Interview

The new oil: how payment data is fuelling tomorrow's winners

Wednesday 20 November 2024 10:15 CET | Editor: Irina Ionescu | Interview

We discussed with Iñaki Lopez, Head of Account Management at CellPoint Digital, about the importance of real-time payment data and analytics in business optimisation and fraud prevention.

How can real-time payment analytics reshape the business decision-making process?

The foundation of effective payment analytics begins with comprehensive market analysis. Understanding local payment preferences and behaviours creates the baseline for data-driven decision making. This market intelligence enables businesses to offer the right payment methods in the right channels, currencies, and times – creating a data-powered customer experience.

Real-time analytics drive optimisation across four critical business areas:

  • Payment platform processing: by identifying inefficiencies, predicting failures, and optimising routing strategies, analytics ensure maximum uptime and seamless transaction flows, crucial for building trust with customers.

  • Revenue generation: analytics identify where merchants are underperforming against industry best practice KPIs, calculating precise incremental revenue opportunities available through optimisation. By measuring current performance against established benchmarks, we can quantify the additional revenue potential achievable through improved KPI performance.

  • Cost management: pinpointing expensive processes, hidden fees, or underperforming payment methods allows businesses to make informed adjustments that reduce operating expenses.

  • Customer experience enhancement: our advanced payment recovery capabilities significantly improve the customer experience by automatically recovering failed transactions that would otherwise be lost. This unique approach not only reduces payment friction but also increases overall conversion rates, setting us apart in the industry with demonstrable improvements in payment success rates.

These four optimisation categories encompass multiple analytics-driven KPIs and benchmarks that empower organisations to remain agile, adapt to market shifts, and predict future trends. With the global economy moving faster than ever, businesses that embrace payment analytics as a cornerstone of their decision-making will be better positioned to innovate, grow, and succeed.

Ultimately, real-time payment analytics transform businesses into intelligence-driven organisations. They enable leaders to move beyond reactive decisions, paving the way for proactive strategies that leverage every transaction as a stepping stone toward a smarter, more connected future. As the lifeblood of modern commerce, this intelligence is not just a tool — it’s the fuel powering sustainable growth.

What is the role of machine learning (ML) in payment optimisation and revenue generation? 

AI and ML are already having a very significant impact in payment optimisation and revenue generation, and there are many examples.  

One of the most transformative applications of ML is in fraud prevention. Fraud platforms like Riskified, Accertify, and Decision Manager use ML algorithms to analyse vast datasets and detect fraud patterns in real time. These systems not only reduce fraudulent activity but also minimise false positives, which are often a significant source of customer frustration and revenue loss. ML also plays a critical role in:

  • Dynamic risk scoring: continuously evaluating transactions for potential risk based on evolving data patterns.

  • Predictive analytics for payment failures: identifying transactions likely to fail and taking pre-emptive action to mitigate losses.

  • Optimising routing strategies: ensuring payments are processed through the most cost-efficient and reliable channels.

By leveraging ML, businesses can achieve higher transaction success rates, enhance the customer experience, and directly impact their bottom line.

Is traditional payment reporting becoming obsolete and, if so, how can it be improved?

Payments reporting now demands extensive sets of KPIs and benchmark data across the entire payment supply chain to be accessible through real-time dashboards. These dashboards must reflect the real-time status of end-to-end supply chain performance and be supported by trend analysis and automated alerts in real time.

Payment managers require immediate visibility into exceptions as they occur across the entire payment supply chain. This allows them to quickly address any KPI deviations from established benchmarks. With so much at stake in ensuring the success of payment processing, it’s no longer viable for payment managers to rely on standalone reporting platforms, reviewing KPI performance on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis.

Payment orchestration eliminates this inefficiency by offering complete real-time visibility of all KPIs and benchmark performance across the entire payment supply chain. This approach removes the need for payment professionals to retrospectively search for performance deviations. Instead, real-time alerts proactively notify them of issues, enabling immediate investigation, swift corrections, and the continuous optimisation of the payment supply chain's performance.

How can CellPoint Digital support customers and their businesses to shift from passive payment processing to active intelligence gathering?

CellPoint Digital enables businesses to evolve from passive payment processors into active intelligence hubs by offering a comprehensive suite of tools and services designed to optimise payment operations.

1. Market analysis

CellPoint Digital begins by analysing local payment preferences, creating a gap analysis that identifies opportunities for growth and improvement. This ensures businesses offer the right mix of payment methods to meet customer needs.

2. Provider analysis 

With recommendations for primary and secondary failover strategies, businesses can enhance platform availability and ensure payment success rates remain high, even during technical disruptions.

3. APM hub management

Onboarding Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) can be a time-consuming process, but CellPoint Digital simplifies it with a single contract. This accelerates time-to-market and ensures businesses stay ahead of consumer trends.

4. Performance optimisation

By benchmarking a merchant's performance against industry best practices, CellPoint Digital delivers actionable ROI analyses that highlight opportunities for incremental revenue growth, cost reductions, and customer experience enhancements. Through real-time KPIs and automated alerts, businesses gain the tools they need to measure, control, and optimise their payment ecosystems continuously.

What are the main trends of payment processing for 2025?

The payment landscape is evolving rapidly, and businesses must prepare for a future defined by complexity and innovation. Key trends shaping the industry include:
  1. Proliferation of alternative payment methods. Consumers are demanding more flexible payment options, such as Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), digital wallets, and even cryptocurrencies. Businesses must be prepared to support a growing array of APMs to meet customer expectations.

  2. Increased regulatory oversight. Governments worldwide are implementing stricter regulations to ensure payment security and compliance. Businesses must invest in tools and expertise to navigate this complex regulatory environment.

  3. Focus on real-time data. Payment data is no longer just a byproduct of transactions — it’s a strategic asset. Businesses that leverage real-time data for insights and optimisation will gain a significant competitive advantage. Organisations that treat payment data as a strategic asset and investing in the tools and expertise to extract its full value, will be positioned to thrive in this evolving landscape. 


About Iñaki Lopez

Iñaki's unwavering passion for helping clients unlock their true potential is instrumental in ensuring our clients receive the best solutions and maximise their revenue in the highly competitive airline and payments industry. With a wealth of experience managing relationships at Amadeus and Southwest Airlines, Iñaki brings not only his dedication but also a proven track record of delivering outstanding results.


About CellPoint Digital

CellPoint Digital, the inventor and leader of Payment Orchestration, is a pioneer in shaping the future of payments, with a focus on the airline and travel industry, using it’s cutting-edge Payment Orchestration Platform to enable customers to cut costs and grow revenues by streamlining payments between borders and using different payment methods – making payments work for them across all channels and markets.


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Keywords: online payments, payments , payments orchestration, fraud prevention, data protection, data analytics, machine learning, BNPL, digital wallet, local payment method, payment processing, payment processor, real-time payments, risk management, checkout optimisation
Categories: Payments & Commerce
Companies: Cellpoint Digital
Countries: World
This article is part of category

Payments & Commerce

Cellpoint Digital

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