Payments and Delivery in Cross-Border E-Commerce

How to meet customer expectations across different markets?
Local preferences aren’t just a detail – they’re the foundation of conversion.

In cross-border e-commerce, small details make a big difference. One of the most underestimated yet crucial aspects of international expansion is adapting payment methods and delivery options to match the real habits of customers in each market. It’s not just about selecting a payment provider – it’s a key part of the shopping experience that directly impacts conversion rates, cart abandonment, and customer loyalty.

In German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), trusted bank transfers (Sofort, Giropay), invoice payments with delayed due dates (Rechnung), and e-wallets like PayPal are still very popular. These methods are not only convenient but also culturally embedded – customers trust them because they’re familiar and widely used. In France and Italy, card payments are gaining importance, but local payment wallets (e.g., Carte Bancaire, Bancomat Pay) still hold more trust than international gateways.

In the Netherlands, people value speed and simplicity – that’s why iDEAL remains unmatched. In Poland, it’s hard to imagine a checkout without BLIK or pay-by-link services, while in Scandinavia, mobile systems like Swish, Vipps, or MobilePay dominate.

These differences are not only due to tech availability, but also to the history of banking systems, trust in credit cards, and consumer habits. For a customer, the absence of a familiar and secure payment method may lead to an abandoned transaction – even if everything else on the website works perfectly.

Logistics as a trust-building factor
Equally important as payments is local delivery handling. In cross-border logistics, customer trust is built through clear information on delivery times and costs, tracking options in known systems, and flexible pickup options. A customer in Belgium or the Czech Republic expects delivery via Packeta or BPost, a German shopper will choose DHL or Hermes, and a Polish customer – InPost or Orlen Paczka.

Integration with local couriers isn’t just about convenience – it’s a matter of professionalism. A store that doesn’t offer well-known delivery options may seem amateurish or untrustworthy. Even a well-built store can lose customers simply by lacking local delivery integrations.

Shopware integration with payment and shipping systems
Shopware was designed with flexibility in mind and supports seamless integration with local providers. It allows the setup of multiple payment channels with custom configurations per sales channel, country, or customer group. Its rule-based structure enables you to assign payment methods depending on conditions like customer location, cart value, device type, or specific product types.

You can simultaneously offer BLIK and PayU in Poland, iDEAL in the Netherlands, Klarna and PayPal in Germany, Apple Pay and Carte Bancaire in France, and invoice-based B2B payments in Austria – all from one centrally managed installation, without duplicating shops or databases.

The same goes for logistics. Shopware connects to courier and fulfillment providers via ready-made integrations and open APIs. You can define complex shipping rules – by country, ZIP code, weight, customer type, or cart value – to create precise delivery scenarios. Customers only see options that are truly available and relevant to them, reducing friction at the final stage of checkout.

CREHLER – seamless, local, scalable integration
At CREHLER, we don’t just implement modern B2B platforms and online stores – we support our clients in integrating Shopware with local payment and delivery providers across Europe. We understand that international success is not about just translating the site or adding a currency. It’s about creating a sense of familiarity, safety, and control for the customer.

We design checkout experiences that feel intuitive and native, regardless of the country. We help choose the right tech and logistics partners, configure payment and delivery flows, automate rule assignment, and test user interactions in the purchasing process.

International expansion doesn’t have to mean compromise or chaos. If you’re planning cross-border growth, start by asking: how does your foreign customer prefer to pay and receive their package? Then let us help you integrate it into your sales platform.