Four considerations for merchants when embedding B2B payments


B2B companies must integrate embedded payments to meet digital-first buyer expectations, improve cashflow, and enhance customer loyalty.
By Brandon Spear, CEO, TreviPay
Companies that provide B2B goods and services are modernising and taking their products online to keep up with the rapidly changing shift to digital. Embedded payments is one solution that these businesses can consider so that the financial services aspect of the transaction virtually disappears into the background of the customer experience.
Maybe the most notable example of embedded payments is offered by Uber – a seamless interaction that eliminates the inconvenience of manual payment before the customer exits the cab. B2C embedded payments have become the norm as sellers strive to reduce the time and effort buyers need to invest in transactions. Ikea’s purchase of a 49% stake in Ikano Bank, for example, signals an intent to embed more consumer banking services in sales to consumers. Now, more than ever, B2B buyers who tend to require a variety of payment options, including trade credit, are looking for the same ease and convenience when they transact.
“Three years of consumer behavior change was squeezed into one year in 2020,” wrote Forrester Principal Analyst Jay McBain. “Consumers are now demanding online experiences, happily virtual, wanting seamless digital procurement and provisioning, and wanting everything at the click of a button. The delta between B2C buyers and B2B buyers has collapsed during the pandemic. It’s all about speed, convenience, and remote, whether the buyer is acquiring a Peloton or a software product.”
These disruptions intensify the competition to attract and retain B2B customers. Future-ready and resilient payments strategies can help B2B sellers and marketplaces meet these expectations for a seamless experience. In the end, this helps companies to build loyalty with customers, enjoy cost savings, increased revenue potential, and better cashflow.
It’s only a matter of time before all customers across the B2B space will expect the payments process to be invisible. Embedded payments can enable that invisibility; however, building the capability requires significant work, technical expertise, and a firm grasp of all the costs that can arise. Here are four things to consider when integrating an embedded payments solution:
B2B merchants must be closely in tune with the revolutionary changes to customer experience, engagement and convenience embraced by the rising digital generation and accelerated by COVID-19. B2B customers are also consumers after all, and they now have the same heightened expectations for seamless, invisible payments in their B2B purchasing that they have come to expect in B2C transacting. B2B merchants must now make it as easy as possible for customers to transact with their brand by embracing the value an embedded payments capability delivers.
The article discusses considerations for integrating B2B embedded payments to enhance customer experience and streamline transactions.
Embedded payments improve the customer experience by making transactions seamless and can enhance cashflow and customer loyalty.
B2B payments involve multiple stakeholders and require integration with various payment options and systems like ERP.
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