What’s Next For The Payments Industry?

2019 was an impressive year for the payments industry; tech innovation and the changing perspectives and expectations of customers and businesses continue to reshape the aspect of both physical and digital commerce. Due to the recent pandemic, we expect the evolution of payment services to continue; some of the key trends that emerged last year will become even more prominent. We predict the following will play a significant part in determining the future of payments in 2020.

NFC /Contactless Payment

Coming into 2019, the US market was years behind many nations in the world in the adoption of contactless (NFC enabled) debit and credit cards. There is a collective effort on the part of consumers and banks to correct this due to COVID-19; Visa is predicting that over 100 million NFC enabled cards will be in circulation in the US by the end of 2020.
In addition to the release of contactless cards, one needle-mover may be the growth of the Visa Ready for Transit program. In the UK, it was the introduction of contactless payments to the London Underground that sparked a notable increase in adoption; and over three million contactless payments have been made since the contactless payments pilot was started on many subway services in New York in June 2019. The number of routes will increase in New York as well as launching in San Francisco and Boston in 2020. Merchants are ready for the change, and the consumers are demanding it. Contactless payment is here to stay as we are fully aware of how COVID-19 spreads.

The constant rise of omnichannel payments

As small businesses try to keep up with their online competitors, they are coming under an increased requirement to deliver the same user experience customers receive online and at the checkout, this means offering the same breadth of payment options, and user experience.
This is one reason that we will continue to see more omnichannel payment initiatives launching in the coming months. Another reason is that consumer purchasing habits are changing, preferring a more blended experience of online and offline interactions. Keeping cards on file, the growth of mobile payments, and improvement in mPOS technology payments are continuing to merge.

Consumers demand invisible payments.

Offline, consumers are frequently comfortable with the concept of invisible payments. Apps such as Uber, where a consumer receives an experience and can walk away without having to worry about payment, receipts, tips, and change, have redefined best-practice for seamless payments. Similarly to Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Go continues to grab the notice of shoppers; 16 stores are now open in the US, and Amazon has said that there will be a massive scale expansion in 2020. And several start-ups are replicating the Amazon model.
As these types of payments become more commonplace in 2020, consumers will increasingly demand this exciting new way to pay. Expect the number of real-world retailers and assistance providers looking to imitate this model to increase substantially in the next 12 months.

Moving beyond two-factor authentication

The deadline for implementing Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) has been pushed to December 2020, but that has not prevented biometric authentication for payments from growing in importance. In Lost in Transaction: The end of risk? 48% of consumers told us that they had authenticated a payment using fingerprint, facial recognition, or voice-activated technology. Among consumers aged 18-24, adoption rates are significantly higher (69%). But this isn’t the end of the online payment authentication course. As users continue to demand more security and, at the same time, frequently frictionless checkouts, technologies that leverage other more passive authentication factors such a location, time of transaction, and even predicted behavior will come to the fore. And there will be even more exciting developments in the next year on top of these, but surely, this gives you a taste of what we’re expecting to see take the payments world by storm in the next 12 months.

For more information on NFC/Contactless secure devices that are ready for the future, contact us at 877-423-8637

The True Impact Of 5G On eCommerce

For those who have followed the evolution of 5G, it has become sufficiently clear that the sky is the limit for this technology. The potential utilization should leave anyone staggering for the sheer gravity and breadth of it all. Nowhere is this more clear than in the world of eCommerce; when you take a closer look, it is clear that the full range of 5G applications has the potential to transform the experience of online shopping completely.

5G is king

There’s a reason that 5G has been named “fiber without the fiber.” It has been shown to produce similar speeds to fiber optics – reaching even into the gigabit range – and since it’s a wireless transmission protocol, it requires no extensive infrastructure of buried or hung cable. Its infrastructure demands, by example, are much more straightforward – often including a tower, transmitter, and some incidental hardware – and can, therefore, be made available in more places.

This directly addresses a point that has been a hot topic issue of contention almost since the inception of the internet itself: the “digital divide.” There are many places in the United States, and beyond, where internet service of any sort is either unavailable completely or prohibitively high-priced and limited in scope. This keeps those folks out of many typical applications that those on the other side of the divide take for granted.
With 5G in extensive use, suddenly, users have access to ultra-high-speed internet of adequate capacity to open up a range of new facilities. Imagine what happens when those who beforehand had no access to even cable television can suddenly stream Netflix. Imagine what this means for bottom lines as market sizes suddenly increase by double-digit factors.

