Conversions & UX: Payment Trends – Interview with Web Griebel

Whether you’re a DTC brand scaling fast or an agency building ecommerce sites, our interview with Web Griebel, Global Head of Payments at Woo, will be a rich source of insights you’ll actually want to use. Here’s what every online seller should know about modern payments.

With two decades of experience in the payments industry, Web Griebel brings a deep, practical understanding of how money moves online. He’s focused on building accessible, scalable payment infrastructure for one of the world’s most widely used ecommerce platforms.

In this converstion Web unpacks the inner workings of online payments – and why merchants should start treating their checkout experience as a strategic advantage, not just a necessary evil.

Understanding the Building Blocks of Modern Payments

When a customer hits “buy,” their payment details are sent (securely) to their bank via a processor – typically a provider like Stripe, PayPal, or another local gateway. The bank checks for funds or credit, then authorizes the payment back through the network. All of this unfolds in milliseconds.

For merchants, this entire process should feel invisible – but it needs to be rock solid. And that’s where the right architecture matters. For developers or ecommerce managers, this means choosing PSPs and methods that match your customers’ expectations and local preferences. It’s not just about accepting cards – it’s about being natively compatible with how your audience prefers to pay.

Web broke down the ecosystem into a few key components:

• The Merchant’s Bank Account – Where funds ultimately land.
• Payment Service Providers (PSPs) – Tools like Stripe or Adyen that handle the heavy lifting.
• Card Networks & Local Methods – Think Visa/Mastercard, but also BLIK (Poland), iDEAL (Netherlands), or PIX (Brazil).
• Intermediaries – Entities like the U.S. Federal Reserve or SWIFT that ensure global money movement runs smoothly.

Friction Isn’t Always the Enemy. But It Has to Be Intentional.

Reducing checkout friction is a top goal for any ecommerce store, but it’s not about eliminating every barrier. Stripping away too much can backfire – especially if it compromises key layers of authentication or weakens fraud detection mechanisms. Remembering the fundamentals of payment security isn’t just best practice, but also a powerful combination for both trust and performance.

Sometimes a little friction — like two-factor authentication — builds trust and protects against fraud. And that trust is what keeps customers coming back.

Virtual cards, tokenization, and wallet integrations are making this easier than ever. With tools like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and WooCommerce’s native wallet support, merchants can streamline checkout while still enforcing strong security measures behind the scenes.

Going Global? Match Payment Methods to Buyer Behavior

If you’re selling internationally, your checkout flow must localize to payment expectations. Web explained that payment preferences vary dramatically across regions, and failing to adapt can kill conversions at the final step. Supporting local methods also signals that your business understands and respects local buying culture which builds trust before a customer even enters their details.

The fastest way to lose a customer? Not offering their preferred way to pay.

If your store targets Poland, for example, BLIK is a must-have. Selling in the Netherlands? iDEAL trumps credit cards. Local methods often outperform global ones in both trust and adoption. Smart stores invest in understanding their audience’s behaviors – and adjusting checkout accordingly.

Payments Are Not Just a Cost

Web doesn’t mince words: too many online merchants still see payments as a burden – a line item on the P&L. For years, payment systems were treated as utilities – something in the background that ‘just had to work.’ But that mindset is outdated.

Too many merchants still treat payments as a cost center. But done right, payments can boost conversions, build trust, and even drive new revenue.

Instead of treating checkout like the end of the funnel, forward-thinking businesses are turning it into a conversion catalyst. The right payment stack can reduce cart abandonment, increase trust, and offer customers the freedom to pay how they prefer – which, in turn, boosts sales.

Today modern ecommerce success increasingly hinges on how intelligently payments are integrated into the customer experience. Done right, they’re not only operational – they’re transformational. Merchants who treat payments as a core part of their customer experience – not just a backend process – stand to win more sales, and future-proof their growth.

Full Conversation with Web Griebel

Want to hear the full conversation with Web Griebel? Check out the latest 🎙️ Osom to Know podcast.

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