Crypto payments are forecast to grow strongly in 2026, despite accounting for only 0.5% of global e-commerce transaction value, according to some estimates. We wanted to understand how decision-makers in e-commerce view crypto payments to understand this high growth more deeply.
This research was conducted for CoinsPaid Media readers to provide more detailed insight into crypto payments in e-commerce. While most conversations still centre around Bitcoin’s price, regulation, or stablecoins, there is little to no research on crypto payments in specific industries, such as e-commerce.
We conducted 10 interviews with CFOs, CEOs, and owners of medium to large-sized e-commerce companies, and distributed a survey to an additional 42 business leaders who were unable to meet us for an interview.
This research reflects current findings based on limited samples and may not represent all e-commerce leaders. In other words, treat these insights as directional, not definitive. Insights are provided for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial or legal advice.
Why Crypto Payments in E-Commerce Are Gaining Attention
We asked senior leaders what best describes their current position on crypto payments. Their answers showed that cryptocurrency payments are not a fringe payment method anymore. Our research indicates that 57% of respondents are ‘doing something’ about cryptocurrency payment, whether that is investigating cryptocurrency (34%), discussing it internally (16%), already implementing cryptocurrency (11%), or planning to implement it (7%). At the time of the survey, 36% were also prepared to take active steps then and there to learn more via sales calls with us, perhaps the strongest signal of real intention. The data signals a classic Gartner Hype Cycle inflection point: strong market attention, growing experimentation, and the early emergence of tangible adoption.
How Many E-Commerce Leaders Are Exploring Crypto Payments?
We also asked e-commerce leaders if they perceive their customers as being interested in using crypto payments, after all, user demand often shapes executive action. We found that one in two companies perceives demand for crypto payments, driven by a crypto-savvy customer base, who may prefer using cryptocurrency payments (26%), direct requests from customers (21%), or internal market research which showed customer demand (3%). A further 10% believe offering crypto could help attract new customers. As one business owner put it, “the more diverse you are with the payments you accept, the more customers… potentially buy.” For many, a perceived PR lift from being one of a handful of businesses within their sub-industry to accept crypto is also nice: “If we’re the only music retailer in the UK that accepts crypto, that would probably be a really good thing.” Half of the respondents also consider crypto acceptance a treasury strategy, using it to build digital asset exposure alongside payments, as illustrated in the graph further.
When it is available, payment data suggests cryptocurrency represents just 1% or less of e-commerce payment volumes. Yet many leaders perceive strong customer demand. This may indicate that the primary barrier is not willingness to pay with crypto, but the limited opportunity to do so. A hypothesis that warrants deeper investigation.
Payment Problems Crypto Can Solve for E-Commerce Merchants
We wanted to understand the payment challenges of e-commerce businesses more generally and asked them about key payment challenges they faced. Knowing from prior research that fees are often top of mind for e-commerce businesses, also asked what fees they paid for their last payment method. Further in the study, the figure below shows that e-commerce companies are focusing on the following key challenges with payments: high fees when receiving payments (64%), high fees when sending payments (43%), chargebacks (45%), and slow settlements (48%). These are all known problems that cryptocurrency payments can solve, as cryptocurrency payments are cheaper, faster, and cannot be reversed. For example, the graph below indicates that over half of respondents have recently integrated a payment method that is actually more expensive than cryptocurrency, where fees are typically under 1.5%.
Given this level of interest, one might ask: why aren’t we seeing record-breaking adoption of cryptocurrency payments in e-commerce?
Several barriers are still holding businesses back. The most fundamental is awareness. For some leaders, crypto payments simply aren’t visible. As one respondent admitted, “I think there is a lack of knowledge around it, to be honest. I can’t remember ever seeing it [crypto payments] when we’re looking at competitors or anything like that.”
Many decision-makers also lack personal experience. Most have never paid with cryptocurrency themselves (63%), and over a third have never even invested in it (38%). For some, crypto remains framed purely as an investment asset rather than a payment tool: “I see crypto as like an investment. It’s like buying a share. And I would never want to sell my products for shares.”
This unfamiliarity naturally creates hesitation. In our wider research, we consistently find that businesses are more willing to adopt new payment methods after first encountering them as consumers in their own checkout journeys. Without that exposure, uncertainty persists. As a result, concerns about how easy crypto is for customers to use ranked as the second most common barrier in our survey. One e-commerce business owner noted, “Our young crowd wants a quick, no-stress checkout, and crypto’s complicated steps could make them bounce, tanking our sales fast.” Reflecting this priority, 71% of business owners say ease of use for customers is a key factor when choosing a payment provider.
A lack of awareness, combined with limited firsthand experience, also sustains outdated narratives. For many, accepting crypto still feels like crossing the Rubicon — a major and risky leap — even though many of the perceived problems have already been addressed.
As seen in the following figure, Volatility, cited by 79% of respondents, is the most common concern among business owners. As one put it, “One day, Bitcoin is up, the next day it’s down, that messes up our revenue forecasts.” Yet today, businesses can instantly convert crypto payments into fiat or stablecoins, eliminating exposure to price swings.
Similarly, crypto is often perceived as technically complex for businesses to use. “There’s a lot of technical knowledge that needs to be understood before you jump in,” one respondent told us. Ease of integration is a key consideration for 62% of businesses when selecting a payment provider, underlining how important simplicity is. In practice, however, most modern crypto payment gateways are plug-and-play and integrate as easily as traditional payment methods.
Unfortunately, the memory of high-profile crashes and scandals continues to shape perceptions of cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency payments generally, only adding to this and reinforcing caution even as the infrastructure has matured.
Conclusion
Crypto payments in e-commerce sit at an inflection point.
Leaders are exploring, discussing, and, in some cases, implementing, but adoption still lags behind interest. The disconnect is not rooted in a lack of use case. High fees, slow settlements, and chargebacks remain persistent pain points, and crypto offers clear structural advantages in addressing them. Further, cryptocurrency offers additional opportunities in e-commerce for competitive differentiation, creative treasury strategies, and even access to new potential audiences.
Instead, the gap appears to be driven by familiarity and perception.
Many decision-makers have limited personal exposure to crypto as a payment method. Volatility concerns persist, despite readily available instant conversion tools. Technical complexity is assumed, even as integration has become increasingly plug-and-play. And the shadow of past market crashes and cryptocurrency scandals continues to influence boardroom thinking.
If 2026 delivers the forecasted growth, it may not be because attitudes suddenly shift but because availability expands. As more businesses integrate crypto payments, consumers (and business owners/leaders) will encounter them more frequently, familiarity will grow, and hesitation may gradually give way to normalization.
The question, then, is not whether crypto can solve real payment problems in e-commerce. It is whether awareness, experience, and trust can catch up.
