DE
EN
If your checkout process is lagging, you're losing money. Not because your product is bad, but because the moment of payment is unforgiving. Customers want to pay now, without thinking, without detours, without any apprehension.
That's precisely where PayPal has been dominating for years. One click, login, done. Many shops make PayPal so prominent in the checkout process that everything else seems like a second choice. And then a provider like MovePayment comes along and says: We do it with Pay by Bank, fast, mobile, and without any card hassle. The question is: Can it compete with the big players?
If you want to watch the original MovePayment, here is the provider: MovePayment at movepayment.eu.
Why PayPal and other providers are so hard to hack
PayPal wins people over before the checkout page even loads. Many associate it with security, buyer protection, and the feeling of not being alone if things go wrong. Add to that saved data, a familiar interface, and for some, even a pre-existing balance. It's convenience made easy.
Other providers are also strong, but for different reasons. Klarna is pulling ahead. on account and installments. Amazon Pay caters to everyone who already has an Amazon account. Stripe and Adyen score points more behind the scenes, because they often provide a technical foundation for shops, supporting many payment methods. This means: You're not just comparing logos. You're comparing habits, processes, trust, and a significant amount of marketing budget.
If you want to sort the payment setup in general, also read this overview: Integrate payment methods into the online shopThis article will help you structure your offer clearly before testing new providers.
What MovePayment delivers according to the provider
MovePayment positions itself as a checkout solution focused on bank transfers. The core principle is that the payment originates directly from the banking app. The customer selects their bank, confirms the transaction there, and you receive the payment as a bank transfer. MovePayment offers mobile-optimized payments, QR code payments, and payment links. In addition, there's a merchant dashboard with features like real-time refunds and payouts. The goal is clear: less friction, more conversions, and faster access to funds.
Technically, this is important because Pay by Bank carries different risks than cards or wallets. With cards, you often have to deal with chargebacks, card verifications, and sometimes account freezes or reserve deductions. MovePayment advertises transparent pricing on its e-commerce site, with no monthly fees, no chargeback fees, and no account freezes. However, you should still treat such claims like any other provider's claims: test, measure, and compare.
This is relevant for your IT planning because MovePayment mentions integrations via plugins or API. The documentation provides steps for... Shopware Plugin. On the e-commerce site WooCommerce and Magento This includes additional systems via API. For many shops, this is a realistic entry point because you don't have to develop your own payment module directly.
Opportunities where a German provider can score points
PayPal is large, but size doesn't solve every merchant's problem. If you want to reduce your payment costs, need faster payouts, or want fewer disputes, an alternative might make sense. Pay by Bank is in a league of its own because no card details are involved and the payment is authorized through the bank.
MovePayment aims to leverage precisely this. The approach is simple: fewer intermediaries mean lower fees and fewer typical card-related issues. If you're operating on tight margins, a few basis points per transaction can make a noticeable difference at the end of the month. It's not a glamorous topic, but it's your contribution margin.
Another important point is language and proximity. With payments, it eventually comes down to support tickets, refunds, reconciliations, and who will respond when things get critical. Many shops prefer a provider based in Germany, with a German-speaking operator, and whose legal notice is easily understandable. MovePayment lists Braunschweig as its headquarters and provides information in its legal notice about the integration of payment and account information services via partners. This is relevant for your peace of mind regarding compliance, especially if you want to clearly explain PSD2.
Movepayment opportunities – e-commerce News – Tips & Tricks – 💳Does MovePayment, a German payment provider in e-commerce, have a chance against PayPal and other providers?🔐
Hurdles you need to realistically plan for
The biggest obstacle to new payment methods is rarely another provider. It's your customers' inertia. Many know PayPal, some prefer paying by invoice, and some only want Apple Pay. Pay by bank still requires explanation for many. If the customer doesn't immediately understand what's happening at checkout, the abandonment rate increases.
Then there's the question of bank coverage and flow. Depending on the implementation, selecting a bank, switching to the banking app, and returning to the store can create extra steps. This can work well if the process is smooth. However, it can also be frustrating if the customer keeps switching between apps on their phone and isn't properly guided back to the store.
