Long confined to the execution function, payment becomes a strategic lever to optimize commercial performance. At the heart of this transformation: tokenization and “click-to-pay”, two technologies that transform a transactional stage into a competitive weapon.
Obsession with the conversion rate
On a merchant site, each step added between intention and purchase increases the risk of abandonment. The payment page concentrates a significant part of these friction: form to be completed, banking data to be re -entered, validation codes to integrate. According to data from Stripe and Baymard Institute, almost 70 % of baskets are abandoned, including a third at the time of payment.
It is in this context that payment in one click stands out as emerging standard. By making the validation stage invisible or almost instantaneous, it allows e-merchants to secure sales which, otherwise, would be lost. This mechanism is based on tokenization, that is to say the replacement of a bank card identifier by a secure cryptographic token. This token, stored in a lasting way, authorizes recurrent or repeated purchases without new manual entry.
Tokenization and safety: an inseparable couple
Unlike a simple card recorded in a browser, the token is linked to a merchant, a device, even a session. It cannot be reused elsewhere. This approach strengthens security and reduces fraud: according to Visa, a tokenized transaction benefits from 2.5 additional authorization points and a 30 % reduction in fraud Compared to a conventional transaction.
This is also what makes the emergence of click-to-pay possible, new standard promoted by all payment networks (EMVCO). Based on a unique identifier such as email, the system automatically recognizes the customer, deletes manual entry of card information, and allows rapid and secure validation.
A universal standard under construction
Unlike proprietary systems (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Paypal), the click-to-pay promises to be a Interoperable standardcarried by all networks (visa, mastercard, American Express, etc.). A single technical integration would cover all networks, without dependence on a specific brand.
The United Kingdom is today ahead of this project, with several implementations in production. The deployment is expected in France in the summer of 2025. Several payment stakeholders are preparing a progressive rise in charge, by focusing on the enrollment of users via existing banks and wallets.
Benefits for the entire chain
On the merchant side, the gains are immediate: reduction of basket abandonment, improvement of authorization rates, increased fluidity on mobile. On the customer side, the experience becomes comparable to that of a purchase on application: fluid, fast, without breaking.
But this simplification is not without consideration: technical deployment requires upgrading of the payment infrastructure, a work of enrollment of customers, and a vigilance on data governance.
A new border for merchants
The stake exceeds simple ergonomics. Payment in one click reinvents the relationship between merchant and customer. It makes it possible to integrate the act of purchase within a broader experience: algorithmic recommendation, contextual upsell, seamless course between physics and digital.
He also becomes a strategic revealer: the merchants capable of mastering this brick are one step ahead, in terms of conversion, loyalty and ability to monetize the moment.
