A new global report has revealed how friction at every step of the digital sales process is quietly costing software companies billions each year. The research by Cleverbridge and Ascend2 surveyed 715 software sellers and 1,081 buyers across major markets and found that while nearly every vendor sells online, most still struggle to deliver the clarity and trust that digital buyers expect.
The study shows that ecommerce has become the primary growth engine for the software industry, with over 98 percent of vendors now selling their products online and more than half generating most of their revenue through ecommerce channels. Yet despite this shift, 82 percent of sellers say they face double-digit cart abandonment, while 47 percent lose at least a quarter of their potential sales during checkout.
One of the biggest disconnects lies between what sellers think buyers value and what actually drives a purchase. More than half of sellers believe that speed and security define a good checkout experience, while buyers rank clear pricing and terms as the top factor. Fifty-three percent of buyers say transparency is what makes them complete a purchase, surpassing even trust and checkout speed. The pattern continues elsewhere: 96 percent of buyers expect to see prices in their local currency, but less than half of sellers consistently localize currency or language.
These gaps are more than minor inconveniences. They feed a steady revenue drain Cleverbridge calls the “friction tax.” A midsize SaaS firm earning ten million dollars annually could lift revenue by about 2.3 million dollars by reducing its abandonment rate from 27 percent to 10 percent. The causes are rarely one-dimensional. Hidden fees, forced account creation, unavailable payment methods, and lack of localized options combine to drive users away at the final moment.
The push toward global markets adds another layer of strain. Eighty-three percent of software companies plan to expand internationally in the next year, yet only 56 percent feel confident doing so. Sixty percent operate in fewer than ten countries, and only 4 percent sell in more than one hundred. That gap leaves trillions in potential market value untapped. Integrations, compliance rules, and localized checkout processes are the top obstacles slowing expansion, with many sellers still lacking a unified ecommerce framework.
Payment flexibility also defines performance. One in three buyers will abandon checkout if their preferred payment method is missing. Across regions, preferences differ sharply. Cards dominate in North America, PayPal leads in Europe, and digital wallets such as Apple Pay top the list in Asia-Pacific. Only about one-fifth of sellers offer local payment options like Pix in Brazil or iDEAL in the Netherlands, even though these can be decisive in conversion. Sellers who provide wider payment choices, particularly those categorized as ecommerce revenue leaders, report far higher conversion rates and buyer trust.
Friction continues after the initial purchase. Ninety-one percent of sellers believe they manage post-purchase support well, yet 79 percent of buyers report issues ranging from unclear renewal terms to slow customer service. Thirty-six percent said they could not cancel easily, while 31 percent could not reach support when needed. Subscription churn remains a critical weakness: 63 percent of sellers admit at least half of their churn is involuntary, often due to failed payments or expired cards. Forty-eight percent of buyers cancel over cost, but 27 percent leave because of poor support, signaling that retention depends as much on transparency and care as on pricing.
Behind the scenes, technology fragmentation magnifies the problem. Fewer than half of sellers have a fully integrated ecommerce stack. The rest rely on manual fixes or disconnected systems that create more friction across billing, tax, and compliance. Sellers with integrated platforms are more than twice as confident in entering new global markets, showing how infrastructure directly shapes growth. Many high-performing firms now use the merchant-of-record model, which offloads tax and compliance burdens while offering localized payments and subscription management under one system.
The report’s conclusion is clear. Friction is not a single obstacle but a chain of small breaks that add up to massive losses. From opaque pricing to post-purchase confusion, every weak link erodes buyer confidence. Companies that respond by making checkout transparent, localizing every touchpoint, automating renewals, and connecting backend systems are the ones reclaiming growth already within reach.
Software is now bought everywhere, but confidence still decides where the sale lands. In an era when digital buyers can switch vendors with a click, transparency is not a feature anymore, it is the foundation of trust and the key to sustaining global ecommerce growth.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
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The study shows that ecommerce has become the primary growth engine for the software industry, with over 98 percent of vendors now selling their products online and more than half generating most of their revenue through ecommerce channels. Yet despite this shift, 82 percent of sellers say they face double-digit cart abandonment, while 47 percent lose at least a quarter of their potential sales during checkout.
One of the biggest disconnects lies between what sellers think buyers value and what actually drives a purchase. More than half of sellers believe that speed and security define a good checkout experience, while buyers rank clear pricing and terms as the top factor. Fifty-three percent of buyers say transparency is what makes them complete a purchase, surpassing even trust and checkout speed. The pattern continues elsewhere: 96 percent of buyers expect to see prices in their local currency, but less than half of sellers consistently localize currency or language.
These gaps are more than minor inconveniences. They feed a steady revenue drain Cleverbridge calls the “friction tax.” A midsize SaaS firm earning ten million dollars annually could lift revenue by about 2.3 million dollars by reducing its abandonment rate from 27 percent to 10 percent. The causes are rarely one-dimensional. Hidden fees, forced account creation, unavailable payment methods, and lack of localized options combine to drive users away at the final moment.
The push toward global markets adds another layer of strain. Eighty-three percent of software companies plan to expand internationally in the next year, yet only 56 percent feel confident doing so. Sixty percent operate in fewer than ten countries, and only 4 percent sell in more than one hundred. That gap leaves trillions in potential market value untapped. Integrations, compliance rules, and localized checkout processes are the top obstacles slowing expansion, with many sellers still lacking a unified ecommerce framework.
Payment flexibility also defines performance. One in three buyers will abandon checkout if their preferred payment method is missing. Across regions, preferences differ sharply. Cards dominate in North America, PayPal leads in Europe, and digital wallets such as Apple Pay top the list in Asia-Pacific. Only about one-fifth of sellers offer local payment options like Pix in Brazil or iDEAL in the Netherlands, even though these can be decisive in conversion. Sellers who provide wider payment choices, particularly those categorized as ecommerce revenue leaders, report far higher conversion rates and buyer trust.
Friction continues after the initial purchase. Ninety-one percent of sellers believe they manage post-purchase support well, yet 79 percent of buyers report issues ranging from unclear renewal terms to slow customer service. Thirty-six percent said they could not cancel easily, while 31 percent could not reach support when needed. Subscription churn remains a critical weakness: 63 percent of sellers admit at least half of their churn is involuntary, often due to failed payments or expired cards. Forty-eight percent of buyers cancel over cost, but 27 percent leave because of poor support, signaling that retention depends as much on transparency and care as on pricing.
Behind the scenes, technology fragmentation magnifies the problem. Fewer than half of sellers have a fully integrated ecommerce stack. The rest rely on manual fixes or disconnected systems that create more friction across billing, tax, and compliance. Sellers with integrated platforms are more than twice as confident in entering new global markets, showing how infrastructure directly shapes growth. Many high-performing firms now use the merchant-of-record model, which offloads tax and compliance burdens while offering localized payments and subscription management under one system.
The report’s conclusion is clear. Friction is not a single obstacle but a chain of small breaks that add up to massive losses. From opaque pricing to post-purchase confusion, every weak link erodes buyer confidence. Companies that respond by making checkout transparent, localizing every touchpoint, automating renewals, and connecting backend systems are the ones reclaiming growth already within reach.
Software is now bought everywhere, but confidence still decides where the sale lands. In an era when digital buyers can switch vendors with a click, transparency is not a feature anymore, it is the foundation of trust and the key to sustaining global ecommerce growth.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
Read next:
• AI and Search Top Gen Alpha’s Digital Habits, While Social Media Plays a Smaller Role
• Africa and Asia Face the Heaviest Terror Impact, According to 2026 Global Index
• The 3 Most Powerful Cloud-based Mapping Software
