BOSTON — Nearly 56 million U.S. consumers abandoned an online shopping cart within a 30-day period because their preferred payment method wasn’t available, highlighting the potential cost to merchants of gaps in checkout options, according to new research from PYMNTS Intelligence.
The findings are contained in “The Hidden Cost of Checkout Gaps,” a PYMNTS Intelligence report produced in collaboration with PayPal. The research is based on a June 2026 survey of 2,179 U.S. adults.
PYMNTS estimated that missing digital wallet options alone resulted in approximately 26 million consumers abandoning an online purchase during the previous 30 days.
Buy now, pay later options were another significant source of abandoned purchases, according to the research.
The findings suggest that getting a consumer to fill a shopping cart doesn’t necessarily translate into a sale. Even when shoppers want a product and are willing to accept its price, PYMNTS found the absence of a preferred way to pay can be enough to stop the transaction.
Financially Stressed Consumers More Likely to Leave
Payment options were particularly important to consumers already facing pressure on their household budgets.
Among consumers living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to pay their bills, 29% said they had abandoned a shopping cart because a preferred payment method wasn’t available, according to PYMNTS.
Digital wallet users also showed significant loyalty to their preferred payment method.
One in four digital wallet users said they would leave a merchant entirely if their preferred wallet wasn’t accepted, PYMNTS reported.
That suggests the potential consequences extend beyond losing a single sale. Merchants that don’t offer consumers their preferred payment options could risk losing the customer relationship altogether.
AI Shopping Could Raise Stakes
The issue could become more significant as consumers begin using artificial intelligence agents to shop and potentially make purchases on their behalf.
PYMNTS found 43% of consumers said they would be likely to link a digital wallet to an AI agent to make purchases within the next two years.
But consumers also indicated they want controls over what AI agents can do with their money.
According to PYMNTS, shoppers expressed interest in safeguards including requirements to approve purchases, spending limits and restrictions on the types of products an AI agent would be permitted to buy.
Those preferences suggest familiar digital wallets and consumer-controlled payment settings could play an important role in building confidence in agentic commerce, in which AI systems can take actions and complete transactions for consumers.
Checkout Becomes Competitive Issue
PYMNTS said the findings demonstrate that payment choice should increasingly be viewed as more than a technical feature at the end of an online transaction.
For merchants, failing to support payment methods preferred by customers can undermine the investments already made to attract shoppers, persuade them to select products and move them through the purchasing process.
The research also has implications for financial institutions and payments providers as digital wallets, buy now, pay later services and AI-enabled commerce increasingly influence how consumers decide where — and whether — to complete purchases.
