Visa e-commerce payment study (CEE) 2025: 90% of online shoppers would switch to a new payment method if it promises greater security

Online shoppers demand payment solutions that combine security with convenience. 4 in 5 Romanian consumers (79%) consistently rank security as the most critical payment attribute, and 90% of online shoppers would switch to a new payment method if it promises greater security, according to Visa E-commerce Payment Study (CEE) 2025.

Expectations for seamless experiences are at an all-time high, also in Romania. Visa’s research reveals that almost two thirds (65%) of shoppers complete their online payment within 30 seconds, and more than half of the Romanian consumers (55%) would abandon their online purchases if they cannot use their preferred payment method. Meanwhile, 14% of European consumers abandon their purchases when required to manually enter details from a physical card.

The availability of the preferred payment method is key for more than 9 in 10 consumers in almost all CEE markets. As a result, merchants face mounting pressure to minimize checkout friction. To stay competitive, they need to offer a wide range of payment options that provide both convenience and choice.

„ As digital payments evolve, Romanian consumers’ interest in innovation is growing, with 3 out of 4 ready to try new payment methods. In this dynamic environment, security and convenience are crucial. When every second at checkout can make or break a sale, payment solutions like Visa Click to Pay, which are based on tokenization, are a game-changer. Tokenization effectively addresses both challenges simultaneously. By replacing sensitive card data with unique, encrypted tokens, we mitigate fraud risk and streamline the checkout experience. For merchants, this means higher conversion rates and fewer abandoned carts. For shoppers, it delivers the confidence to complete purchases without hesitation. Our mission is to make secure payments feel effortless – so that checkout becomes an invisible step, not a hurdle, in every digital purchase journey – said Elena Ungureanu, Visa Country Manager in Romania.

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Visa Click to Pay is an innovative, global card standard for online payments, accelerating e-commerce by eliminating manual card entry, boosting security, and improving the overall shopping experience. It operates across major card scheme and on e-commerce-enabled devices or browsers, as long as the merchant they’re shopping with supports Visa solution.

By letting customers complete transactions in fewer clicks and without typing their card number, this transformation of guest checkout parallels how contactless payments revolutionized in-store transactions. By simplifying the payment processes and leveraging advanced tokenization to protect card data, Visa Click to Pay reduces cart abandonment and encourages repeat purchases. As a result, businesses can potentially enjoy higher conversion rates and increased revenue.

About the survey – All data used in this press release comes from VISA E-COMMERCE PAYMENT STUDY (CEE) 2025 if no other source is indicated. The study covered the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. It was conducted by the research company RESPONSE NOW s.r.o. in March 2025 on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents (18-65 years) in each of these countries.