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"As the gap widens between merchant needs and indus- cessor with non-negotiable, often inflated rates," she said.
try innovation, transparency, integration, and compliance "They feel taken advantage of. That decision shouldn't
have emerged as the most urgent priorities shaping the have to be made. It complicates what should be a straight-
next generation of payment solutions," she said. forward process of accepting payments.

After decades in the payments industry, Dahlberg has "Meeks added that chargebacks are also rising to the
found that merchants are most vocal about three things: top again. "It's not just the volume; it's the lack of clarity
around how to resolve or prevent them that's most frus-
processing costs, chargebacks and knowledgeable custom-
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at
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ov
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S Spotlight Innovators er service. "Rising interchange, PCI, annual and third-par- trating. Even experienced ops teams feel like they're work-
ht
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li
ing in the dark."
ty fees—especially for card-not-present transactions—con-
tinue to strain profit margins," she said. "Many business
owners also face ongoing reconciliation challenges, from 2. Are shoppers asking for faster payments or new
mismatched deposits to inconsistent settlement timing options at the point of sale, or are other issues more
Spotlighting companies that promote that complicates cash flow management. pressing?
innovation in the payments industry "Adding to the frustration is the constantly shifting com- "There's growing interest in digital wallets and BNPL
pliance landscape, particularly surrounding cash discount from certain shopper segments, but most merchants
and dual pricing programs, where rules and interpreta- are focused on dependability," Meeks said. "They want
tions seem to evolve faster than clear guidance is provid- to know: Will the transaction go through? Will they get
ed. Meanwhile, proprietary or closed software systems funded within a reasonable timeframe? Can they process
often limit flexibility, forcing merchants into payment a refund without jumping through hoops? Speed is nice,
ecosystems that restrict their options or require expensive but consistency, ease of use, and transparency are far more
upgrades to integrate new solutions." valuable in their day-to-day reality."
Reflecting on what he hears from merchants and from his For Cucci's merchants consistency and trust are para-
colleagues at Fluid Pay, Nick Cucci, C.F.E. and the com- mount. "While speed and convenience are always impor-
pany's chief operating officer, said, "The biggest challenge tant, we find shoppers — and therefore merchants — care
we hear isn't about access to technology—it's about sim- more about consistency and trust," he said. "Whether it's
plifying it. Many merchants are overwhelmed by how online or in-store, they want transactions that just work,
fragmented the payments landscape has become: multiple without downtime, delays or hidden friction. Contactless
processors, APIs, and compliance layers. "They're look- and digital wallets have become expectations rather than
ing for a single, reliable gateway that's easy to implement, differentiators. The real differentiator now is seamless up-
transparent on pricing, and responsive when support is time and accurate reporting."
needed. Stability and service are what they value most
right now." Dahlberg has found great demand for bells and whistles

Custom pages on our high-tra c website showcasing Elie Katz, founder, president and CEO of National Re- of the latest technology. "Despite all the talk about innova-
tion, most consumers aren't clamoring for cryptocurrency
your company’s unique message tail Solutions (NRS), pointed to another primary concern or real-time bank transfers," she said. "What they truly
among the retailers his company serves. "In the indepen- want is convenience, reliability and support. They expect
payments to 'just work,' whether that means tap-to-pay,
• Your own, customized News from the Wire that highlights dent retail sector, a big challenge is theft/fraud: both em- mobile wallets or smooth online checkout experiences.
ployee theft, and skimmer and other card reader fraud.
stories about your company Card brands are utilizing AI technology to detect anoma-
lies and help prevent fraud, while simultaneously buck- "Any friction, such as declines, slow terminals or compli-
• Featured content: updated monthly, either by your in-house ling down on store owners to utilize airtight methods of cated refund processes directly impacts customer trust
and loyalty. In short, today's shopper expects seamless
writers or by one of ours accepting card payments." transactions that align with their lifestyle, not added steps
As someone who has spent more than 30 years advising or uncertainty."
• Custom infographics and videos merchants—from small businesses to mid-sized brands to
national franchise operators—Anita Meeks, founder and Katz brought up online ordering as a pressing concern.
• Premier content placement in each issue of e Green Sheet principal of Allure Payments LLC, has found that mer- "Customers who pay with a credit card can tap, swipe or

chants' "most consistent challenge is reconciliation and dip rather quickly," he said. "Card payment technology
• And so much more... reporting. Merchants are piecing together data from mul- makes checkout easy.
tiple systems just to answer basic questions about depos-
its, batch timing, and fees. It's not just inefficient, it creates "More pressing is customers' ability to order online. A
room for error." trend since COVID, that has not died down, is online shop-
ping with home delivery. Even small stores in neighbor-
hoods where most revenue traditionally came from foot
Rick@greensheet.com Another issue that continues to surface among Meeks' cli- traffic, are seeing strong value in having an online order-
ents is the lack of flexibility when payments are tied to
ing website, and/or participating in DoorDash, Grubhub
specific software solutions. "Merchants often invest in a
system that solves for scheduling, invoicing, or operation- or other similar ecommerce integrations.
al flows, but then realize they're locked into a single pro-
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