Attracting Brazilian consumers to an international online store creates valuable growth opportunities. However, interest in a product does not always result in a completed purchase. Unexpected costs, declined cards, and unfamiliar payment methods can contribute to cart abandonment.
For international businesses, addressing this problem requires attention to the payment experience. After all, Brazilian consumers have different financial habits from customers in other markets. Therefore, offering Pix, local credit cards, and an adapted checkout can help remove obstacles and improve conversion rates.
What Is Cart Abandonment?
Cart abandonment occurs when customers add products or services to their shopping carts but leave the website before completing their purchases. This behavior can happen for several reasons, including price comparisons or payment difficulties. However, when problems arise during checkout, businesses may lose sales that were close to completion.
According to the Baymard Institute, the average cart abandonment rate in ecommerce is approximately 70%. This percentage demonstrates the scale of the challenge facing online retailers. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of understanding consumer behavior during the final stages of the purchasing journey.
In international ecommerce, additional barriers can make this process more complicated. Customers may encounter foreign currencies, additional fees, or banking requirements that differ from their usual payment experiences. Consequently, an unfamiliar checkout process can interrupt a purchase even when customers are interested in the product.
What Are the Main Causes of Cart Abandonment in International Shopping?
Although every customer has individual reasons for abandoning a purchase, certain problems frequently occur during online checkout. For international companies selling to Brazil, these difficulties may involve both website usability and payment conditions. Understanding each situation helps businesses identify improvements and reduce lost sales.
1. Unexpected Costs During Checkout
The advertised price does not always represent the final amount customers must pay. International purchases may involve currency conversion, taxes, shipping costs, and banking fees. When these expenses appear only during checkout, customers may reconsider their decisions.
Research from the Baymard Institute found that 40% of surveyed US consumers abandoned purchases because additional costs were too high. These expenses included shipping, taxes, and other fees. Although the findings reflect US consumers, they demonstrate the importance of transparent pricing.
Therefore, international businesses should communicate applicable costs before payment confirmation. Displaying prices in Brazilian reais can also help local consumers understand their purchases. This approach allows customers to evaluate the total amount without encountering unexpected charges during the final steps.
2. Declined International Credit Card Payments
Another common challenge involves customers attempting to pay with cards that are not enabled for international purchases. Some consumers may also experience payment declines due to security restrictions imposed by their banks. As a result, transactions can fail even when customers have sufficient credit available.
The Baymard Institute reports that 10% of surveyed US consumers abandoned purchases after their credit cards were declined. This finding reinforces the importance of offering alternatives when the primary payment method fails. After all, a declined transaction does not necessarily mean customers have lost interest in purchasing.
To address this problem, international businesses can offer Brazilian credit cards and other local payment methods. Additionally, they should display clear messages when payment attempts fail. This allows customers to select another option without restarting the entire purchasing process.
3. Lack of Local Payment Methods
Brazilian consumers regularly use Pix, domestic credit cards, and other solutions available through their local financial system. However, many international stores accept only cards enabled for overseas transactions. This limitation can discourage customers who prefer familiar methods or do not have international credit cards.
The Central Bank of Brazil describes Pix as an instant payment system available every day, including weekends and public holidays. This convenience has made Pix part of the financial routines of millions of Brazilians. Therefore, offering Pix can make international purchases feel more similar to domestic transactions.
In our article about why businesses should offer Pix payments in Brazil, we explain the benefits of adapting payment options to local preferences. We also show how international businesses can simplify payment collection from Brazilian customers. This approach makes payment localization an important part of commercial strategy rather than just an operational consideration.
4. Long or Complicated Checkout Processes
A checkout with too many steps can turn a simple purchase into a frustrating experience. Extensive forms, unexpected redirects, and unnecessary requirements increase the effort customers must make. Consequently, some visitors may abandon their purchases before completing payment.
According to the Baymard Institute, 17% of surveyed US consumers abandoned purchases because checkout processes were too long or complicated. This research demonstrates how website usability can affect transaction completion. Therefore, simplifying checkout should be a priority for international ecommerce businesses.
