When is Your eCommerce Brand Ready for In-App Payments?

By Gaurav Parvadiya | Last Updated On July 14th, 2025

Most online stores get it wrong.

They build great product pages. Run smart ads. Launch mobile apps.
But the mobile app checkout? Still stuck in 2015.

Here’s the truth: mobile traffic is booming. But mobile conversions? Not so much. Why? Because checkout isn’t built for speed. Or trust.

That’s where in-app payments come in. No redirects. No pop-ups. Just one smooth, native flow from browse to buy. That’s all the e-commerce mobile app payments are all about!

It’s not just a feature. It’s a full-on experience.

One that modern shoppers expect. And one that sets your brand apart.

But there is a question: when to add in-app payments?

If your brand is scaling, this shift isn’t optional. It’s how modern eCommerce keeps users locked in and loyal.

How do you know when it’s time to make the move? 

When should you implement app-based payments?
Let’s break it down.

What Are In-App Payments, Really?

E-commerce mobile app payments, or in-app payments, let your customers pay without leaving the app.

No jumping to a browser. No typing card numbers. Just tap, confirm, and your mobile app checkout is done.

It works with wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or secure gateways like Stripe or Razorpay. Everything happens inside your mobile app – fast, safe, and simple.

This isn’t just for gaming or streaming apps anymore. eCommerce brands are adopting in-app payments because they feel seamless. And seamless sells.

The real difference? Ownership.

You’re not handing your mobile app checkout process off to some third-party site. You’re keeping users inside your ecosystem. You control the speed, the look, and the reliability.

It also means fewer drop-offs. And fewer drop-offs = more revenue.

Plus, these systems are built for mobile. They’re designed to scale.
If your store is growing, your checkout should be growing with it.

But again, the question remains unanswered: “When to add in-app payments?”

No need to wait much, we are coming there. Please keep reading till you understand all the ins and outs of the e-commerce mobile app payments

What Happens When You Don’t Offer In-App Checkout

Every extra step during the mobile app checkout is a chance to lose the sale.

Mobile users are quick to bounce. Redirect them to a browser, and you’re already on borrowed time. Ask them to enter a card number? You’re pushing your luck.

85% of mobile carts are abandoned. That’s not a glitch. It’s a symptom.

People expect speed. They expect it to “just work.” If your checkout through app-based payments doesn’t match that, they’ll go somewhere else.

Let’s break that down. Say you get 10,000 mobile visitors this month. Even with great products, maybe 7,000 add to cart. But because your mobile app checkout asks for too much – too many steps, redirects, friction – only 700 convert. That’s a 90% loss.

Now, imagine that number cut in half. That’s the power of e-commerce mobile app payments. Not theoretical. Tangible.

It’s also about perception. Checkout is the most sensitive part of the shopping journey. If it feels slow, clunky, or confusing, it reflects poorly on your brand. And that can affect more than one sale, it can damage trust.

So while you might think you’re playing it safe by waiting, you’re really bleeding opportunity. The new trend is app-based payments, that’s gonna stay for a long time!

Signs Your Brand Is Ready for In-App Payments

Not every e-commerce brand needs app-based payments on day one. But as you grow, there are clear signals that you’re outgrowing traditional checkout flows, and that your customers are ready for a better experience.

Here’s how to recognize the shift:

1- You’re seeing high mobile traffic, but conversions are lagging.

If a large chunk of your store’s visitors are coming from mobile but very few are completing purchases, that’s a conversion bottleneck. The most common reason? Mobile checkouts that force users through clunky redirects or ask them to retype information. In-app payments eliminate that friction by keeping everything native and fast, turning intent into action.

2- You have returning customers or a subscription model.

Loyal customers don’t want to jump through hoops every time they reorder. If your brand offers subscriptions, bundles, or frequently re-purchased products, app-based payments make it easier for users to buy again, often with just one tap. And if you’re already rewarding loyalty, the payment flow should reflect the same ease and speed.

3- You’re launching or scaling a mobile app.

A mobile app without in-app payments is like an online store with no checkout button. If you’re investing in native mobile experiences, then keeping users inside the app for payment isn’t optional, it’s expected. Redirecting them to mobile browsers breaks trust, slows the journey, and increases the chance of drop-offs.

4- You’re hearing complaints about the checkout process.

Your support tickets and reviews are often a goldmine. If customers are voicing frustration about payment errors, long forms, or failed transactions, they’re essentially asking for a smoother path. Those moments of friction are often the final straw before cart abandonment. And they’re entirely preventable with embedded payments.

