Connect your isolated payment systems to boost revenue and growth

The 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index examines the rise of the mobile window shopper and what it means for payments. It was commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, and PYMNTS Intelligence conducted the research and produced the report. It draws on insights from a survey of 18,468 consumers and 3,464 merchants across eight countries conducted between October and December 2024.

The unstoppable rise of mobile-first shopping
 

In today’s mobile-first world, smartphones have revolutionized shopping, becoming the primary tool for consumers to browse and buy. As mobile screens become the new storefront, it’s becoming increasingly important to ensure you offer frictionless mobile-first shopping experiences.

Brazilian shoppers rank near the top globally on mobile shopping engagement and are the most likely to make in-store purchases using their phones. The Brazil edition of the GDSI reveals that 61% of Brazilian consumers used a mobile phone for their last retail purchase, significantly above the global average. This marks a 10% increase since 2022.

If you operate only through physical channels, you might feel less affected by the challenges of evolving payment technologies. But shoppers are increasingly turning to digital assistance in stores, too.

Our study shows that shoppers in Brazil rely on their mobile phones while in-store more than any other country studied. And 55% of in-store shoppers relied on their phone to support their last in-store shopping experience.

This finding echoes the 2024 study, which highlighted the rise of Click-and-Mortar™ shoppers who seek connected experiences across physical and digital channels.

The challenge: keeping pace with payment technologies
 

Brazilian shoppers have strong interest in shopping across channels despite the relatively low availability of that capability from merchants, which represents a big opportunity for merchants in the short future to improve the user experience of their clients.

Cross-channel shopping is the ability to start shopping in one channel and finish in another in a connected manner. For example, a customer could use a merchant’s mobile app to find a product, then reserve the item for in-store pickup.

The GDSI survey found that 51% percent of shoppers in Brazil wanted to use cross-channel shopping at the merchant with which they last shopped. This includes 33% who wanted to use cross-channel shopping but found that it was not available, the highest share seen across the eight countries in the global GDSI study.

Yet merchants in Brazil are lagging behind the strong demand from consumers: only 45% of merchants in Brazil offer cross-channel shopping. Even when merchants understand the importance of prioritizing mobile shopping experiences and unifying payment experiences across channels, many lack confidence in their ability to do so.

Their top concerns included:

• Managing multiple sales channels (31%)
• Data security (29%)
• Difficulty integrating different software or systems (28.4%)
• Customer service challenges (25.5%)
   

What merchants are saying about new payment systems
 

Remarking on the continuous emergence of new payment methods and technological innovations, one eCommerce merchant who responded to our survey said: "We are concerned that existing payment systems may not be able to keep up to date with these changes.”

Another respondent expressed concerns about the potential impact on revenue if payment systems don't keep up with mobile shoppers' needs: “Mobile payments are becoming more and more popular, and if existing payment systems cannot support mobile payments well, [merchants] may lose market share."

It pays to invest in future-ready commerce solutions
 

As mobile devices take center stage in consumers’ shopping experiences, it’s important to ensure your payment and checkout technologies stay up to date.

Merchants that prioritize their mobile shopping experiences will be better positioned to compete effectively as shoppers catch up with global trends.

In this mobile-first era, you’ll need to invest in payment solutions that can meet customers’ changing needs. You can also enlist a payments provider that focuses on your biggest concerns to help address the challenges of updating your payment technologies.

Connect with confidence in 2025
 

Choosing the right payments partner can boost your confidence and help you earn shoppers’ trust.

Visa Acceptance Solutions can help you build a connected ecosystem that reduces the costs and technical burdens of operating disconnected systems and outdated technologies. Our unified commerce solutions help connect isolated solutions, making it easier for you to offer the cross-channel experiences customers want.

A single connection to our open, flexible Visa Acceptance Platform can help your plan for future growth and evolution. The platform offers access to a full suite of flexible eCommerce architecture as well as our partner ecosystem for fast integration and innovation.

Our unified commerce solutions include:

• Token Management Service helps you secure sensitive customer data and gain insights into your customers’ buying behavior across payment types, channels and regions. It’s card brand-agnostic and can help you create personalized payment and reward experiences across channels, increase authorization rates, and minimize your PCI compliance scope and costs.
• Digital Accept enables you to accept payments including debit cards, credit cards, eChecks, and digital wallets like Apple Pay or Visa Click to Pay. With industry-leading security and simple implementation, you can optimize conversion in all channels.
• In-person Accept offers a complete out-of-the-box-solution or a modular toolkit that integrates with your existing setup so you can offer smooth in-person checkout experiences with secure, contactless payments on smartphones and point-of-sale (POS) devices.
   

To learn more about the latest global trends in digital and in-person shopping, register now to get the 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index, as well as the Brazil and Mexico editions.

Let’s talk payments in LAC
 

Our experts can show you how Visa Acceptance Solutions and our uniquely open payments platform can help you create more personalized and unified payment experiences.