Additionally, companies selling to Brazilian consumers should consider language preferences and mobile usability. Confusing instructions or unnecessary fields can make payments even more difficult. For this reason, checkout pages should provide clear information and guide customers through payment confirmation.
5. Lack of Trust in International Transactions
Purchasing from a foreign business can raise questions about security, charges, and customer support. Consumers need to understand how payments work and what happens after confirmation. If this information is unclear, they may leave before completing their transactions.
The Baymard Institute also identifies trust-related concerns among the reasons consumers abandon online purchases. Among surveyed US consumers, 19% abandoned purchases because they did not trust websites with their credit card information. This finding reinforces the importance of building confidence throughout the purchasing journey.
To reduce these concerns, international businesses should communicate payment procedures, customer support options, and commercial policies clearly. They should also explain applicable currency conversion processes and provide accessible channels for answering questions. This helps customers assess transaction reliability before making a payment.
How Can Businesses Reduce Cart Abandonment When Selling to Brazil?
After identifying the main obstacles, the next step is adapting the payment journey. Businesses should focus on reducing the effort required to complete international purchases. To achieve this, companies can improve payment methods, pricing transparency, and the overall checkout experience.
Offer Pix as a Payment Alternative
Pix allows Brazilian consumers to make payments directly through their banks’ mobile applications. This means customers do not need an international credit card to complete their purchases. Additionally, they can use a familiar payment method without learning an entirely new financial process.
However, accepting Pix from abroad requires infrastructure connecting local payments with international settlements. The solution must account for payment processing, currency conversion, and fund settlement. Therefore, choosing a suitable payment platform can simplify operations for both businesses and customers.
In our guide to accepting Pix payments in the United States, we explain how this process works. We also show how US companies can receive payments from Brazilian consumers without relying exclusively on international credit cards. This alternative helps create a more familiar checkout experience.
Accept Brazilian Credit Cards and Offer Installments
Although Pix is widely used, credit cards remain important in Brazilian purchasing behavior. Many consumers use credit cards to manage expenses and distribute payments over several months. Therefore, accepting domestic credit cards expands the payment options available to customers.
Installment payments can also influence purchasing decisions, particularly for higher-value transactions. However, businesses should clearly display all installment conditions before payment confirmation. This allows customers to evaluate payment amounts, installment periods, and potential additional charges.
With CambioCheckout, international businesses can accept payments using Brazilian Visa and Mastercard credit cards. In Brazil, the platform also supports installment payments of up to 24 months, subject to applicable conditions. As a result, consumers can access payment options that better match their financial habits.
Display Prices and Payment Conditions Transparently
Currency conversion can make prices more difficult to understand when shopping internationally. When checkout pages display only US dollars or euros, Brazilian consumers must estimate the equivalent amount in reais. Additionally, potential fees can create uncertainty about the final transaction cost.
Therefore, displaying prices in the customer’s local currency can simplify purchasing decisions. Businesses should also communicate applicable taxes, additional charges, and payment conditions. This ensures customers understand how much they will pay before confirming their transactions.
However, transparency should extend beyond the payment page. Purchase confirmations and follow-up communications should also provide clear transaction details. This helps reduce uncertainty and improves the customer experience after payment.
Simplify the Checkout Process
An efficient checkout should request only the information necessary to complete a transaction. It should also organize available payment methods clearly and avoid unnecessary redirects. The fewer obstacles customers encounter, the easier it becomes to complete their purchases.
Additionally, businesses should test checkout performance across different devices and browsers. Teams need to examine loading speed, form functionality, and messages displayed during payment. These tests can help identify technical problems that might otherwise interrupt purchases.
The Baymard Institute highlights several opportunities to improve checkout usability. These include simplifying forms and reducing navigation difficulties throughout the purchasing process. Therefore, reviewing usability can complement a broader local payment strategy.
How Does CambioCheckout Help Reduce Barriers to International Sales?
CambioCheckout was developed for international businesses that want to receive payments from Latin American consumers. The platform supports local payment methods while allowing companies to receive funds internationally. This gives customers a familiar payment experience while simplifying cross-border operations for businesses.