Another cue? Timing.

Maybe you’re in the middle of a growth spurt. Maybe you’re seeing ad performance flatten. Maybe you want to increase LTV instead of throwing more cash into paid.

Adding in-app payments won’t solve everything. But it will reduce friction where it matters most, the moment money changes hands.

Operational Readiness: What You Need Under the Hood

Good news: you don’t need to be technical to pull this off.

Payment tools like Stripe, Razorpay, and PayPal are built for mobile. They come with SDKs and plug-ins that handle the heavy lifting.

And if you’re using no-code mobile app building platform, most of the setup is already done. Just connect your payment provider and sync it with your store.

Security? Covered. These tools are PCI compliant and handle encryption behind the scenes. You’re not storing sensitive data, you’re handing it off to systems designed for trust.

Going global? You can support multiple currencies and local methods. The tools are there. You just need to plug them in. Feeling now you’ve got to understand when to add in-app payments, right?

What about refunds? Taxes? Discounts?

Modern platforms have built-in logic for all of it. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to know what you’re integrating with, and choose tools that actually talk to each other.

The bottom line: your app can be ready faster than you think.

The Strategic Angle: In-App Payments as a Growth Lever

In-app payments don’t just speed things up. They make your app stickier.

The faster someone can buy, the more likely they’ll come back. That’s not a guess, it’s habit-forming UX. People remember how easy something felt. Not what it cost.

When mobile app checkout happens in one tap, there’s no room for second-guessing. No time to bounce. You create a rhythm. Scroll. Tap. Done. That’s how brands build muscle memory in shoppers.

And that repeat behavior? It adds up. Higher lifetime value. Better retention. Lower CAC. It’s not just about finishing a sale, it’s about creating a loop that feels effortless.

Even better, you control the whole journey. You decide when to upsell, where to reward loyalty, and how fast someone checks out. ecommerce mobile app payments unlock that level of flow. That’s where the growth lives.

Want proof? Brands that invest in native app experiences with in-app checkout see up to 3x higher conversion rates compared to mobile web. That’s not a small edge. That’s a competitive moat.

In-App vs. Mobile Web Payments: What’s the Difference?

One word: flow.

In-app payments happen inside the app. No tabs. No redirects. Just tap and go. Mobile web payments? They feel clunky. Slow. Like you’re stepping outside the store just to pay.

Users feel that shift.

Imagine adding something to the cart, tapping checkout, and suddenly the screen changes. You’re in a browser now. It looks different. Loads slower. That trust? Gone.

Within the app, everything stays consistent. Face ID. Google Pay. Apple Pay. One tap. No typing. It’s what users expect from modern brands.

And the kicker? In-app checkouts convert better. Not just because they’re faster. Because they feel safer. Seamless = trustworthy.

Also: no weird timeout errors. No browser back-button chaos. No screen resizing. That stuff might seem small, but at scale, it adds up fast. Do you still ponder when to add in-app payments?

How to Get Started with In-App Payments Without a Dev Team

You don’t need engineers. You need a starting point. Also, you must understand when to add in-app payments. Done? If yes, then you are all set to take the action!

No-code tools like Twinr do the heavy lifting. You bring the store. They bring the app and payment integrations already baked in.

Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay — they all work out of the box. Setup? A few clicks. No PCI headaches. No API rabbit holes. Just connect, customize, and launch.

Your orders sync. Your users stay in-app. And you look like you hired a full dev team.

Want to test different payment methods? You can. Want to run in-app promotions with 1-click checkout? Also doable.

This isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about moving faster. Testing smarter. Scaling when it works, not when it’s perfect.

And the best part? You don’t have to wait for funding, approvals, or a dev sprint. You can launch today.

In-App Payments Build Trust, Fast

This isn’t just about transactions through app-based payments. It’s about the moment someone decides to trust your brand with their money.

Make that moment smooth.

In-app payments turn mobile app checkout into a feeling — fast, clean, no hesitation. That’s what builds loyalty. That’s what brings people back.

You don’t need a complex stack. Just the right timing and the right tools.

If your brand is growing, your app should grow with it. And your checkout? It should be part of that growth, not something holding you back.

Gaurav Parvadiya

Gaurav is the founder and CEO of Twinr, a tech entrepreneur with a decade of experience and a passion for SaaS. With a Master's degree in Computer Science, he specializes in no-code development, driving innovation in the mobile app industry. When he's not busy growing the company, you'll find him writing about tech, growth, software development, e-commerce, and occasionally sneaking in a game of badminton.