Another point is psychology. PayPal has this feeling of buyer protection as a brand. Bank transfer payments lack this branding. You can partially compensate for this through transparency, for example, clear information about data protection and security, and clean order confirmations. But you have to communicate actively, otherwise the new option will seem like an experiment that the customer is supposed to test for you.
Here's how to test MovePayment without dismantling your checkout.
When you implement a new payment method, do it like any conversion initiative: carefully. You want to find out if MovePayment is working for you, not just whether it's technically feasible.
1. Start as an addition, not a replacement.
Place MovePayment alongside your top payment methods at the beginning. Leave PayPal, invoice, or direct debit alone. Your goal is acceptance. You want to collect data without risking your revenue. Position MovePayment as an alternative for those who want to pay directly via bank transfer.
2. Design the checkout process to explain things without being annoying.
One sentence is often enough. For example: "Pay directly through your bank, confirmation in your banking app." Place this information directly below the payment name. If you're using icons, use a bank icon and a mobile phone icon. Everyone understands that.
If you are generally working on your checkout structure, use these two internal guides as a basis: Optimize your online shop checkout in 3 steps and Checkout abandonment: typical reasons and solutions.
3. Measure the correct numbers
Many shops only look at conversion rate. For payment, you need more:
- Payment success rate, i.e., how many payments are initiated and how many actually arrive.
- Time to Pay, i.e., how long it takes the customer from click to confirmation.
- Refund effort, i.e., whether your team can handle refunds smoothly.
- Support tickets per 1.000 orders, so you can see friction.
- Cost per order, including transaction fees and labor.
If you track these metrics accurately, you can make fair comparisons. And you'll quickly see if MovePayment excels in a particular segment, for example, mobile. Traffic or with returning customers.
4. Proactively address the issue of regulation and trust.
If you offer Pay by Bank, PSD2 is often the key term. You don't need to give a lecture. A brief mention in your payment explanation is sufficient. For example: "The payment will be authorized in your banking app." If you need to complete your internal legal and compliance documentation, use a reputable source. BaFin explains which payment services require authorization under PSD2. This will help you understand the framework without getting lost in forums. BaFin, payment services requiring authorization.
If you want to delve deeper into how payment institutions and e-money institutions are classified in Germany, the Bundesbank (German Federal Bank) is a good starting point. This isn't a sales pitch, but rather basic information. Bundesbank, payment institutions and e-money institutions.
5. Remember fallbacks so nobody gets stuck.
Always build in a clear path back to the shop after confirmation in the banking app. And plan for the possibility that a customer abandons the app or the bank selection fails. They must then be able to switch to another payment method without frustration. This reduces support costs and protects your conversion rate.
6. Cultivate your payment mix as a product
Payment methods aren't a plugin you install once and then forget about. You're running a product range. You adapt it to traffic, devices, countries, and shopping carts. If you want to test wallets in addition to MovePayment, Amazon Pay might be worthwhile because many customers have their data stored there. Here's an internal guide on that: Integrate Amazon Pay into your shop.
For which shops MovePayment might be particularly interesting
MovePayment can be a good fit as a "Pay by Bank" option where customers already shop on their mobile devices. This includes mobile-first shops, social commerce, and anything that requires speed. Even in sectors where card fraud is a concern, a transaction flow via banking authorization can be beneficial. It's not a guarantee of safety, but it does shift the risk profile.
Even for merchants focused on cash flow, fast payouts can be crucial. MovePayment emphasizes real-time payouts and direct bank transfers. If you pre-finance inventory or work with tight inventory cycles, every day counts. Nevertheless, you should test your own setup to determine when the funds are actually available and how accurately your accounting reconciliation works.
A third point is the combination of online and in-store payments. MovePayment addresses QR code payments in stores. If you have a hybrid setup, it can be helpful not to operate two completely separate payment systems. The fewer systems you maintain, the fewer errors you'll make in everyday operations.
How to meaningfully answer the question "Chances against PayPal"
The honest answer is: You don't have to win like PayPal. You have to win in your shop. PayPal often remains the default payment method because customers expect it. MovePayment can still have a chance if you use it as a targeted conversion driver and not as a matter of faith.
