The next wave of retail disruption may not come from faster payments or smarter checkout tech, but from the habits of mobile window shoppers — consumers who never meant to buy anything in the first place.
The Global Digital Shopping Index from PYMNTS Intelligence, commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, suggests that “mobile window shoppers” are quietly reshaping the payments landscape, converting idle curiosity into instant commerce.
The report, “The 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index: The Rise of the Mobile Window Shopper and What It Means for Payments,” draws on surveys of more than 18,000 consumers and 3,400 businesses across eight global markets. It finds that nearly half of consumers worldwide used a smartphone in their most recent retail purchase.
But beneath that headline lies a more consequential behavioral shift: consumers are increasingly browsing — not buying — on their phones, building digital wish lists that merchants must learn to monetize.
Rather than replacing in-store shopping, mobile devices are blurring the boundaries between discovery and decision.
That means the next payments advantage may go not to the fastest checkout button, but to the brand that can turn browsing into buying with the right mix of loyalty, personalization, and cross-channel incentives.
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Some key findings from the report:
- 60% of consumers window-shop on their phones multiple times a week — a sign that mobile commerce is no longer transactional but habitual.
- 48% of consumers used smartphones as part of their most recent purchase journey, whether to compare prices, check inventory or pay.
- 67% of consumers want loyalty or rewards programs that work seamlessly both in-store and online, underscoring how payments now anchor customer retention as much as convenience.
Keeping the Mobile Window Shopper in Mind
This blend of curiosity and convenience is transforming payments from a point-of-sale function into a point-of-influence moment. Shoppers scrolling at lunch or waiting in line are primed for instant offers, installment options and embedded finance prompts that remove friction between “maybe later” and “buy now.”
For merchants, that creates both opportunity and risk. While mobile discovery expands reach, it also raises the bar for continuity across channels from digital cart to physical checkout.
Retailers who fail to unify loyalty systems or personalize promotions may lose not only the impulse sale but also long-term engagement.
The report also signals that the smartphone’s growing dominance is reordering relationships across the retail payments ecosystem. Acquirers and payment service providers are emerging as strategic partners in helping merchants integrate mobile-native rewards, analytics, and flexible payment options.
As PYMNTS notes in its research, businesses increasingly view their acquirers as “key partners for payment innovation,” a shift that underscores how payments infrastructure is becoming central to customer experience design.
Other findings from the study reveal distinct regional nuances. Markets such as Singapore and the UAE show some of the highest adoption rates of mobile-enabled commerce, while consumers in the U.S. and U.K. demonstrate a stronger appetite for loyalty and digital wallet interoperability. Across all markets, however, the common denominator is clear: the mobile device is no longer a companion to commerce, it is commerce.
As retailers and payment providers recalibrate for this new reality, the strategic focus is shifting from checkout efficiency to engagement efficiency — the art of converting intent into action. Mobile window shoppers may not always buy, but they’re always signaling. The merchants that learn to listen and respond in real time will define the next era of digital retail.
