The most significant shift in the payments industry to evolve from the COVID-19 pandemic has been the sudden fall in the usage of cash. And while the industry as a whole has been aware of the potential for a cashless future for a while, the shift towards contactless and alternative payment methods (APMs), as consumers try to avoid less hygienic payment methods, has got to the point where 50% of customers think that cash will disappear completely at some point in the future.

Many business owners are notoriously pushed for time, often taking on a multitude of tasks and duties. Dependant on size, this can include running the marketing department, organising logistics, and ensuring the best customer service is being delivered, all at the same time. Unsurprisingly, with so many different facets of a company to be managing, payments processing is not always at the forefront of merchants’ minds. But the fact is it should be, as optimising payments is an essential component in many aspects of the business journey and it should not be overlooked.

By optimising payments, you have the power to create a profoundly positive effect on the user experience (UX), transaction conversion, and provide merchants with crucial data to improve their operations. What’s more it can also enable merchants to monitor their costs efficiently, if they work with the most competitive acquirer for each payment method used by consumers.

Ignoring payments optimisation risks not only alienating and losing customers but also inefficient management of their costs by missing important savings on acquiring fees.

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On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. At the time of writing, hundreds of thousands of lives and businesses have been affected. With multiple countries issuing bans on travel across borders and ordering shutdowns of cities and towns, many businesses are seeing the virus take its toll.

It’s now a cliché to say that payment options have evolved enormously over the past decade. Industry commentators have tirelessly traced the rapid and widespread adoption of contactless and digital payments, as well as the growing popularity of hybrid online and in store retail experiences like buy online and pick-up in store.