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Education

consumer-facing apps and the cost of processing fees, most of those merchants realize little, if any, additional value
business functions on open- from that data. Acquirers and ISOs harvest data from many merchants and make greater
platform Android devices, use of it, but most have barely scratched the surface on its potential.
it should be easy to provide
merchants with access to That data can be used to improve existing processes, improve existing products and
valued-added services and services, and be sold or bartered with other companies to generate new revenue streams.
alternative payment meth- Merchant payment solution service providers can provide valuable services to their
ods. customers by showing them how to leverage loyalty programs, analyze the most profitable
products and services, pinpoint promotions that spur additional sales, and team with
What is required is a com- issuers and other financial institutions in offering credit programs to shoppers. They can
mon digital messaging partner with product suppliers to help merchants take advantage of pricing trends and
platform to optimize the consumer patterns.
processes between banks,
acquirers, ISOs and even Acquirers and ISOs need to start harvesting non-payment transactional data that currently
merchant level sales people. flows ‒ or could flow ‒ through POS systems. That information is a commodity that can
Data is key to eliminating bring value to the merchant, to marketers of consumer goods and products, and even to
traditional pain points that the consumer. Learning how to monetize that commodity is essential to future success in
slow down onboarding. If the payments industry.
traditional payment service
providers don't move in this Improve competitive advantage
direction, there are many Acquirers and ISOs can improve their competitive advantage by providing merchants
technology providers more with payment systems that integrate a variety of consumer-facing and back-office function
than willing to step in and apps and services.
provide a more frictionless
experience. Data is the fuel that will generate future business success. Acquirers and ISOs can utilize
Aspire to monetize data it to improve business processes and create new revenue streams, or they can watch as
new players swoop in to take advantage of the opportunity.
As more alternative pay-
ment forms ‒ Apple Pay, Peter Spee has over 15 years experience in driving product innovation and business transformation in Payments.
Google Pay, PayPal, and In his role as vice president of strategy and corporate development at AEVI, he is responsible for leading and
others ‒ take hold in the
realm of physical retail en- implementing strategic developments and projects. His primary focus is to expand AEVI's footprint by creating
vironments, profits will in- strategic business partnerships with customers and partners. Peter laid the foundation for the next generation
creasingly be squeezed out of merchant acquiring with his early involvement in the creation of the first SmartPOS in the market. Contact
of traditional payment ser- him at response@aevi.com.
vices. That's just the nature
of free markets where more
competition results in tight-
er margins.

Acquirers and ISOs must
aspire to create alternative
sources to replace those
profits, and data is the gold-
mine that sits waiting to be
exploited. Today, as busi-
ness becomes increasingly
digitized, data is the most
valuable resource. In the
small to midsize merchant
space, it's probably the most
underutilized asset.

Merchants capture valu-
able data every time they
process a credit card or ring
up a sale on a POS system.
Other than getting periodic
reports on sales volume and

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