Visa Study Reveals Bahrain Consumers Would Shop More Online with Simpler Checkout Experience
- Despite widespread adoption of eCommerce in Bahrain, opportunity remains for retailers to enhance checkout experience and increase customer satisfaction
- The need to manually enter card details, and security concerns, are major pain points for consumers shopping online, resulting in lost revenue for businesses
- Over half of respondents trust biometric authentication more than traditional methods such as passwords and OTPs
Bahrain, Manama, June 2, 2025: Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today announced the findings of its “Checkout Friction Report“, which highlights strong consumer demand for a more secure and seamless eCommerce experience.
Despite the widespread adoption of eCommerce and significant progress in growing Bahrain’s digital economy, opportunity remains for retailers to enhance checkout experience and increase customer satisfaction.
The research is based on a survey of 2,016 online shoppers across the GCC, including Bahrain, and explored their experiences with eCommerce purchases. It examined common pain points during the checkout process that affect both consumer satisfaction and business outcomes.
Checkout Challenges Undermine the Rise of Frequent Online Shopping
Visa’s “Checkout Friction Report“ shows that 28% of respondents in Bahrain shop multiple times a week for groceries. For categories such as fashion, entertainment, and electronics, shopping frequency ranges from once to a few times a month.
According to 42% of respondents, one of the biggest frustrations with online checkouts is security concerns (42%), followed by the hassle of entering card details manually (39%). By addressing these challenges, retailers can enhance the checkout experience which could lead to increased customer satisfaction.
"Today’s consumers expect – and deserve - a more seamless and secure checkout experience. That’s why Visa is working with partners to enable solutions like Click to Pay, which leverages biometrics and tokenization to eliminate key pain points and deliver a more convenient shopping experience. Improving these moments not only drives a better consumer experience but also builds on the Bahrain government’s achievements in building a seamless, secure digital economy,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Regional General Manager for KSA, Bahrain and Oman.
Bahrain Online Shoppers Prioritize Safety
Beyond the inconvenience of checkout, security remains a top priority for online shoppers. According to Visa’s research, 69% of consumers surveyed are worried about the risk of fraud, while 59% expressed concerns about storing their card details on multiple websites. Additionally, one in three (34%) respondents has experienced fraud or security breaches.
Biometrics and One-Click Checkouts for Better Online Payment Experience
Visa’s “Checkout Friction Report” also reveals a strong preference for a more streamlined checkout, with 65% of respondents supporting a single registration process for online payments across all participating merchants. When the option of biometric authentication was proposed, almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents said they would use it to check out, with 58% trusting biometric authentication (fingerprint/face ID) more than traditional payment methods (passwords/OTP).
Most respondents (77%) would shop online more frequently and be more likely to complete their purchases with a one-click checkout option. Two-thirds of the surveyed consumers (68%) show a high likelihood of using “Click to Pay with Biometrics’’ if offered by online retailers.
“Challenges in the online checkout process have direct implications for businesses, resulting in lost revenue, and hampering both customer acquisition and retention. For businesses, the demand for simpler and safer checkout options is clear,” said Ahmed ElKaffass, Visa’s Country Manager for Bahrain.
Visa Click to Pay streamlines online shopping by providing advanced checkout experiences, eliminating the need to manually enter card details, thereby making transactions significantly faster. At participating eCommerce platforms, consumers can simply click the Click to Pay button to complete their purchase quickly and easily using their preferred Visa card and shipping address. Visa’s Click to Pay relies on biometric authentication available on the consumer’s device and does not require transfer of biometric data.