Appcharge launches new Checkout to increase DTC revenue and reduce payment friction for mobile game publishers.
The Tel Aviv-based direct-to-consumer (DTC) payments platform for mobile games said it is launching Checkout: a conversion-optimized, game-adaptive payment experience designed to increase purchase completion, improve net revenue, and significantly reduce the operational overhead of running payments in-house.
Appcharge said Checkout is one of the most critical points in the monetization funnel, where even small amounts of friction can result in significant revenue loss. Appcharge’s new Checkout is built specifically for mobile games, combining faster load times, cleaner UI, smarter payment method presentation, and continuous optimization to reduce drop-off at the moment of purchase.
D-to-C platforms are becoming popular with companies like Take-Two Interactive, owner of the mobile game division Zynga. In an interview with GamesBeat last week, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said that direct-to-consumer results (enabled by Epic Games’ antitrust gains in its lawsuits with Apple and Google) helped with the overall mobile game performance, which was up 19% from a yea ago.
“Direct-to-consumer doesn’t affect our top line per se. It really is more a margin issue. However, direct-to-consumer did have the strongest quarter on record, and the regulatory environment is more favorable, so this is a big growth driver for us,” Zelnick said.
Unlike generic e-commerce checkouts, Appcharge said its Checkout adapts in real time to each player’s context – including country and currency, device and operating system, payment history, and whether they are a first-time or returning buyer.
Payment methods are automatically prioritised from more than 500 local options, reducing visual distractions and surfacing the most relevant choice for each player, while returning users are guided back to their last successful payment method.
The new Checkout also introduces built-in A/B testing and personalization to identify the
optimal user experience and improve conversion rates. Faster loading times, clearer
security indicators, and a persistent pay button further reduce friction and increase user
trust during checkout.
Early performance data shows that Appcharge can deliver conversion rates of up to 92%, with order success rates exceeding 95 percent through optimized payment routing, failed-payment recovery, and deep integrations with local payment service providers. Combined with fully managed dispute handling and fraud mitigation – including dispute win rates of 60-70 percent (compared to average industry benchmarks of 30-40%) – the result is materially higher net revenue for publishers.
“The checkout is the funnel’s most critical moment, where user experience takes priority,”
said Fanny Beili, VP of product at Appcharge, in a statement. “Building trust, reducing friction, and making the best payment options easy to access are all crucial factors in helping players complete the purchase.”
Appcharge’s Checkout is delivered as part of its end-to-end Merchant of Record (MoR)
platform, which handles local merchant accounts, compliance, tax, currency conversion,
fraud prevention, refunds, and customer support on behalf of publishers.
This removes the need for studios to manage payments, risk, and regulation across multiple regions and providers, significantly lowering internal costs and operational complexity.
The new Checkout is scenario-optimized, supporting both mobile and desktop webstores,
as well as native link-out payments. Players benefit from localized one-click checkout for
repeat purchases, and return seamlessly to gameplay or the webstore once a transaction
is complete.
With DTC monetization becoming a core revenue channel for leading mobile game
publishers, Appcharge’s new Checkout reflects a broader shift away from generic
payment infrastructure toward purpose-built systems that treat checkout as a live,
optimizable product – not a static endpoint, the company said.