In a recent study by Merchant Machine, Apple Pay emerged as a significant player in the world of digital payments. While the study has garnered attention for its comparison of transaction values between Apple Pay and MasterCard, a more nuanced look at the findings reveals a complex global landscape.
Despite its impressive transaction values, Apple Pay is ranked as the sixth most popular payment platform in the United States. This apparent paradox can be attributed to the study's focus on popularity, measured by transaction frequency rather than monetary value. Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, American Express, and even Google Pay have a higher transaction frequency, positioning them as more "popular" options among consumers.
Zooming out to the global stage, the study offers a broader perspective. Visa, with a 15.08% market share, dominates the payment landscape worldwide. MasterCard, PayPal, and American Express also claim significant slices of the pie. Apple Pay, with a 9.92% global market share, ranks fifth globally.
The study's international perspective is noteworthy. Apple Pay's popularity varies by region. It leads in some areas, like Europe and Oceania, but falls behind in South America. In Asia, it secures the fourth spot, while it clinches third place in Africa. This regional variance emphasizes the importance of considering the local context when evaluating payment platform popularity.
The study extends its analysis to other tech giants like Amazon and Google. Amazon Payments is in sixth place globally, closely behind Apple Pay. Google Pay, despite its widespread usage, ranks seventh. These rankings underscore the dominance of traditional payment methods, such as debit cards and PayPal, which continue to outperform Big Tech players in terms of popularity.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services, a rising trend in the payment industry, were notably absent from the study's rankings. Apple's foray into this space with "Apple Pay Later" in June 2022 suggests the need for future research to capture this evolving landscape.
The study, conducted using BuiltWith data from the top one million most-visited websites worldwide, sheds light on the global payment ecosystem's complexity. It's clear that while Apple Pay boasts substantial transaction values, its popularity varies significantly across regions.
As the payments landscape continues to evolve, adaptability and regional strategies will play a crucial role in determining the future standing of payment platforms like Apple Pay.
