Position paper
Payment has always been an important part of the consumer journey in retail. The Nordics are on the path towards a cashless society, where regulation and new technology drives the pace of the change. But as complexity increases, and new players and innovation thrives, retailers are forced to take a stronger grasp on the surrounding partners to enhance the competitive edge of retail experiences.
Upcoming Events
- ons. 07. feb.Solli Plass07. feb. 2024, 09:00 – 16:00Solli Plass, Henrik Ibsens gate 90, 0255 Oslo, Norway
- ons. 15. feb.Hotel At Six15. feb. 2023, 13:00 – 16:00Hotel At Six , Brunkebergstorg 6, 111 51 Stockholm, Sverige15. feb. 2023, 13:00 – 16:00Hotel At Six , Brunkebergstorg 6, 111 51 Stockholm, SverigePayment has always been an important part of the consumer journey in retail. During the era of digitization, where shopping related tasks are being included in the digital consumer journey, the complexity increases and we as retailers must take a stronger grip on the surrounding partners.
Upcoming Events
- ons. 07. feb.Solli Plass07. feb. 2024, 09:00 – 16:00Solli Plass, Henrik Ibsens gate 90, 0255 Oslo, Norway
- ons. 15. feb.Hotel At Six15. feb. 2023, 13:00 – 16:00Hotel At Six , Brunkebergstorg 6, 111 51 Stockholm, Sverige15. feb. 2023, 13:00 – 16:00Hotel At Six , Brunkebergstorg 6, 111 51 Stockholm, SverigePayment has always been an important part of the consumer journey in retail. During the era of digitization, where shopping related tasks are being included in the digital consumer journey, the complexity increases and we as retailers must take a stronger grip on the surrounding partners.
Retail digital robustness to tackle modern crises
In response to the evolving landscape shaped by recent global crises such as the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, as well as climate related events, the Nordic initiative community has underscored the critical need for enhancing retail robustness.
As regulatory measures are being considered to address these challenges, a closer examination of our industry reveals internal hurdles stemming from outdated technology struggling to adapt to the demands of contemporary retail.
The Nordic region faces vulnerabilities, notably in its reliance on cloud services located outside our geographical boundaries. Additionally, there is a pressing need for robust offline capabilities to facilitate transactions when physical cash becomes obsolete. In times of crisis, the retail sector encounters a unique set of challenges, including the absence of a comprehensive framework for crisis management. This gap is particularly evident in the industry's limited capacity to test and practice various scenarios, highlighting the necessity for a more resilient and adaptable approach to ensure retail stability during turbulent times.
Nordic Initiative approach
By request of the retail community, the Nordic Initiative is extending invitations to participants for an inaugural meeting focused on validating facts, assessing risks, and defining collaborative objectives. This meeting sets the foundation for a strategic and actionable plan that unites efforts toward common goals.
One approach would be to invite retail security experts, operation executives and observers from central banks where the Nordic Initiative would facilitate a joint roundtable to identify common needs among tier1 retailers, as well as potential actionable items to increase robustness in the nordics, such as offline usage and diversification in payments.
Limitations
Every year we facilitate billions of payment transactions and interact frequently with more customers than any other sector. This makes us by far the biggest users of payment solutions and the most important interface towards the customers. Still it is our joint experience that existing payment solutions do not support our need for providing seamless, effective and cheap services to our customers.
Billions
of payment transactions
Millions
of customers
Ineffective
Payment solutions
Halting
The customer journey
We write this paper as a call to action and an invitation to dialogue with: banks, card schemes and solution providers, other retailers that have identified the same challenge as us, regulators who want our input and innovative newcomers wanting to help!
Views on a good payment solution
No lock-in
The market must work, with no lock-in effects (different standards or other barriers that make it difficult to change vendors)
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Support different payment scenarios
Variable recurring payments. Flexible risk based payments. Different use cases not limited toPay first, buy later (Petrol), Hospitality, ecommerce, In-store, Subscription, in-app.
Purpose: Better fit for applying appropriate services to different retail scenarios
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The retailers should be in control of the orchestration of customer dialogues.
Payment providers must allow the retailer to be in control of the client relationship and the transaction data generated in the retail channel.
Purpose: Ensure all embedded service offerings are aligned with the retail brand
4
Contextual authentication with the ability to be leveled up when required
The retailer needs an effective way to identify the customer. The quality of ID should be based on the situation the payment is being made, e.g. regular, small, on the run payments (buying a coffee) would require less quality of the ID than large, one-time purchases (buying a TV).
1
Standardized, rich and effective APIs
APIs must support customer centric retail experience across different channels. API providers should adhere to industry standards and market best practices catered by independent
Purpose: Predictable time to market for new and changed capabilities
2
Low, predictable and simple fees
The payment solutions should be cost effective across the total cost of the value chain. Leveled to actual and measurable risks. Not proportional to the amount of a basket.
Purpose: Prioritization of preferred services
3
Real time clearing and settlement
The money must be on the retailer's account at the time of the transaction.
7
Scheme fees
The card schemes need to lower their fees on in-store payment to reflect the low risk of the transaction
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