Everything new

For anyone who’s ever used 3G wireless or dial-up internet, we know that its ability to conduct high bandwidth processes such as streaming video was limited at best. We furthermore know that when we have access to improved systems, like 4G or megabit cable, the performance of these technologies continues to improve. Now, what happens when we go to the latest technology, but try to run it on the backbone of current models? We get the same effect that we did to stream video over dial-up.

Thus, with 5G, we’re able to open up a whole new range of technologies like augmented and virtual reality. We can put these technologies to work in eCommerce operations, and we’ve already seen them at least get started. We’ve seen how augmented reality can take a smartphone’s camera’s view of a living room, and show us just what a specific sofa might look like in-place if it was purchased. We’ve seen some stores experimenting with mirror surfaces that can show just what a shirt might look like on a person, enabling us to ‘try on’ considerably more clothes in a much shorter period. These points are just the beginning of the new technologies that we can put to use with the right infrastructure.

But will everything old, or new, still work?

5G can revolutionize eCommerce, whether by showing us how things look in their proper setting or taking the trouble out of driving a car, not every possibility will come to fulfillment. Several vital concerns emerge over the impact of such changes. For instance, introducing technology to new markets, and crossing the digital divide could have a significant effect on the region. What happens to the formerly-vibrant local hardware store when anything it has—and then some—can be had, cheaper, on Amazon or eBay?

The issue of the smart city has never emerged without privacy concerns; intelligent cities depend on a flow of information on a scale never before seen. 5G will almost certainly not deploy evenly, but rather be implemented in the standard fashion, addressing large municipalities first and then filtering down into the countryside, which in some cases is still waiting for 4G to make an impression.
There is an excellent potential for 5G to impact eCommerce, but it doesn’t come without potential drawbacks or a lack of uniformity. Still, with a massive array of possibilities for new markets and new technologies alike, 5G is worth every bit of resources required to put it in place and keep up with its developments accordingly.

Learn How Integrated Checkouts Are The Future For Software

Paysafe a Betterpay payment partner recently spoke to 200 independent software vendors (ISVs) based in the United States and the UK developing solutions across a range of business verticals, here are some essential takeaways from the report.

Market requirements are getting more complicated.
Software developers are urgent to differentiate themselves from the competition because the markets they are operating within are more aggressive than ever. 34% of software providers believe that they are working in an overcrowded market, and a further 54% of ISVs describe their market as very aggressive. Only 12% consider that the market they function in is underserved by suppliers.
Pressure on prices (identified by 41% of ISVs) and the influx of new competitors in the market (determined by 39%) are two of the most significant challenges ISVs expect to face in the next year.
Software developers also have essential concerns when it comes to scaling their businesses. The cost of scaling is the issue that worries the most significant percentage of ISVs (45%), followed by regional competition (40%) and a lack of expertise on their teams (40%).

Developers are turning to payments to improve their software
In the context of these broader business challenges, the ability to offer best-in-class combined payments as a feature of a software solution appears key to futureproofing and growing; 88% of businesses confirmed that improving their payment integrations was a priority.
Despite only 28% of ISVs considering it to be industry-standard to offer integrated payments in their solution, 100% said that offering integrated payments was an important aspect of their product offering. Of those, 70% said that it was very important or critical that they were able to offer integrated payments as an ingredient of their solution.

Merchants demanding more integrated payment methods
Developers are adamant that allowing more payment methods within their integrated checkout is one of the most important issues they need to overcome in the next 12 months. On average, ISVs currently offer four payment methods in their integrated checkout but have hopes to expand this to nine within a year.
And 80% stated that the range of payment options an integrated payments provider could offer was a critical consideration when selecting a partner. 35% described this as necessary, more than any other differentiating factor.

Real shortage of internal resources are keeping them back

For 71% of developers, internal issues are a significant hurdle when integrating payments; 46% say that they don’t have adequate internal resources, 35% say it takes too long to incorporate the product, and 13% say they have no access to a development center or community.
When asked about how important this factor is when selecting between payment providers, 77% of software developers said that the effort required to integrate the solution on their part would be a crucial differentiator, and 28% confirmed that this is an essential consideration. 6% identified this factor as the single most important consideration for them.

Specific vertical knowledge is becoming essential.

