Accept Apple Pay in the Netherlands
Today, Apple announced the launch of Apple Pay in the Netherlands marking its 28th market in Europe and rounding out Apple Pay acceptance in the Benelux region. A market first, Apple has also enabled Dutch Maestro cards for Apple Pay for e-commerce payment. Online merchants who want to accept Apple Pay can do so through Checkout.com for those issuers who are enrolled.
The Netherlands ranks fifth in Europe in e-commerce adoption with over three-quarters of Dutch consumers who indicated ordering goods or services online in 2018. The Netherlands is also seeing a mobile revolution; among the Benelux countries, the Netherlands had the highest response of people who reported using mobile banking which is a strong indicator that the population is primed to adopt digital payment services such as Apple Pay.
The Netherlands might be considered one of the most payment-progressive nations when they announced an active effort to move toward cashless payments. In 2015 the Dutch Payments Association announced, in a joint mission with domestic retailers and banks, that they will aim to reach the 60% cashless mark by 2018. “Contactless transactions, as well as through smartphones, are already a big help in achieving this transition as they provide unparalleled speed and convenience for both consumers and retailers,” says Piet Mallekoote, CEO of the Dutch Payments Association. In May 2018, they achieved their 60/40 goal with 39% of transactions made with cash.
iDEAL, the Netherlands’ domestic online bank transfer payment method is currently the leading payment method offered by online e-commerce retailers followed by credit and debit card as the second-most offered. But interestingly, the leading reason Dutch consumers cited for using their credit cards was for online purchases – offering Apple Pay can make it easier for retailers to capture customers who prefer to pay with credit or debit cards or through their Apple devices. In addition, accepting Apple Pay also simplifies cross-border payments helping businesses attract more international customers, boost sales, and increase conversions while also staying ahead of the payment curve.
As for safety, Apple Pay’s tokenization and biometric authorization features provide sophisticated, multi-layer security that aims to protect both the customer and the merchant.
As one of the most popular digital wallets today, a simple integration will give you access to millions of shoppers who prefer to purchase using Apple Pay. For more information, get in touch with a Checkout.com payment expert today or visit our Apple Pay documentation and follow our easy steps to integration.