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Online stores in Türkiye can lose sales without realising it. The problem may lie in the payment gateway or checkout design rather than the product or price. A customer reaches the final step, the page stalls or the card is declined without a useful explanation, and the customer leaves for a competitor.
Illustrative online shopping and payment photo; it does not depict a particular Turkish store or gateway.
This guide looks at common payment mistakes from the merchant’s perspective and how to address them.
1) Relying on a Single Payment MethodSome stores offer:
- Card payments only.
- Cash on delivery only.
The problem:
- An issue with that method can prevent the entire order.
- Some customers prefer a card; others prefer a wallet or bank transfer.
What to do- Aim to offer:
- Bank cards through a payment gateway.
- An alternative suited to your business, such as a wallet, bank transfer or cash on delivery under defined conditions.
Giving customers a suitable way to pay can reduce abandonment at the final step.
2) An Overcomplicated Checkout with Unnecessary FieldsSome checkout pages resemble lengthy administrative forms:
- Too many fields, including repeated names, titles, company details and tax numbers.
- Requests for information that is unnecessary for a straightforward order.
The result:
- Customers give up before paying.
What to do- Ask for the information actually needed for the order, such as:
- Full name.
- Mobile number.
- Delivery address.
- Card details through the payment process.
- Remove or make optional fields that are not needed for shipping or invoicing, while retaining information required for the applicable invoice and legal obligations.
3) Poor Mobile CheckoutMany visitors shop on their phones, yet they may encounter:
- A checkout that does not adapt to the screen.
- Buttons that are too small.
- Card forms that overflow or behave unpredictably.
What to do- Test mobile checkout as a priority.
- Try:
- Selecting an address.
- Entering card details.
- Scrolling through the page.
- If a customer must zoom and struggle to press the purchase button, the design needs attention.
4) Unhelpful Payment Error MessagesA customer may attempt payment and see only:
- “Error – 05”.
- “Transaction Failed”.
Without an explanation, the customer cannot tell:
- Whether the card is the problem.
- Whether the website is at fault.
- Whether to try again or leave.
What to do- Use clear messages wherever possible, for example:
- “Your bank did not approve the transaction. Try another card or contact your bank.”
- “Check your card details and whether online purchases are enabled.”
- Where useful, link to a short help page explaining common causes of declined payments.
5) Missing or Poorly Implemented 3D Secure3D Secure is an important part of card authentication. Problems arise when:
- A store fails to configure it appropriately.
- The customer is not returned correctly after completing authentication.
The result:
- The payment may fail.
- The customer may assume the card itself is at fault.
What to do- Configure 3D Secure in accordance with the provider’s requirements and your store’s risk policy. Do not assume every provider or payment flow has identical requirements.
- Test:
- What happens after the customer enters the code or completes authentication?
- Does the customer return to a clear confirmation page?
- Is the successful order confirmed by a message?
Cards and eyeglasses on a laptop; an illustrative photo that establishes neither card acceptance nor provider security.
6) Revealing Shipping or Other Charges at the Last MomentSome sites display only the product price and then surprise customers at checkout with:
- High shipping charges.
- A cash-on-delivery service fee.
- Other additional charges.
The result:
- Customers feel misled at the final step.
- They abandon the purchase.
What to do- Show an estimate of shipping and service charges before checkout.
- If cash on delivery carries a fee, explain it from the outset on the product or shipping page.
7) Slow Checkout or Excessive RedirectsAfter pressing “Place order”, a customer may:
- Be sent to a slow external payment page.
- Wait 10–15 seconds before returning to the store.
- Find that the process stalls along the way.
What to do- Choose a provider with suitable, responsive payment hosting.
- Test checkout loading times at different times of day.
- Minimise unnecessary transitions between websites during payment.
8) No Clear Confirmation After PaymentSome stores collect payment but:
- Show no clear confirmation.
- Send no email or message.
The customer is left wondering:
- “Was my order actually placed?”
- “Was I charged without an order being recorded?”
What to do- After confirmed successful payment, display a clear confirmation page containing:
- The order number.
- A product summary.
- The amount paid.
- Send the same details by email, SMS or WhatsApp, where available.
9) Ignoring Payment Failure ReportsSome merchants never examine:
- Decline rates.
- Reasons for failure.
- Which gateways or card types experience the most declines.
The result:
- They blame low visitor numbers while overlooking customers who try to pay and cannot.
What to do- Review payment gateway reports each week:
- Success rates.
- Decline rates.
- Whether declines originate with the bank or gateway.
- If failures are high:
- Contact the payment provider.
- Consider a comparison with another provider.
SummaryPayment problems may not trigger an obvious warning, but they reduce completed orders and lose customers who reached the final stage intending to buy.
Focus on:
- Offering suitable payment alternatives.
- Simplifying checkout.
- Improving messages and security.
- Monitoring successful and declined transactions.
These improvements can increase sales without attracting more visitors or changing prices: they remove obstacles between the customer and a completed order.
A practical checklist| Checkout test | Expected result |
|---|---|
| Small screen | Clear fields and buttons without overflow |
| Failed attempt | Understandable message and reliable status |
| Authentication | Return and reconciliation under provider instructions |
| Repetition | No duplicate charge, order or shipment |
Related topics 
Payment Gateways in Türkiye: From Card Approval to Merchant Settlement Choosing a Payment Provider in Türkiye: Licensing, Fees and Settlement Merchant Account Approval in Türkiye: Documents, Checks and Follow-Up Payment Problems in Turkish Stores: Declines, Pending Payments and Order Status Bank Payment Solutions vs FinTech Gateways in Türkiye Payment Gateways for Merchants in Türkiye Mobile Checkout in Türkiye: Carts, Payments and Abandoned Orders Reconciling Store Sales in Türkiye: Fees, Refunds, Payouts and Cash Flow Refunds and Chargebacks in Türkiye: The Merchant Evidence File
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