I would base the decision on four questions:
- Do you have many mobile shoppers who want to pay with banking apps?
- Are you feeling pressured by fees, chargebacks, or reserve holdings with other methods?
- Do you want to test a German provider with a clear contact person structure?
- Can you run a clean experiment, including tracking and analysis?
If you answer "yes" to three of these questions, it's worth testing. If you're just starting to get your checkout process stable, focus on building the basics first. A shaky checkout will kill any payment method.
What you can share in the comments so that everyone can benefit from it
Now for the practical part. Tell me in the comments which payment methods give you the highest conversion rate. Please mention your shop system, your country, and whether you're B2C or B2B. If you've already tested Pay by Bank, please also mention what you called it. "Direct Transfer," "Pay by Bank," or "Bank Payment"—the results often differ depending on the name.
And if you've already integrated MovePayment or similar providers, what was the biggest hurdle for you? Was it the technology, trust, bank selection, or the moment of returning to the shop? The more concrete your example, the more other shop owners can learn from it.
If you are still looking for a neutral overview of which providers are frequently mentioned in the German market, this comparison from the Händlerbund (German Retail Federation) is a good starting point: Händlerbund, comparison of payment providers.
I'm a business consultant specializing in e-commerce and advise retailers in Schleswig-Holstein on growth strategies. The topic of payment comes up in almost every consultation. MovePayment is a rising star in my consulting practice – especially for shops in the premium segment. Why? Because premium customers increasingly value data protection-compliant shopping experiences. This is no longer a niche topic, but a genuine purchasing decision factor for affluent target groups. I expect MovePayment to gain significant market share in the upper e-commerce segment within the next three years.
MovePayment in the furniture trade – I was skeptical. Furniture is expensive, and customers want maximum security when paying. PayPal has an enormous amount of trust in this area. We introduced MovePayment as a third option alongside PayPal and credit card. The result: Only 4% of customers chose MovePayment. Frankly, that's too few. But: These 4% had an above-average return rate. This suggests that MovePayment users are particularly thoughtful buyers. An interesting phenomenon! I'll continue to monitor it.
I work as a musician and sell instruments and accessories through my online shop. Payment has always been important to me because customers often want to buy guitar parts in installments. MovePayment offers an installment payment option that integrated well into the shop. While PayPal installment payments are more widely known, the fees for us as merchants were significantly higher. However, MovePayment doesn't yet have one real advantage: its logo isn't familiar. I had to explicitly explain what MovePayment is and that it's a secure payment method in my FAQ. This shouldn't be necessary.
To be fair, one should also consider the other competitors: Klarna, Mollie, Unzer, and Adyen. MovePayment isn't the only alternative to PayPal. In the B2B office supplies sector, I primarily look at: invoice payment (Klarna is good at this), SEPA direct debit (MovePayment handles this well), and credit card (Stripe dominates here). MovePayment has a clear niche: German companies that prioritize GDPR compliance and prefer to work with a local partner. This is a real and growing target group. However, for international shops with complex requirements, I would recommend a broader payment mix.
I need to offer a counterpoint: MovePayment sounds good on paper, but in the sporting goods industry, speed and reliability are crucial. We tested MovePayment and found that the authorization rate for international credit cards was slightly lower than with established providers. This is a problem when selling across Europe. While the support team was friendly and helpful, some technical issues took longer than expected to resolve. I'm not against German payment providers – quite the opposite – but MovePayment still needs to improve technically to compete with Stripe or Adyen.
I run an online children's clothing store and deliberately chose MovePayment because German providers with a clear GDPR compliance status are important to me. My customers are young parents who are increasingly critical of their data. The feedback has been consistently positive: "Never heard of it before, but the checkout was super easy!" That's precisely the strategy – not convincing through the name, but through the user experience. In combination with PayPal as a well-known alternative, the introduction of MovePayment has reduced our checkout abandonment rate by 8%. Those are real figures!
