The foundation of the adult industry profit model centers on the impulse purchase, combined with recurring billing. For many years this phenomenon has been linked and identified with credit card use online; but although this model has worked quite well in North America and elsewhere around the world, Europe remains a challenge as credit card penetration has lagged behind other areas because of differing cultural views on debt and credit use.

For example, Germans can rattle off their bank account and routing numbers in the same way U.S. residents know their social security numbers — and they are used to paying for everything with their bank accounts — it's just the way things are.

While credit card billing in Europe can certainly produce significant joins, revenue and profits, less than 25 percent of Europeans own a credit card — and even fewer will actually use one for personal purchases online. This is significant as the European market is larger than the U.S. market and now quickly coming online.

Online merchants, however, appreciate the key benefits of credit card billing, including the ability to capture the spontaneous join, both through trials and classic purchases. They also enjoy the ability to re-bill subscriptions, offer one-click following purchases and upgrades, pay-per-anything, cross sales and cancellation packages — options that can really boosts earnings.

According to Webbilling.com Global Operations Director, Ines Petersen, merchants can easily obtain the benefits of credit card processing, but with the comfort, trust and familiarity of a payment mechanism already in use by European consumers — Direct Debit billing.

"You can achieve all these same goals in Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands with the Webbilling EU Direct Debit solution," Petersen said. "No cards of any kind are required — just a bank account — and everybody who earns money owns a bank account."

Petersen says that the impulse sale is alive and well in Europe, even for consumers without a credit card — along with bottom-line boosting trials, one-click purchases and rebills.

"These joins are already in your current traffic," Petersen said. "If you offer only credit card payment these surfers are unable to pay you; they are unable to convert and unable to join."

Webbilling.com offers essential European payment methods like Direct Debit for Austria, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and United Kingdom and Advanced Direct pay for 43 European countries and according to Petersen, adding these payment methods to existing solutions allows online merchants to significantly increase their EU revenue.

"Convert every possible user," Petersen concluded. "Don't lose another day of EU non-card revenue."