Accepting more ways to pay almost invariably leads to higher sales, says payments platform Peach Payments
Ébène, 15 July 2026 – Businesses that offer many ways to accept payments on their websites are likely to make more sales, says digital payment platform Peach Payments.
Isabelle Apollon, who takes responsibility for SMEs and mid-sized merchants as Head of Growth Sales at Peach Payments, comments that offering a wide variety of payment methods makes a real difference to every business’s bottom line. There are clear business reasons to accept many different forms of payment.
- Customers are moving beyond cards
Although roughly 9 in 10 Mauritians have accounts with a financial institution, there were only 246,959 credit cards in circulation as per Bank of Mauritius statistics for April 2026 — equivalent to around 20% of the population. This suggests that many consumers rely on payment methods other than credit cards, reinforcing the importance of offering multiple payment options.
In addition, a whopping 1.9 million debit cards are in use in Mauritius, highlighting the widespread adoption of electronic banking. However, Pay Atlas has found that, in Mauritius, debit cards and credit cards combined account for only 55% of all online transactions, meaning a substantial share is completed through alternative payment methods.
- Not everyone is comfortable with sharing their card details online
While card payments remain popular, many consumers are reluctant to enter their credit or debit card details online due to concerns about fraud, data breaches and cybercrime. Offering alternative payment methods can help build trust and reduce barriers to completing a purchase.
Bank transfers, mobile banking apps and QR-code payments provide customers with a secure way to pay without sharing their card details directly with an online merchant. These payment methods are becoming increasingly popular in Mauritius as consumers seek greater convenience and control over their transactions.
“By supporting a range of payment options, SMEs can cater to customers with different security preferences, improve the checkout experience and reduce the likelihood of cart abandonment,” Isabelle highlights.
- Increasing appetite for online transactions
Hearteningly, online banking transactions continue to grow, with transaction volumes rising from 414,565 in February 2025 to 513,140 in February 2026, according to figures reported from the Bank of Mauritius bulletin.
Meanwhile, Pay Atlas notes that digital payments in Mauritius now account for over 65% of total e-commerce transactions, reflecting a strong shift away from cash-based purchases. Mobile commerce is particularly significant, representing nearly 50% of online sales, fuelled by widespread smartphone use.
- Cater for different markets
Payment preferences differ significantly across markets and customer segments. In Mauritius, consumers use a wide range of payment methods, including credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Diners Club), bank transfers, MauCAS QR payments, and mobile banking solutions such as MCB Juice and blink by Emtel. International shoppers may favour digital wallets such as PayPal, while Apple users increasingly expect the convenience of Apple Pay.
Indeed, the recent introduction of Apple Pay in Mauritius reflects a broader shift towards mobile-first commerce. Apple Pay enables customers to complete purchases quickly and securely using Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode, without repeatedly entering card details. The platform also uses tokenisation, which helps protect sensitive payment information and reduces the risk of fraud.
“This is one of the reasons we recently introduced Embedded Express. It surfaces one-click digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay directly on a merchant’s product or cart pages, bypassing long checkout forms. If the merchant already uses Embedded Checkout, enabling Express requires as little as one line of code,” Isabelle explains.
For SMEs, offering a broad range of payment methods is about more than convenience. Customers are more likely to complete a purchase when their preferred payment option is available. Conversely, a lack of payment choice can create friction at checkout and increase cart abandonment rates.
“As digital payment preferences continue to evolve, businesses that offer a mix of card payments, digital wallets, QR-code payments and bank-based payment methods are better positioned to attract customers, improve conversion rates and support long-term growth,” Isabelle emphasises.
- Lack of a selection of payment methods can cost you sales
She notes that consumer demand for flexible payment options continues to grow rapidly in Mauritius. Peach Payments itself reported a 377% increase in transaction volume and a 1,365% increase in transaction value during the 2025 Black Friday weekend compared with the previous year. Isabelle notes that this growth was partly attributed to merchants making it easier for customers to pay online and new merchants adopting their payments services.
“The message for SMEs is clear: customers increasingly expect choice at checkout. If a customer’s preferred payment method is unavailable, there is a greater risk that the purchase will be abandoned. By offering multiple payment options, businesses can reduce friction, improve the customer experience and maximise conversion rates,” Isabelle concludes.
/ends
About Peach Payments
Peach Payments is a fast-growing African payment solution provider (PSP) that makes offline and online payments easier and more accessible across Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa. The company works with growing enterprises to provide a complete toolkit to accept, manage and disburse payments through point-of-sale, web and mobile. Peach Payments’ merchant partners include your favourite food delivery services, whether you’re ordering in or using a meal kit, travel services that can help you book your next getaway adventure and even your home cleaning service. For these partners and their customers, Peach Payments aims to provide delightful experiences that make it as easy as possible to facilitate payments. Peach Payments recently agreed to acquire West-African payment platform PayDunya, which operates in six Francophone countries: Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Mali.
