Every merchant knows it’s true that the moment a customer decides to buy is the moment a brand either wins trust or loses it. At the center of every transaction is payments — a crucial growth lever for every merchant and yet a bottleneck to implement and grow at scale.
As commerce becomes increasingly global, merchants face mounting pressure to support diverse payment preferences, meet regulatory requirements and optimize every step of the transaction journey. Let’s explore why forward-thinking merchants are reimagining payments, what’s broken in the current model and how commercetools Payment Hub provides the composable, future-ready foundation to solve it.
Why modern merchants need multiple payment vendors
Expanding into new markets should be a growth driver, not a logistical nightmare. Yet, when it comes to payments, most global merchants face five core challenges — and often, all at once.
We thought launching in a new market was just about translating the website and shipping products. Payments were the real hurdle.
Let’s unpack the realities of modern cross-border payments:
Every region comes with its own set of financial regulations. Think PSD2 in Europe, RBI guidelines in India, PCI DSS and local anti-money laundering laws. Non-compliance doesn't just lead to failed transactions — it can result in legal risk and brand damage. Staying compliant often requires local partnerships.
Selling internationally means navigating volatile exchange rates and hidden conversion fees. A few percentage points here and there can quietly erode margins, especially at scale. Plus, customers don’t like paying in unfamiliar currencies — they expect localized pricing and settlement.
Did you know that Alipay accounts for over half of China's online payments, or that iDEAL is the default in the Netherlands? Global customers don’t just prefer local payment methods — they often won’t complete a purchase without them.
Cross-border transactions get flagged more often. Fraud detection systems, while necessary, can inadvertently block legitimate payments, especially when banks don’t recognize your processor. This leads to false declines and lost customers.
Legacy payment rails can take days to settle funds, creating cash flow bottlenecks. Processing fees vary widely across countries and providers, adding financial unpredictability.
Why payments must be reimagined — now
In a world of instant gratification and borderless commerce, payment should be the last thing slowing you down.
Payments used to be a back-office decision. Today, they’re a growth lever.
Let’s explore the key reasons why merchants are moving beyond traditional payment systems and toward flexible, modular architectures.
Customers feel more comfortable paying in their local currency and using their preferred method. A Baymard Institute study found that 9% of shoppers abandon carts because there aren’t enough payment methods.
You fill your cart, hit checkout… and your go-to payment method isn’t there. So you do what any shopper would: Abandon the cart and pretend it never happened. Retail therapy: Canceled. That’s exactly how digital shoppers feel when they don’t see familiar options like PayPay, PIX or Klarna.
Localization isn’t a perk: It’s a prerequisite for trust.
Trust is fragile online. Payment flows must feel seamless, intuitive and secure. Features like one-click payments, biometric authentication and wallet integrations (Apple Pay, Google Pay) have become industry standards.
A clunky, multi-step checkout with an unfamiliar processor? That’s how you lose a sale in 3 seconds.
Markets evolve. Regulations change. New payment tech (like BNPL, crypto and real-time rails) emerge every year. If your stack is rigid, you’re always playing defense.
Composable architectures let you plug in what’s needed — today, tomorrow and beyond — without breaking your existing setup.
The future of payments isn’t choosing the right provider; it’s choosing the right architecture to adapt.
How commercetools Payment Hub puts merchants in control
At commercetools, we’ve seen this pain firsthand. That’s why we built the Payment Hub, a fully composable, vendor-agnostic solution that lets merchants design and manage payments like never before.
This isn’t just another checkout tool. It’s a foundation for global payment agility.
Choose from world-class processors like Adyen, Stripe, Klarna or local specialists. Need to add a provider in a new region? Do it instantly and without a single line of code.
From business users to developers, everyone has the power to configure, test and deploy payment flows at their pace. Want to prototype a new BNPL method for Europe? Use no-code connectors. Launching a custom checkout experience? Use low-code templates. Need total control? Go pro-code.
In short: One platform, endless flexibility.
Payment Hub lets you swap providers on the fly, A/B test experiences and create conditional logic based on geos, currencies or customer segments.
For example:
Route US traffic through Stripe.
Use Klarna for EU customers under 35.
Show bank transfer options only for high-value B2B purchases.
All are configurable without waiting for quarterly dev cycles.
As with everything at commercetools, our composability-first mantra applies. Payment Hub fits into your commerce architecture as a service — not a monolith. Build what you want. Scale how you need. Stay future-ready.
Why it matters: Modern payments are business-critical
Let’s bring it all home.
Scaling your business shouldn’t mean scaling your payment headaches.
Modern commerce is global, fast and customer-first. But legacy payment systems were built for another era — one where slow, expensive and inflexible were the norm.
With commercetools Payment Hub, you’re not just adding more providers. You’re gaining:
The freedom to scale without friction.
The tools to build trust with local customers.
The agility to adapt to change—on your terms.
This is more than a feature. It’s a philosophy.
Ready to build a payment strategy that grows with you?
Let’s reimagine payments not as a hurdle—but as a superpower.
Start composing the payment experience your business and your customers deserve.
Learn more about commercetools Payment Hub.
With over a decade of experience in identity, commerce, and platform strategy, Saurabh Saxena is a seasoned product marketing leader passionate about building future-ready digital ecosystems. At commercetools, he is driving innovation at the intersection of composable commerce and platforms.