Google Pay records the largest search query growth, Paypal is searched most frequently. The interest of Germans in mobile payment options is increasing rapidly. Google Pay showed growth of 3,074 percent in search queries, with Apple Pay posting an increase of 813 percent. In third place among the Germans landed Amazon Pay with an increase of 191 percent. But well-tried payment methods such as debit card (+167 percent), also known as the giro card, and direct debit (+136 percent) seem to continue to attract increasing interest among Germans. This results in a recent analysis of the online visibility management platform SEMrush.
The top 10 payment methods after growth of search queries (search queries from 2016 to 2019):
- Google Pay (+3,074%)
- Apple Pay (+813%)
- Amazon Pay (+191%)
- Debit Card (+167%)
- Direct Debit (+136%)
- Transferwise (+110%)
- Bitcoin (+105%)
- Samsung Pay (+54%)
- Paypal (+22%)
- American Express (+18%)
Google Pay and Apple Pay started in the US in 2015. In 2018 followed Germany. Before the German rollout at the beginning of the analysis period in November 2016, the searches with 1,600 and 14,800 searches were still manageable, but increased sharply in the following months and after the launch and with the growing number of participating partner banks, due to the users' information needs , Amazon Pay has been around since 2007. The third strongest growth is explained by the uninterrupted interest in the online mail order company and its payment method.
Looking at average monthly searches this year, regardless of growth, results in a different ranking. In 2019, Paypal ranks first (5,021,000), well ahead of Bitcoin (766,200) and American Express (110,550). The top 10 payment methods of Germans after search queries (average monthly searches of Germans between January and October 2019):
- Paypal (5,021,000)
- Bitcoin (766,200)
- American Express (110,550)
- Transferwise (83,900)
- Apple Pay (81,000)
- Credit Card (68,900)
- Mastercard (60,700)
- Google Pay (41,630)
- Ethereum (40,740)
- Sofortüberweisung (38,280)
Sofortüberweisung is an online payment system of Sofort GmbH for cashless payment on the Internet. The procedure is a pseudo pre-cash system, as the trader does not receive the payment immediately, but a payment confirmation.
Established payment methods have less need for explanation and are less sought. Instead, customers are interested in alternatives to established payment methods. Although PayPal has been around since 2002, it enjoys uninterrupted popularity without strong growth in search queries, as it has long been a common, secure and easy payment method, whether mobile or desktop.