s also great to communicate estimated delivery times, as well as return, shipping, and privacy policies.
- Highlight trust signals: Display security badges, like Verified by Visa or Mastercard SecureCode, 3D Secure, SSL certificates, and customer reviews to reassure buyers.
- Make it mobile-friendly: Many South Africans shop on their phones, so your checkout must work smoothly on smaller screens.
- Provide multiple payment options: Every customer has their preferred payment method. The more options you support, the fewer cart abandonments you’ll experience.
- Have fast loading times: Ensure the checkout page loads quickly to avoid frustration.
- Use live chat: Offer live customer support (e.g., a chatbot) for immediate assistance.
- Make sure contact info is visible: Clearly display your contact details to build trust.
- Track abandoned carts: Send reminders to customers who leave items in their carts, or use software or plugins to automate emails, SMS, or ads with reminders and incentives.
Netcash Shop checkout tools for online store optimisation
Your checkout process is only as strong as the tools behind it. With Netcash Shop, you get everything you need to create a smooth, trustworthy checkout experience for your customers.
- Essential eCommerce tools: Manage products, orders, and customers from one simple dashboard.
- Free apps and add-ons: Enhance your store with tools for shipping, marketing, and reviews at no extra cost.
- Professional store design: Choose clean, mobile-friendly layouts that guide customers easily to checkout.
- Marketing and advertising tools: Promote your products with built-in campaigns that drive more traffic.
- Analytics and reporting: Track sales, monitor drop-offs, and improve your checkout conversion rate.
- Secure payment options: Accept cards, EFTs, QR codes, vouchers, and Buy Now, Pay Later; all powered by Netcash.
Try Netcash and see how seamless online payments for your eCommerce store can be.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to improve checkout conversion rates with Netcash?
Improving your checkout conversion rate doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your system; it just needs smart adjustments. By offering trusted payment options, simplifying the process, and showing your customers that their data is safe, you’ll turn more browsers into buyers.
As a rule of thumb, make sure you focus on three key areas: flexible payment options, a smooth checkout experience with limited steps, and signals that build customer trust.
Simplify your eCommerce payments with Netcash and focus on growing your store.
Speak to a Payments Advisor today and see how we can help you with your online venture.
Author:
Candice Sergeant
Product Manager
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Candice Sergeant is a digital dynamo at Netcash, where she’s on a mission to help South African businesses level up their online game. As an eCommerce Product Owner, she’s got her finger on the pulse of the latest trends and technologies, constantly seeking out ways to boost sales and streamline operations. With a knack for spotting opportunities and a passion for innovation, Candice is your go-to guide for taking your e-commerce business to the next level.
