No-code payment solutions enable the integration of payment functionality into websites, social media platforms, and other applications in just a few steps, without requiring programming knowledge. These offerings also allow business owners to add payment capabilities to their online shops, regardless of technical background.

As improvements in the checkout environment have become increasingly important, more payment processors are offering support for the development of transaction features through no-code services. These code-free options are gradually gaining attention in Japan as well. However, plenty of people are considering starting a digital storefront but aren’t entirely clear what “no-code” actually means.

This article explains the basics of no-code payments, including their advantages and use cases.

What’s in this article?

• What are no-code payments?
  
• Market size of online payment services
  
• Advantages of using no-code online payments
  
• No-code payment case studies
  
• Implementing online payments using Stripe’s no-code tools
  

What are no-code payments?

The term “no-code” refers to creating websites or apps without writing any code, opening opportunities for people with no programming background.

In other words, no-code approaches let businesses easily implement payment functionality using these methods. This empowers many businesses that want to provide customers with a convenient way to pay while completing the setup process with minimal effort.

Unlike a brick-and-mortar store, where staff use a register to complete in-person payments, online shops complete those transactions 100% remotely. Therefore, any business operating a digital storefront needs to aim to provide customers with an enjoyable online payment experience by making its checkout page straightforward to navigate and offering well-known payment methods. Japanese products, such as cosmetics and anime-related merchandise, are increasingly popular outside of the country. As cross-border ecommerce expands—making it easier to buy items from abroad—adopting globally accepted ecommerce payment options becomes fundamental. Against this backdrop, no-code solutions represent groundbreaking technological innovation across the entire checkout infrastructure.

Market size of online payment services

As Stripe’s article on the market size of cross-border ecommerce shows, digital retail markets worldwide have seen increased activity since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Yano Research Institute’s report “Domestic Market Size Trends and Forecasts for Online Payment Services,” Japan’s digital payments sector is projected to grow to approximately ¥43 trillion by fiscal year 2025 and approximately ¥63 trillion by fiscal year 2028.

In Japan, the online payment market is growing rapidly, as evidenced not only by large EC malls such as AEON MALL, but also by the widespread adoption of consumer-to-consumer (C2C)-focused ecommerce sites and apps such as Mercari, where individuals buy and sell directly to each other.

The sector will continue to expand as smartphones become indispensable and brands intensify their social media promotion activity. As a result, demand for no-code payment solutions is also on the rise.

Advantages of using no-code online payments

The benefits of no-code payments include the following:

• Does not require any programming expertise or experience: Anyone can easily establish checkout functionality with no previous coding background.

• Reduced costs: It eliminates the need for complex setup resources and removes reliance on engineers or specialists, keeping initial costs low.

• Work is fast: Implementation work is quick thanks to the functional components and templates prepared in advance.

In the past, no-code tools for payment features or app development have often been considered unsuitable for supporting complex features due to their limited customization options. Depending on the code-free platform used, this can definitely be the case, especially with free resources. If speed and convenience take top priority, flexibility and tailoring can fall by the wayside. That often stems from the mistaken belief that achieving a high level of customization requires complex processes. In other words, there is the misconception that code-free services are too simplistic and don’t offer the freedom of design and flexibility, and they are seen as making it difficult to achieve versatile configurations without also having to master coding from scratch.

As web-based platforms and app technologies continue to evolve, code-free methods are now appearing in a new light. Rather than being perceived as offerings with limited features, they increasingly demonstrate innovative capabilities and support greater personalization. As a result, no-code platforms are far from rigid systems with little flexibility, and they continue to support the development of more sophisticated websites and applications, as well as future system implementations.

No-code payment case studies

Payment systems for ecommerce sites and apps

Using no-code tools, you can create your own original ecommerce site or develop apps that have the payment functionality needed for selling goods and services. For example, a coworking space might integrate a reservation and payment system into its ecommerce site or social media app. In that case, the reservation features and subscription billing functions are set up with no need to hire specialist programmers, relying on regular employees instead, including staff with no development experience.

Simplify back office work

No-code platforms simplify a variety of revenue-related tasks. These include inventory, sales, customer, and billing management. Automating invoice issuance to customers and tracking incoming funds can make overall operations much smoother.

Implementing online payments using Stripe’s no-code tools

Next, let’s take a look at how Stripe’s Payment Links can help implement various types of online transactions, each suited to different business types.

Payment Links is a no-code solution that makes it straightforward to set up and share secure checkout pages on the web. For instance, businesses without a website are still able to accept digital transactions to sell products. With just a few clicks, you can create a payment screen and send the payment link with customers across multiple channels, including websites, text messages, email, and social media.

Stripe has published more detailed Payment Links source materials covering procedures for generating URLs and methods for distributing them. For sharing payment links with no-code tools, you can send a URL, generate a QR code, or embed a button. Let’s take a closer look at each one:

Share a link

Use the dashboard to copy payment links and share them online. The URL allows for unlimited sharing via email, text message, or social media.

Generate a QR code

Create a QR code for the payment link from the dashboard. Because QR codes don’t have an expiration date, they remain usable as long as the linked checkout page exists. In addition to the existing URLs on the Payment Links screen, you can generate a new link and, by selecting and clicking the QR code, copy or download a PNG image of the generated QR code.

Embed a button

You can also create purchase buttons that contain payment links for selling goods and services, including subscriptions, on your website. In this case, you can either select an existing link from the Payment Links page or generate a new one, then click the purchase button to enable it.

Stripe lets you choose the best option for your business from the link-sharing methods described above. You can also customize the payments screen and centrally manage transactions. Whether you’re considering implementing a payment system or looking to simplify your back-office operations, Payment Links offers a straightforward starting point. Stripe provides easy-to-understand support not only for questions about building a bespoke payment system, but also for shaping a checkout environment tailored to your shop’s specific needs.