Unified commerce is largely viewed as the best solution to modern customers’ needs: they demand greater decision-making capacity in the purchasing process. In other words, a more personalised product and shopping process, combining both physical and digital commerce, as well as new and improved payment methods. The advantages for the end customer are: more options, and greater satisfaction. The advantages for retail: increased conversion (more sales), as well as greater customer loyalty as they offer a better service. But before we explain how omnichannel payments help you offer more options, what are omnichannel payments?

Omnichannel payments, what are they and how do they work?

Omnichannel payments combine payment channels (physical, online) in all their different forms, in a single purchase process, including the return process. That is, product selection, reception or collection, payment, and, sometimes, payment return, are all done under the same payment management platform. This means that stock management is synchronised, even between physical stores, as well as the management of customer payment data. Do you want to know in what new ways omnichannel payments will allow you to sell? In this post we tell you about their specific applications.

Click and collect

 We are talking about the purchasing process where the customer makes a purchase using their mobile phone and pays when picking up the product in-store. In other words, and in a more detailed way, first the customer makes an online purchase; after this, PayXpert generates a token with the customer’s payment details, which can be used to manage this and any future payments in a secure and controlled way for the customer. Once the customer receives the order either in-store or at home, the payment is processed. In case the customer requests a refund, the merchant will be able to manage it through the Backoffice.

Omnichannel returns

 Thanks to this option, the merchant will be able to make a return through the Point-of-Sale terminal (POS), even if it is an online purchase, and vice versa.

Buy from one store, pick it up from another

 Thanks to the synchronisation of stock and payment data between stores, omnichannel payments, and unified commerce allow you to make a purchase in-store A, and pick up the product in store B. What if a customer wants to make a purchase in store A, but this location does not have the product they want? Thanks to this option, we can ensure that they receive the product in store B.

Fractional purchases

 Thanks to the tokenisation of the customer’s payment data, the merchant will be able to split the payment of the product or service if part of the product or service is going to be delivered to the customer. When the remaining parts of the order are delivered to the customer, the corresponding charges will be processed.

 Seamless payments: omnichannel payments without limits

 There are countless other situations in which omnichannel payments can be applied. Seamless payments are those where the payment process has the minimum number of obstacles for the customer. For example, (thanks to tokenisation) the merchant already has the customer’s payment data on file, secured by a token, and therefore the end customer does not have to re-enter them. The same applies to the delivery details for the order, in case the customer selects home delivery; and, in the future, even permanently eliminating the checkout process altogether. Customers will simply enter the physical store, select the desired products and leave the store.

 An exceptional payment experience thanks to a unified payment platform

 At PayXpert we believe that the best shopping experience is closely linked to the best payment experience. Omnichannel payments simplify and diversify the purchasing process for the customer, and the merchant’s management is streamlined by partially automating the different stages; they will simply have to authorise the different processes. The results are seen both in the short and long term: less time and resources spent on handling payments and returns, more and better tools for merchants and their team, more options for the customer and a much more convenient and effective checkout process. All this translates not only into higher conversions, but also into a much more optimised ROI.

 Omnichannel payments are one of our star solutions, but we have much more to offer you. Alternative payment methods, business intelligence, and much more. Different solutions for the same goal: helping you achieve optimal business performance. Read more about our omnichannel solution.