Biometric Authentication in eCommerce: How Does It Work?

Online Shopping Security: Key Insights

• Growing Importance of Biometrics:

  Biometric authentication, such as facial recognition and voice identification, is becoming essential for enhancing eCommerce security and providing a seamless shopping experience.

• Leading Payment Methods:

  VISA and Mastercard are the most widely used payment methods in the global eCommerce marketplace, and both companies using biometric technologies to strengthen payment security.

• Emerging Technologies and Risks:

  Despite the rise of biometric authentication in eCommerce, challenges such as stolen physical data and deepfakes remain, prompting companies like Mastercard, Google, and Microsoft to develop advanced solutions.

How do you ensure the highest level of security in a digital world like ours? When it comes to paying in the digital world, especially when shopping online, security is paramount, and the more unique the security access, the more secure it is.

One unique way to make eCommerce shopping safer are biometrics. But biometric authentication goes far beyond the facial and fingerprint recognition. Discover the different types of biometric authentication you can use to stay secure online.

Online Shopping Payment Methods and Security Systems

Biometric tools such as facial recognition, voice identification, and device authentication ensure that only verified users can complete transactions. These tools significantly reduce the risks associated with synthetic identities, deepfakes, and automated threats. This approach not only enhances security, but also provides a frictionless and personalized shopping experience for customers.

A modern world like ours needs such modern security solutions, and many payment providers have recognized it as well. But what are the most common payment options in the global eCommerce market, and do they use biometric authentication?

• The leading payment method in terms of global offering in the eCommerce market is VISA with 90%. To better secure customer's data, VISA is since the beginning of the year working on “biometric templates for privacy preserving authentication.”

• Neck and neck with VISA is Mastercard, with 89.7% of all online stores in the eCommerce market offering this method. Recently, Mastercard and PayEye launched their Biometric Checkout pilot program in Poland, testing payment with a glance at Empik.

• The third most offered payment method is PayPal with 65.6%. The eWallet offers Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint biometrics depending on the user's device to secure the app and transactions.

• The same biometrics are provided by American Express, which follows as the fourth most used payment method in the global eCommerce market with 51.9%.

• Finally, Bank transfer / cash in advance holds 41.8%. Depending on the provider, it is possible to use biometrics for transactions.

Online Payments: Future of Biometric Authentication

Biometric authentication is in the field of eCommerce on the rise. Yet, some risks remain, such as the issue of stolen physical data or deep fakes. To that end, Google is trying to obtain a patent for a way to track "liveness characteristics" in biometric authentication, whereas Microsoft is attempting to patent "sequence-based" authentication based on movement and pose.

At the same time, as Mastercard demonstrates, the use of biometric payment could expand to supermarkets in the next few years, making paying more and more convenient.

Sources: The Daily Upside, MasterCard, PayPal, ECDB