Ecommerce has seen explosive growth in the past decade, and it’s poised to continue that path into the next. From an estimated USD 1.2 trillion in 2014 to a forecast of USD 10.8 trillion for 2030, growth has been fuelled by innovation in payments technology – a transformation that has flowed back to in-person sales, too.
Simultaneously powering this growth are new digital payment tools and the responding innovations of established methods. Details of these changes are included in the 2025 Global Payments Report (GPR) from Worldpay. For 10 years, the GPR has tracked and analysed consumers’ changing behaviours in key markets worldwide.
The biggest innovations have come with the widening adoption of smartphones globally.
Along with the 450% increase in the number of smartphone users from 2014 to 2024 has come a 300% increase in the share of ecommerce transacted via mobile devices – from 19% to 57%. That percentage is forecast to rise to 64% by 2030.
The mobile share of in-person sales has grown even more dramatically, as highlighted in the GPR reports – from 3% in 2014 to 38% in 2024 and to an estimated 53% in 2030. That’s expected to be worth about USD 25 trillion in shopping value.
In many areas, especially developing markets, this revolution is the result of national account-to-account (A2A) payments systems that work via mobile apps. This disruptive technology, also known as “instant” or “fast” payments, has profound implications for economic efficiency, financial inclusion, and even national autonomy.
In India, for example, the Unified Payments Interface, known as UPI, has reduced the percentage of cash in point-of-sale volume from 78% in 2016, when UPI debuted, to just 15% in 2024. UPI now dominates Indian commerce, accounting for 54% of in-person sales value and 64% of ecommerce value.
Similarly, three in four Brazilians now use Pix, backed by the Central Bank of Brazil. Although it’s only been available since 2020, the number of Pix transactions already exceeds card transactions, and Pix use is expected to surpass the value of card transactions this year. BLIK in Poland and PromptPay in Thailand have seen similarly quick adoption by consumers.
Mobile devices, though, have unleashed wider access for the reigning payment giants, too. Thanks to the adoption of digital wallets – think Apple Pay or Google Pay – credit cards have maintained their dominance in commerce, both in person and online. Cards attached to digital wallets are easily used with a tap, whether the buyer is standing in a store or browsing a merchant’s website or app. In fact, as the GPR reveals, cards account for a majority of digital wallet transactions in such major markets as Australia, India, the UK, and US. In Australia, the UK, and US, cards accounted for two-thirds of digital wallet transactions.
In 2024, direct use of credit, debit, and prepaid cards represented 45% of global transaction value. With 56% of digital wallet spending made via cards, they still account for nearly two-thirds (65%) of 2024 consumer spending, or approximately USD 29 trillion, according to the GPR.
Whether it’s a card or a traditional card in a digital wallet, it’s clear that the future of payments is calling merchants – usually on a mobile device. Merchants that aren’t prepared to answer the call risk being left behind. It’s the latest technological chapter in a continuing story, that, to succeed, merchants must meet their customers’ expectations for ease and variety of payments to thrive in the digital age.
The report analyses consumer payment behaviours both online and at the point of sale, identifies key payment trends, and projects future scenarios for the market and the likely share of various payment methods. Data for the report was gathered through a survey of 67,000 consumers, supplemented by secondary research, and extensive validation by payments experts from each region.
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Worldpay’s vision is to unleash the potential of every business. We do this through our ability to power global commerce by providing payments technology and expertise to our clients everywhere. Our processing solutions allow businesses of all sizes to take, make, and manage payments in-person and online worldwide. Annually, we process over 50 billion transactions worth more than USD 2.3 trillion across 146 countries and in 135 currencies.
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