Merchant

For years, many companies have spoken about becoming more digital, transforming their business and reducing waste, but always in the context of those journeys being multiyear projects.

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc. said it plans to spin off its JD Logistics shipping business in a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Mobile pay is embedded in social media platforms and large retailers, proving an e-commerce spending boom, says Azoya USA's Franklin Chu.

Retailers are often considered to be key beneficiaries of faster payments, but they may be among the last to reap its benefits in the U.S.

There's already an appetite for digital and consumers should quickly embrace Apple's range of services, says CellPoint Digital's Howard Blankenship.

Fintechs and challenger banks are small, nimble and tech-centric. However, incumbents have strong reputations, customer trust and loyalty built over many decades, says Twilio's Bijon Mehta.

Merchants are making a miscalculation on data management, says FreedomPay's Chris Kronenthal.

COVID-19 has taken a great deal away from us in the past 12 months, but from a digital payments perspective, it has also opened the doors for new innovation and activity, says Cognizant Softvision's Karla Ch'ien.

People are reluctant to use physical point of sale terminals, putting biometrics in the middle of the contactless payment wave, says Fingerprints' Christian Fredrikson.

Over the past 10 months the payment industry has seen several products and services of bygone eras that have been reconstituted, repackaged and positioned to help customers and small businesses to manage their finances and cash flow, says Avenue B Consulting's Maria Arminio.

The innovation recognizes inventory levels and uses machine learning and sales history to identify the ideal price point to incentivize a consumer to select the product with a limited shelf life, says Quicklizard's Pini Mandel.

As merchants navigate a rapidly evolving market, invisible payments are becoming a crucial means of offering customers the seamless, simple, and streamlined experiences they crave, says Credorax's Igal Rotem.

Opening up universal payments and authentication methods that feel familiar, for both online and face-to-face transactions, could unlock a world of possibilities when it comes to redefining how businesses engage with consumers, says MYPINPAD's Justin Pike.

By holding themselves accountable and following smart standards, organizations will be able to provide consumers with strong security and peace of mind the next time they swap those paper menus for a set of scannable squares on their phone, says Nok Nok's Phil Dunkelberger.

A payment company focused on customer experience can work behind the scenes to facilitate that success, says PayNearMe's John Minor.

Younger consumers have an appetite for fintech services and digital relationships, says Cloudentity CEO Jasen Meece.

Machine learning and innovations such as voice assistants can give the newly mature e-commerce industry an extra push, says Qualpay's Penny Townsend.

Consumers have gotten used to mobile order, pay and delivery, and will require even greater innovation, says OnFleet's Khaled Naim.

Many financial institutions have made initial moves into real-time payments via P2P services, and the use cases will jump over time, says Fiserv's Matt Wilcox.

Fake card numbers are 'tested' at online sites for validity, producing real and dangerous results, says Acqra Limited's Jessica Lenung.