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years, which is fun for payments professionals as we are right in the mix. I try has been able to innovate so rap-
think the biggest trend we experienced is buying more goods online, and I idly to develop tools merchants need
think that trend will continue despite the economy reopening very soon. More to succeed in today's post-pandemic
and more merchants will push out omnichannel and contactless payment op- economy.
tions as consumers seek convenience and streamlined shopping experiences.
The payments and fintech communi-
Another trend I've been seeing is with loyalty programs. With card-absent ty will play a pivotal role in the eco-
transactions, such as order ahead, consumers are providing more valuable info nomic recovery. As leaders, I think it's
to merchants, such as their email address and mobile numbers, which makes it essential that we make our products
easier to offer rewards and market other incentives that drive repeat purchases. and services accessible to all, and get
I've noticed I'm getting way more emails from merchants I've made purchases creative so merchants who need them
from announcing various loyalty programs as well as other promotions and can get them. Strive to go above and
discounts. beyond for your clients because they
will not forget who was there when
It would be difficult to ignore the growing popularity of digital currencies. they needed help the most.
This trend is gaining momentum and with Visa and Mastercard seeming to
make way for cryptocurrencies on their respective networks, this is another big Supporting local, small businesses is
trend that will impact our industry in the coming years. I think it'll take some especially important as we recover.
time, but it's here to stay. They have been hurt the most during
the pandemic, so giving these smaller
It's imperative for payments professionals and fintech companies to offer agile merchants the tools to compete with
digital tools to their merchants, otherwise those who cannot keep up will be the Amazons of their respective in-
left behind in digital dust. dustries can make a huge difference
3. I think the payments industry has done a fantastic job in helping merchants in our recovery efforts. Payments
through the pandemic. As our economy reopens and merchants get back to companies need to be agile as well,
doing business as "normal," I think we will recover quickly because our indus- being able to pivot as consumer be-
haviors change, and think ahead into
the future.

4. When the pandemic started, I saw
two types of payment profession-
als struggle: those whose portfolios
were heavily concentrated in card-
present/brick-and-mortar merchants
and those only servicing a few in-
dustries. Payment professionals who
have diversified portfolios and focus
on commerce have thrived during the
past year, so for anyone struggling, I
think it's worth analyzing your port-
folio and value proposition to see
what needs to be improved.
It seems like a lot of people stop doing
the things that made them success-
ful once their income reaches a cer-
tain point or they get to where they
wanted to be in their career. I think
we should never stop improving
ourselves and stay hungry. Get cre-
ative with your prospecting efforts
and get out of your comfort zone. If
your portfolio took a hit and you're in
sales, start cold calling again or ask
merchants for referrals.

Whatever you do, don't increase fees
to offset lost income because your
portfolio has taken a dive. Many mer-

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