Merchant-led report on the "perfect payment method" turning tender into a strategic lever for profitability and growth
Today, CMSPI released its second annual State of the Industry Report in collaboration with the client-led Insights Advisory Council (IAC). The Council formed in 2023 consists of global business thought leaders from Amazon, Best Buy, Etsy, Google, iHerb, lululemon, Kroger, McDonald's, Shell, Sony, Target and Walmart aligned with the purpose of shaping a more optimal paying experience for both merchants and consumers. Both Etsy and Google are new additions to the Council this year.
The CMSPI State of the Industry Report intends to educate and inform merchant leaders, payments industry professionals, and global policymakers. In the 2nd annual report, CMSPI and the Council reflect on what attributes can be ascribed to the "perfect" payment method. Drawing from five characteristics user experience, market acceptance, cost, security, and governance the report scorecards nine payment methods: cash, credit and debit cards, digital wallets (pass-through and staged/stored-value), bank transfers, real-time payments, buy-now pay-later, and stablecoin.
"In our engagements with the world's largest merchants, CMSPI has observed huge variations in payments patterns across the globe," notes Callum Godwin, CMSPI Chief Economist and Chair of the Council. "We hope our scoring methodology invites constructive conversations across key industry stakeholders, and together we can move closer towards the perfect payment method."
"All feedback and dialogue about the scoring are welcome and encouraged as we continue to expand our awareness of global payments and seek to create a better, more secure payments environment," acknowledged CMSPI Chief Brand Officer Liz Garner Divelbiss. "For example, stablecoin acceptance is relatively nascent in consumer-to-business payments so we would expect the payment type to score higher next year as global regulatory frameworks rapidly adapt to support this innovative payment use case."
Download the State of the Industry Report here.
About CMSPI
CMSPI is a global payments advisory that helps the world's leading merchants optimize their payments strategy. We combine expert consulting, market visibility, and proprietary analytics to uncover hidden inefficiencies, deliver high-impact savings, drive sales growth, and develop world-class payment strategies.
CMSPI is a global business with primary locations in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Manchester, U.K., and regional offices in Dusseldorf, Germany, San Diego, California, U.S., and Sydney, Australia. For more information, visit cmspi.com.
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