MovePayment vs. PayPal – this question is rightly on everyone's mind in the e-commerce industry. I work in the wine trade and have to carefully select payment solutions: age verification, alcohol restrictions for certain payment methods, and high minimum order values. PayPal occasionally blocks accounts in the alcohol trade without any comprehensible explanation – several colleagues have experienced this firsthand. MovePayment has assured us that such arbitrary blocks are not a concern. As a German company with a transparent legal framework, this is a real competitive advantage. additional payment options such as Amazon Pay Anyone who wants to integrate MovePayment into their shop should also consider it – the combination can work wonders for conversions.
Great article – it hits a nerve in German e-commerce. As an online travel agency, we're heavily reliant on payment providers because travel bookings have specific requirements: advance payments, cancellation fees, and chargebacks due to flight cancellations. PayPal has always been a double-edged sword – high fees for international transfers and a complicated chargeback process. MovePayment has proven surprisingly flexible in this regard. Their support understands the travel industry and responds quickly to industry-specific needs. A clear recommendation for travel e-commerce!
As a tradesman and owner of a small building materials shop, I'm no payment expert. But I can tell what my customers want: Most of them order via on accountThe rest prefer PayPal. None of my customers had ever heard of MovePayment before. That's the real problem. No matter how good the technology is, if the buyer doesn't recognize the logo, they'll click away. I'll keep an eye on MovePayment for now and check back in two years to see how much brand awareness has increased.
In my opinion, MovePayment's potential is massively underestimated. I work in the B2B software industry and know payment processing from two perspectives – as a provider and as a buyer. The regulatory advantages of a German payment provider are immense: no data transfer to the USA, a clear legal framework, and no opaque terms of service like PayPal. For companies that take GDPR compliance seriously, MovePayment is no longer just an option – it's a necessity. The question isn't if, but when its market share will increase significantly.
We've offered MovePayment as an additional payment method in our household goods shop since last year. The results have been mixed – frankly, not as good as I'd hoped. The conversion rate for MovePayment is significantly lower than PayPal's. Our customers are older and appreciate the familiarity of PayPal. I believe MovePayment definitely has potential, but it will take a few more years to build trust with the general public. It could happen faster with younger, digitally savvy target groups. We're keeping it in our portfolio, but we'll continue to focus on PayPal and credit cards.
Interesting article! As an IT service provider, I regularly advise online shop operators on payment topics. MovePayment is indeed a serious alternative for the DACH market. What many underestimate is that MovePayment's technical API documentation is excellent – clearer than that of some international competitors. However, it still lacks market penetration among end customers. In the B2C sector with a broad audience, I would currently recommend MovePayment as a complement to PayPal, not as a replacement. But in the B2B sector? That's a different story. SEPA transfers and the German direct debit system are often more important there than the PayPal logo.
As the owner of a small online grocery store, payment processing was always something I preferred to leave to my developer. Then MovePayment came onto my radar – a German company, GDPR-compliant from the ground up, with transparent terms and conditions and no hidden fees. What really convinced me was how incredibly easy the integration into our WooCommerce system was, and how quickly the onboarding process was completed within two days. PayPal had repeatedly caused account freezes for us, which we could never really understand. With MovePayment, we don't have these problems. Especially important for us: Anyone who... Optimize checkout Anyone who wants to should approach the selection of payment providers strategically – MovePayment performs very well in this regard.
I have to be honest: I was very skeptical about MovePayment at first. For our customers in the electronics retail sector, PayPal is a symbol of security – the logo alone is enough to inspire trust. MovePayment, on the other hand, is still less well-known. But the numbers are increasingly convincing me: Our SEPA direct debit rate is significantly higher than PayPal's, and the chargeback rate is similarly low. The crucial question remains: Can MovePayment build the brand trust that PayPal has cultivated over 20 years? That will take time.
MovePayment has truly surprised me! I've been running an online fashion shop for years and was skeptical about switching away from PayPal. But after intensive research and a three-month trial, I'm convinced: The conversion rate with MovePayment on our shop is almost identical to PayPal, but the transaction fees are noticeably lower. The German customer support, in particular, makes a huge difference – no more waiting on hold in English, but real experts who understand our issues. My clear recommendation: Definitely give it a try!