In Brazil, CambioCheckout supports Pix, boleto payments, and Visa and Mastercard credit cards, including installment options. Consumers can pay in Brazilian reais, while businesses receive funds according to the agreed conversion and settlement conditions. As a result, international sales do not need to depend exclusively on foreign credit card transactions.
Additionally, businesses can generate payment links or integrate checkout directly into their websites. The platform provides API integration and plugins for ecommerce platforms such as WooCommerce and Magento. This flexibility allows different business models to incorporate local payment methods into their purchasing journeys.
Another advantage is centralized financial information. The dashboard allows businesses to monitor transactions and review their payment statuses. This helps finance and operations teams manage international sales more efficiently.
In our article about how US businesses can receive payments from Brazilian customers, we explain how this process works. We also discuss the advantages of accepting local methods without requiring consumers to make traditional international bank transfers. This infrastructure can help remove payment-related obstacles that contribute to cart abandonment.
How Can You Identify Whether Payment Problems Are Causing Cart Abandonment?
Reducing cart abandonment requires monitoring consumer behavior throughout the purchasing process. After all, not every abandoned cart results from payment difficulties. Some visitors are simply comparing prices, researching products, or postponing their purchases.
Therefore, international businesses should analyze metrics related to each checkout stage. Comparing payment attempts, approved transactions, and completed purchases can reveal operational issues. Additionally, segmenting results by country and payment method helps identify specific difficulties.
Key metrics to monitor include:
- Cart abandonment rate: The percentage of shopping carts that do not result in completed purchases.
- Checkout abandonment rate: The percentage of customers who begin checkout but leave before completing their purchases.
- Payment approval rate: The proportion of successful payments compared with total payment attempts.
- Payment declines by method: The frequency of failed transactions involving credit cards, Pix, and other available options.
- Conversion rate by country: Sales performance based on customers’ geographic locations.
- Conversion rate by device: A comparison of completed purchases on mobile devices and desktop computers.
However, businesses should interpret these metrics together rather than separately. High abandonment rates may reflect pricing issues, shipping difficulties, trust concerns, or usability problems. Therefore, companies should investigate the underlying causes before deciding which improvements to implement.
Checklist to Reduce Cart Abandonment
After evaluating the most common problems, organize improvements according to your customers’ needs. For international businesses selling to Brazil, adapting payment methods should be a priority. Use this checklist to guide your checkout review.
- Display prices and payment conditions in Brazilian reais whenever possible.
- Communicate additional costs before order confirmation.
- Offer Pix to Brazilian consumers.
- Accept domestic credit cards and evaluate installment payment options.
- Remove unnecessary fields and checkout steps.
- Test payments on mobile devices and desktop computers.
- Provide alternatives when payment attempts fail.
- Display clear security and customer support information.
- Monitor payment approval and abandonment rates by method.
- Review and optimize the payment experience regularly.
These actions can help reduce obstacles throughout the purchasing journey. Furthermore, they allow businesses to identify improvement opportunities based on actual consumer behavior. Over time, these adjustments can contribute to more efficient international sales operations.
Reduce Cart Abandonment With Local Payment Methods
Cart abandonment can represent a significant source of lost revenue for businesses selling internationally. However, some purchasing interruptions result from obstacles that companies can address. Offering familiar payment methods, communicating costs clearly, and simplifying checkout are important steps toward reducing friction.
With CambioCheckout, your business can accept Pix, Brazilian credit cards, and other local payment options without requiring customers to navigate complicated international transactions. While customers pay in Brazilian reais, your company receives funds internationally according to the platform’s conditions. This allows you to provide a more familiar purchasing experience and reduce barriers to successful payments.
Boost your sales in Latin America by offering local checkout with CambioCheckout!
Eliminate conversion barriers and provide the best shopping experience for your international customers. With CambioCheckout, your platform:
- Sells in dollars, and your end customers pay in their local currency using the payment methods they already trust;
- Increases conversion rates by reducing cart abandonment caused by international card fees;
- Processes Pix and local payments seamlessly and transparently directly on your page;
- Automates transactional workflows without the need to establish legal entities in each country across the region.
