For Payplug, 2023 has been interspersed with challenges, product launches and new partnerships to aid the performance of merchants of all sizes, e-merchants and fintech companies.
Let’s look back together at the highlights which have shaped our year: from the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games ticket office to the launch of Tap to Pay on iPhone, not forgetting the stand-out events which have allowed us to strengthen our ties within our ecosystem.
Payplug, the payment solution for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
For the first time in its history, ticket sales for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are being managed worldwide by a single payment service provider. Yes, you’ve got it: it’s Payplug! We have already secured the transactions behind the 7.2 million tickets sold during the four sale phases from February to November 2023.
It was a sizeable challenge: a robust platform was needed, able to support the rate of 300 tickets sold per second, to work in 178 countries with five different payment schemes (Visa, Mastercard, CB, Union Pay and JCB). Our teams joined forces and met the challenge hands down in record time!
Currently, 800,000 transactions have been processed, with an average acceptance rate of 96%1. Thanks to our relationship with Groupe BPCE and our complete mastery of the payment chain, we have been able to maintain a seamless, secure purchasing experience, even during peak loads.
Events to build the retail sector of tomorrow
2023 has been particularly rich in events. Starting with Payplum 2023: a half-day of conferences to think big about retail, sponsored by Cartes Bancaires (CB). Our partners Shopify, Cegid, Nosto, Splio, TikTok and Keyneo took part and led some round table discussions on key subjects such as unified commerce, customer experience and order management.
On 11 October, we organised the first edition of our Performance Club, an innovative event dedicated to online payment performance. During one morning, we brought together in our premises 30 high-flying merchants such as Deezer, ESW and Veepee. Following the presentations, they were able to benefit from themed corners led by Payplug experts to discuss their current challenges (fraud, orchestration, marketplaces and even international payments).
In 2023, we also took place in numerous fairs such as the CB Summit, One to One Monaco, Money20/20 and Paris Retail Week, which we paired with our traditional Partner Night Fever. An evening in front of the Eiffel Tower, surrounded by our best partners: what could be better?
For the first time, we also attended Tech for Retail, the European fair dedicated to technological and eco-friendly innovations. And we intend to go back next year : 2024, count us in!
New developments regarding online payment performance
Favouring frictionless paths
Four years after its implementation, Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) continues to have a direct impact on e-merchants’ turnovers. And Payplug’s added value? Helping our merchants to optimise their payment strategy in the context of this directive in order to maximise their conversion, while preventing fraud.
This year, our merchants accounting for more than 120,000 transactions per annum with a low fraud rate could integrate CB’s Low Risk Merchant Program (LRMP). This programme allows them to reach more than 95% of frictionless requests accepted via other French banks (outside Groupe BPCE), a real asset for site conversions2.
It has just been added to our Fraud Premium programme: dedicated support and state-of-the-art analytical tools to fight fraud and favour frictionless payments.
Moreover, we have put in place new 3-D Secure parameters to allow e-merchats to manage their authentication requests as they wish. There are two possible configurations:
- Manual threshold: a fixed amount below which frictionless authentication requests are sent.
- Smart 3-D Secure: this Payplug technology issues a strong or frictionless authentication request according to the risk score of each transaction and the profile chosen by the merchant (careful, balanced or dynamic).
Payplug has recorded a net acceptance rate of 96% on Smart 3-D Secure transactions with a dynamic profile over the first quarter of 2023, in other words a 6-point increase compared to merchants who have opted for a “full 3DS” strategy, which consists of systematically requesting strong authentication³.
Localising your payment strategy
23% of consumers purchase on websites from other countries if their usual payment method is available4. To help our merchants seize new sales opportunities in Europe, we have extended our range of local payment methods with:
- iDeal: the most popular online payment system in the Netherlands (13 million users5);
- Giropay: a payment method used by 75% of Germans (55 million users5);
- Sofort: an instant, secure payment system available in many European countries (85 million users5);
- Satispay: a growing Italian payment app which has 1.5 million users with more than 4,000 new registrations a day in 20235;
- MyBank: an Italian online payment solution which processed more than 10 billion transactions in 20225.
These payment methods are now available in our PrestaShop, WooCommerce and Magento 2 modules as well as via our API.
In 2023, we have also developed new partnerships with orchestrators, such as Br-DGE, NORBr and FinMont. In the international strategy context, payment orchestration is a valuable asset for optimising costs, centralising payment data and offering a fluid payment experience adapted to each market.
Payplug is integrated into this model with a unique value proposition:
- As a PSP and acquirer, we master the entire payment chain, allowing us to optimise each transaction stage;
- Our direct connection to CB and Groupe BPCE also allows us to improve payment acceptance in France and Europe.
Indeed, we wish to offer e-merchants and fintech companies the opportunity to access our services using the integration method of their choice: through our modules, directly via our API or via payment orchestration platforms.
If you would like to know more about how we work with orchestrators, don’t hesitate to read this article:
Tap to Pay on iPhone, the contactless payment revolution
On 14 November, we announced that Payplug was among the first French players to launch Tap to Pay on iPhone, the feature which allows payments to be accepted using just an iPhone, without any additional equipment or payment terminal.
This innovation allows merchants to accept payments anywhere in their shop, in a pop-up store or during outside events. They can thus make extra sales and reduce queues at cash desks, as well as the cost of their equipment.
Good to know: there’s no amount limit! For payments by card above 50€, the customer can simply enter their PIN code.
Tap to Pay on iPhone is included in our range of online and instore payment solutions. As always, our merchants can visualise all their transactions in their Payplug portal, whether they come from their e-commerce website, a payment terminal or an iPhone.
Would you like to accept contactless payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone? Fill in this form if you’re already a Payplug customer, or create your account in just a few minutes:
Towards new horizons in 2024
If 2023 was resolutely a year of performance, in 2024 we will be focusing on omnichannel. It has become a key driver of growth for retailers, and the focal point of their technological solutions.
That's why we're determined to support them in building unified purchasing paths, by bringing together an ecosystem of partners united by payment, covering every aspect of their business.
For each of our merchants, we will optimise the three fundamental bricks of their omnichannel strategy:
- Centralising and piloting all transactions: with real-time payment data in a unified portal, multi-channel reimbursement paths and the possibility of analysing buying behaviours online and in-shop.
- Inter-connecting their tools: with a payment solution that’s simple to deploy and set up, which integrates with all the players in the retail ecosystem (POS software, CMS, ERP, OMS).
- Shaping new customer experiences: by facilitating the addition of new payment methods and business applications (customer database, loyalty, returns management and many others) to our latest-generation of Android payment terminals.
It is our ambition to become THE unmissable omni-channel payment solution in France... and in Italy! Because, yes: in 2024, we are going to roll out our in-shop payment solution in Italy.
Last announcement, and not the least: e-merchants using Shopify will soon be able to take advantage of a Payplug payment form directly integrated into the checkout page. The advantages? A more fluid payment experience, in keeping with the environment of their site and a maximised payment acceptance rate.
We can’t wait to tell you more about these major milestones and we wish you an excellent 2024!
If you have any questions or would like a demonstration of our solution, our teams will be delighted to answer you:
Sources: 1Paris 2024, October 2023 ; 2CB data, 2023 ; 3Payplug merchants data, 1st trimester 2023 ; 4Adyen Retail Report, 2023 ; 5PPRO Payment Almanac, 2023
