Have you felt the pressure from customers and stakeholders to offer more payment options at increased speed? That’s because digital wallets, buy now, pay later (BNPL), and region-specific methods are all currently gaining traction, and offering flexible payment methods is no longer a competitive edge – it’s the baseline expectation.
However, there’s complexity with each new method that’s introduced. Integration is often the easiest part, but fraud risk, visibility, and problem-solving across your tech stack are where the problems often arise.
Suddenly, a smoother checkout for your customer could lead to less control for your team. But the good news is that you don’t have to choose between innovation and oversight. With the right payment optimization strategy, you can expand confidently without opening new risk channels.
And when you get it right, you meet customers where they are without missing a beat. Here’s how to set yourself up for higher conversions, better decisioning, and a payment flow that grows with you.
Payment Flexibility Is No Longer Optional
Checkout expectations are always changing. And the latest wave brought customers who don’t just hope their favorite payment methods are available — they assume they will be. If they’re not, many won’t even hesitate to abandon their carts.
For younger shoppers, options like mobile wallets and BNPL aren’t “nice to have” — they’re table stakes. And in global markets, the list continues to grow: local payment methods, account-to-account transfers, open banking, and more.
Supporting this variety show unlocks real advantages: higher conversion rates, broader reach, and a better customer experience. However, it also raises a key question: how do you support all this innovation without losing control of your payments ecosystem?
New Methods, New Risks
Expanding payment methods is exciting, but it comes with its trade-offs. Every new option introduces additional moving parts to manage, technical complexity, and increased risk of fraud exposure.
When you add new options, you’ll need to be prepared for:
- Integration Challenges: These emerge as systems multiply
- New Fraud Risks: Ranging from promo abuse to synthetic identities
- Limited Insights: Especially if payment methods restrict the data you can see or act on
When systems aren’t built for flexibility, fraud teams end up having to reactively chase problems after they’ve happened. And fragmented payment flows are only making that harder. Innovation is incredibly powerful, but without the right infrastructure – and the payment insights to guide your decisions – it can easily outpace your ability to manage risk.
How to Stay in Control While Expanding
Adding new payment options doesn’t have to mean giving up oversight. Because when you have the right foundation in place, you can grow with confidence.
Here’s how:
- Utilize Identity Intelligence: Spot risk signals early, before customers even reach checkout
- Leverage Dynamic Data: Make decisions consistently across all payment types to keep your strategy aligned
- Centralize Fraud Prevention: To ensure risk isn’t handled in silos or dependent on a single provider
- Choose Infrastructure That Scales: So you can add new payment methods that don’t break your fraud model or your team
When your fraud strategy is built to be flexible and resilient, you can support innovation without creating gaps in your defenses. The right approach shouldn’t slow you down – it will clear the path for secure, scalable growth.
The Strategic Payoff
When it’s done right, expanding your payment offerings goes beyond a technical upgrade. It can increase your approval rates, enhance the customer experience, foster trust, and simplify expansion.
When checkout feels seamless and secure, customers are more likely to complete a purchase and return again and again. The most forward-thinking teams aren’t just tossing in more payment methods and calling it a day. They’re reimagining the entire transaction journey to drive revenue, strengthen loyalty, and adapt to ever-changing customer expectations.
Forter helps make that shift possible by giving businesses the visibility, control, and built-in security they need to expand confidently.
Now’s the Time to Think Ahead
It’s not too late to build a payment flow that’s both flexible and secure – for your business and your customers. And remember, expanding your payment options is a smart move only if your fraud strategy can grow with it. With the right systems in place, you can offer more payment options without compromising control. Innovation moves quickly, and your foundation must keep pace. When there’s a solid system behind it, you can innovate infinitely.
