In this discussion, Ali Paterson is joined by Rory O'Neill, CMO of Checkout.com to explore the company's role in the evolving payments industry. Rory explains how Checkout.com helps major global merchants optimize digital payments, improve acceptance rates, and leverage data to enhance customer experience. They discuss how payment solutions are adapting to meet customer needs, the growth of AI in payments, and the challenges surrounding fraud prevention. Rory also highlights the significant shift in how companies approach payments as a core part of their operations. Checkout.com powers digital payments for global merchants like Alibaba and Vinted. Digital payment acceptance rates can dip as low as 80%, unlike the 99.9% success rate for in-person payments. Rory suggests the rise of Chief Payments Officers (CPOs) as businesses increasingly recognize the strategic importance of payments. Exploring the World of Merchant Payments Checkout.com is a leading digital payments provider that helps large merchants globally process payments. The company focuses on improving payment processing capabilities for high-profile brands like Vinted, Alibaba, and Delivery Hero. O'Neill discussed how the company aims to bridge the gap in digital payment acceptance, where rates can be as low as 80%, compared to in-person payments with success rates above 99.9%. He emphasized the importance of improving these acceptance rates to avoid billions in lost revenue. O'Neill shared his excitement about working in the payments market, a massive $2.3 trillion industry. He explained how Checkout.com’s focus on digital payments, combined with their technology, data infrastructure, and machine learning, positions the company to help clients improve their payment processes. O'Neill views the company's growth as both an exciting challenge and an opportunity to help merchants thrive in the digital space. Improving Payment Acceptance for Merchants A key area of focus for Checkout.com is optimizing small but impactful improvements in payment acceptance. Even minor increases in acceptance rates—measured in basis points—can result in millions or even billions of dollars in additional revenue for merchants. O'Neill believes payments are the unsung heroes of business, integral to revenue, profit, and cash flow, and advocates for a dedicated Chief Payments Officer (CPO) position within organizations to elevate its importance. Payment data offers deep insights into consumer spending behavior, and sharing this data across the payment ecosystem can help improve the payment experience and reduce fraud. O'Neill shared examples, like spikes in flower orders around Valentine’s Day, which show how merchants can leverage transaction data to improve their offerings and boost business. Understanding Consumer Payment Behavior When discussing trends in consumer payment behavior, O'Neill pointed to generational and regional differences. For example, in the US and UK, parents are buying mobile subscriptions for their children, while in China, Gen Z is purchasing subscriptions for their parents. He also highlighted that in regions like the UAE, consumers who sign up for subscription services tend to stay with those services long-term, providing valuable insights for merchants. Innovative Payment Solutions at Checkout.com O'Neill highlighted Checkout.com’s innovative tools, like their "Flow" product, which uses artificial intelligence to present consumers with the most suitable payment methods based on their location. This level of personalization can help improve conversion rates on merchant websites. O'Neill believes the future of payments lies in simplifying the process and integrating payments seamlessly into the consumer journey. He sees AI and machine learning playing a major role in making payments more invisible, smoother, and integrated into everyday life. The Future of Payments Looking ahead, O'Neill is optimistic about the future of payments, though he cautions that