Gen Z Hands Merchants a Checkout Ultimatum

A merchant can spend to get a Gen Z shopper through the digital door, persuade them to choose a product, and still lose the customer over the payment methods displayed at checkout. Twenty-eight percent of Gen Z shoppers abandoned or would have abandoned an online cart in the previous month because digital wallets weren’t accepted, according to PYMNTS Intelligence’s September 2026 “ The Hidden Cost of Checkout Gaps ” report, produced in collaboration with PayPal. The comparable rate is 18% for mi