DECTA explores how connected payment infrastructure can reduce checkout friction, support international growth and improve the customer experience.
A customer has found the product. They’ve researched, compared, added to the basket, and finally decided to buy. Then they reach the checkout.
For eCommerce teams, this can feel like the finish line. For the customer, it can be the moment everything falls apart. Baymard Institute’s research finds that nearly one in five shoppers abandoned a purchase because the checkout process was too long or complicated. The payment experience at this final stage can make the difference between a completed sale and a lost one.
Can customers pay how they want to pay? Does the total match their expectations? And can they trust the transaction to go through?
If the payment experience feels unfamiliar or complicated, all the effort invested in getting a customer to checkout can go to waste.
The customer doesn’t separate payment from the brand
Marketing teams spend huge amounts of time refining the customer journey. They optimise landing pages, messaging, product discovery, personalisation, and conversion.
But that optimisation shouldn’t stop when someone clicks ‘checkout’.
As Anna Bykova, DECTA’s marketing manager, explains, “Customers don’t necessarily separate the payment experience from the brand experience.”
If a customer’s preferred payment method isn’t available, they aren’t necessarily thinking about the payment provider sitting behind the transaction. They’re thinking about the brand in front of them. As Anna puts it: “That makes payment choice a marketing issue.”
Customers also have different payment habits, currencies, and trust levels. As Anna explains, “The smartest payment experience is one that feels personalised without making the customer think about it.”
More capability, less complexity
The modern payment journey can involve gateway technology, acquiring, processing, authorisation, fraud prevention, 3DS2, routing, and different payment methods and currencies.
The customer sees none of this. And ideally, they shouldn’t need to.
“For me, connected commerce means connecting the entire payment journey, not just the checkout,” says Maicon Caltiano, DECTA’s payment infrastructure business development manager.
When payment systems and a merchant’s own technology work together effectively, businesses can manage this complexity without passing unnecessary friction on to customers.
Maicon sums up the objective neatly: “The key is making the complexity invisible to the customer.”
In our earlier article, ‘The Missing Piece of Composable Commerce? Connected Payments’, published on Bizibl, we explored how disconnected technology can undermine the promise of composable commerce.
The same principle applies. A merchant might want to introduce a new payment method, enter another market, or change how transactions are routed. Commercially, these can look like relatively straightforward decisions. Technically, the change can be more involved.
As Maicon explains, “Something that looks simple to the customer can involve different integrations, providers, acquiring connections, and technical requirements behind the scenes.”
At DECTA, payment acquiring and payment gateway capabilities form part of the wider payment infrastructure it provides, supporting card and alternative payment methods and giving businesses more flexibility in how they accept payments.
The aim is to give merchants room to grow and adapt without making every change a major technical undertaking.
Global commerce isn’t as borderless as it looks
International expansion can open up new growth opportunities, but the payment reality is more complicated.
When discussing what merchants may overlook during international expansion, Chris Taylor, head of sales UK at DECTA, highlights “additional charges and potential exposure to fraud and chargebacks.”
Different regions can involve different card types, payment methods, and charges. Merchants must also consider what customers expect when paying.
Research cited by PYMNTS shows that 94% of cross-border shoppers surveyed expect to pay in their local currency, while 99% want to use their preferred, familiar payment methods.
Offering a product internationally is only part of the equation. A payment experience that reflects local preferences can help make a business feel familiar and accessible to customers in new markets.
And this is no longer an issue reserved for huge global enterprises. Scott Dawson, DECTA’s CEO, points to the company’s research, “What Do Merchants Want From Their Payment Providers?” In its survey of 500 UK SME decision-makers, 53.8% said they sell worldwide.
“Enterprise-grade payment capability can’t just be something reserved for enterprise businesses anymore,” he says.
As more businesses sell internationally, their payment infrastructure needs to support that ambition without introducing unnecessary barriers.
Security without unnecessary friction
Customers want security. They also want simplicity and speed.
Merchants need to meet requirements such as SCA and use tools such as 3DS2 and fraud prevention, while simultaneously delivering a payment experience that doesn’t feel like an obstacle course.
DECTA’s research found that 51.8% of respondents prioritised security over lower fees and access to the latest technology.
The challenge is balancing robust protection with a smooth customer journey. Payment orchestration must account for both, ensuring security measures support the transaction without creating unnecessary friction.
What merchants want from their payment provider
Customers may never see the infrastructure behind a payment, but merchants deal with it every day.
When Chris talks to businesses about their payment setup, the frustrations he hears aren’t simply about technology.
“What I tend to hear most often when merchants come to DECTA is transparency,” he says.
Laborious onboarding, unclear communication, a lack of flexibility, and not having someone who understands the business can all become pain points. Unexpected restrictions around rolling reserves or pricing can also make it harder for merchants to plan and manage cash flow.
A good payment setup needs to work for the merchant as well as the customer, providing the visibility and support needed to manage payments effectively.
As Chris puts it, “The main goal for a lot of merchants is being able to focus on getting customers in to purchase their goods or services, rather than having to focus too heavily on the payment side.”
Making payment complexity invisible
Invisible doesn’t mean unimportant. It means the infrastructure works well enough that customers don’t need to think about it. The payment method feels familiar, the transaction is secure, and the payment goes through.
Scott puts DECTA’s ambition simply: “Ultimately, I want us to make the complexity invisible.”
For DECTA, this means helping businesses manage the complexity behind payments while giving them the infrastructure to accept payments across markets and payment methods. Its payment acquiring and gateway capabilities support merchants looking to build a payment setup that can evolve with their needs.
The best payment technology isn’t necessarily what customers notice, but what enables businesses to deliver a smooth payment experience and focus on growth.
Find out more about DECTA’s payment acquiring, payment gateway, and wider payment solutions.
