The shift to ecommerce has changed the game for modern retailers, leading many to shift their attentions online and start to plan for international growth. To do so effectively, however, retailers need to optimise their payments ecosystems now to put in place the right framework for expansion in the future. In a digital-first world where consumers are increasingly demanding when it comes to payment flexibility, we explore why Payment Orchestration Platforms are the key to the future of ecommerce.

Going global - the future of ecommerce

The ecommerce market saw unprecedented growth as a result of the pandemic; globally, the market is forecasted to be worth $4.8 trillion by the end of 2021, and represent 1 in 5 retail sales by the end of 2024. This is due to a shift in consumer behaviour resulting from local lockdowns and social distancing guidelines, which drove customers to explore online shopping channels - 71% of people reported purchasing more items online since the pandemic.

Consumers also became more open to experimenting with new payment methods, with 60% of consumers saying they tried out a BNPL service last year. The significant shifts in consumer behaviour have greatly affected the operating models of most retailers; the question is no longer “how can I get a customer into store?” but rather, “how can I ensure a customer converts?”. Payment flexibility - and allowing consumers to pay how they want, when they want - will play a crucial role in ensuring a strong website conversion rate.

Payments; the next frontier of user experience

After driving website traffic, reducing cart abandonment has become one of the top priorities for modern retailers, and delivering complete payment flexibility has become vital to ensure customers actually convert. A complicated checkout process accounts for 18% of all cart abandonments, with a further 11% of customers citing lack of payment options or payment rejections as reasons not to convert. As consumers become more digitally-savvy, and demand for more alternative payment methods (which are particularly prevalent with gen Z and millennial audiences) increases, payment flexibility and user experience will become synonymous, and online retailers who prioritise this element of their service will reduce friction and streamline the conversion process.

The move towards ecommerce has upended the customer journey for most modern retailers. In sectors such as fashion, for example, the point of conversion no longer happens when the customer clicks “buy”, but rather when the goods have been delivered and tried on, and the customer has made a conscious decision to keep the item. With that in mind, retailers need to prioritise their post-purchase aftercare service to protect relationships with customers. In practice, this means streamlining key elements such as returns, and automating processes such as refunds and voucher issuing to offer ultimate customer flexibility.

Creating backend efficiencies

Wherever customers choose to convert, they expect a frictionless payment experience on the frontend, which requires a simplified, efficient backend. For many international retailers, complex payments ecosystems which are comprised of lots of individual partnerships with various Payment Service Providers (PSPs) or acquirers have proved unable to handle the stress placed on them by the pandemic. This led to a number of challenges for both merchants and consumers, including increased operating costs, failed payments and even down time.

As a greater proportion of commerce shifts online, the priority for retailers has come to focus on simplifying the backend process wherever possible, including automating or streamlining crucial parts of their business model such as reconciliation and refunds. In doing so, they will not only reduce their operating costs and provide a more stable experience for the consumer, but also free up internal resource to invest in improving their overall site experience.

Preparing for cross-border expansion

For many small-medium sized retailers, the shift to digital has unlocked the potential of international custom, but merchants need to ensure their payments ecosystems are optimised to match their ambition. Consumers want to pay in their local currency, and cultural leanings towards different payment methods means that merchants have to prioritise payment flexibility as they move into new markets.

As they look to expand internationally, merchants typically have one of two options when it comes to managing payments. Some retailers opt to build out their own payments ecosystem manually, developing relationships with individual acquirers on a country-by-country basis, as and when they expand. The resulting ecosystem requires a lot of time and operational budget to manage, can often be cumbersome to navigate, and doesn’t leave a lot of room for risk mitigation in the event that an acquirer or PSP suffers a network outage. Alternatively, merchants can work with an international PSP to streamline their payments ecosystem, at the cost of sub-optimal transaction rates.

What is Payment Orchestration?

The opportunities for growth in ecommerce are clear to see, but in order for ecommerce merchants to scale effectively whilst prioritising customer experience, efficient management of the payments ecosystem is key. Payment Orchestration Platforms have been designed to make payments easier not just for merchants, but for their customers too, and will help accelerate the global shift to digital commerce.

Once established, merchants are able to process any payment method in any currency they choose, allowing customers ultimate flexibility to pay how they want. This allows them to mix established payment methods such as cards with in-house loyalty schemes, APMs and vouchers. Merchants can also boost their conversion rate by incorporating value-add services such as stored cards, the ability to pay by link, BNPL offerings and more.

Payment Orchestration Platforms allow merchants to reduce payment friction for the end customer whilst also streamlining their processes internally. Through Velocity, merchants can monitor, optimise and automate key elements of their payment operations such as acceptance rates, chargeback disputes and reconciliation, helping to reduce operational costs in the long term.

Planning for the future of payments

In the digital first future, streamlining the payments experience will be a key point of differentiation. As merchants look to expand internationally, Payment Orchestration will not only help improve conversion rates in the short term, but also establish a platform for long-term cross border growth. More importantly, prioritising payment flexibility will lead to more positive user experiences with the brand overall, turning one-time purchasers in new markets into loyal, returning brand advocates.