In addition to not offering all the options that they are looking for (42%), developers are frustrated that they are not being offered integrated payment solutions that are specialized to their specific needs. Over a third (35%) say that suppliers’ inflexibility and inability to provide anything other than a one-size-fits-all solution is a challenge that they have experienced. When searching for a payment partner, 23% state that they have had difficulty finding payment providers that understand their sector. When asked directly about the determining criteria for selecting an integrated payments partner, 68% of ISVs identify specialization in their sector as a very important factor; 23% say this is critical.

Paycheck Protection Program Loans For Self-Employed 1099 Agents

The brand-new Paycheck Protection Program was recently created to support American companies with immediate cash relief during this pandemic. If you are a sole proprietor, an independent contractor, or any that files a 1099 from, here’s what you need to know to apply.

Who Qualifies For The Payment Protection Program.

Sole Proprietors who report income and pay taxes on their Schedule C on their tax return.

Independent Contractors who collect 1099-MISC forms.

Sharing Economy Workers who take jobs provided by companies such as Uber, Lyft, TaskRabbit, and Instacart.
The only requirement is that your company was operational as of February 15, 2020. If you started your business after that date, you would not be eligible for this program.

What If You Don’t Use A Payroll Service?
If you own a company and do not give yourself a wage through a payroll service, you are likely still suitable for the Paycheck Protection Program—with one exemption. Companies that are structured as C corporations or S corporations must use payroll to pay their owners because the corporation is taxed independently from the individual. If you own a corporation and have not been paying yourself a salary through payroll, you will not have a salary covered through the PPP. This is because distributions or proceeds from a corporation are not considered to be a salary or self-employment income. Payments also made to contractors aren’t considered payroll and aren’t eligible under the PPP.

Sole Proprietors And The Paycheck Protection Program
If you run a company on your own, your business is a sole proprietorship— even if you haven’t formally let the IRS know.
Since you don’t have workers, you won’t be reporting your payroll expenses for the PPP loan. Instead, you’ll be reporting your net business income, which will be documented on your Schedule C. As long as your business was operational before February 15 of this year, you can apply to the Paycheck Protection Program.

According to the U.S. Treasury, “regardless of filing a 2019 tax return with the IRS, you must provide the 2019 Form 1040 Schedule C with your PPP loan application.”
If you’ve previously filed your taxes, this should be simple: just submit your Schedule C to your lender. If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, you will likely need to get retroactive bookkeeping done so you can calculate your net income and fill out your Schedule C appropriately.
If you don’t have bookkeeping or a tax return, we strongly recommend that you get caught up with your bookkeeping. Without a payroll service, bookkeeping is the best way to determine your profit as a sole proprietor

What will the Paycheck Protection Program Ask For?
Your monthly average payroll cost will be your annual net profit divided by 12. If your annual net profit is over $100,000, you may only declare up to $100,000 divided by 12.
Sole Proprietors Who Are Married
If you run a sole proprietorship informally with a spouse, you will only apply to the Paycheck Protection Program once, and your spouse would not be considered to have a salary through the company unless he or she was paid as a contractor before February 15, 2020.
If you own more than one sole proprietorship, you may apply separately for each – but exclusively if these sole proprietorships have separate EINs. The standard rule of thumb is that you can apply individually for as many businesses you own that have different identification numbers or separate tax reporting. You may apply for the Paycheck Protection Program once with your SSN as a sole proprietor, and then separately for any other businesses you own using their EINs.
Independent Contractors And The Paycheck Protection Program
If you work as a 1099 independent contractor, you are by omission considered to be a sole proprietor in the eyes of the IRS. This means your freelance earnings get reported annually on a Schedule C within your tax return. You will have a Schedule C even if you pick up odd jobs or do freelance work, and this Schedule is based on the 1099-MISC forms you collect from the companies or individuals who have hired you as a contractor.

Proof Of Income
The lender will want to see all documents related to any wages, commission, income, or net earnings from self-employment that you have received. This indicates that you’ll need to accumulate any earnings reports, pay stubs, or invoices you have.

Sole Proprietorships will need to submit a Schedule C from their 2019 tax return filed (or to be filed), showing income and expenses from the sole proprietorship.

Independent Contractors will need to submit schedules from their 2019 tax return filed (or to be filed) as well as Form 1099-MISC from 2019.

All Self-Employed Individuals will need to submit 2019 payroll tax filings reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Rent, Mortgage, And Utility expense
The Paycheck Protection Program funding can cover your office lease, rent, or mortgage interest, provided that you had it before February 15 2020. If you have a home office, you can claim a portion of the expenses (the percentage of your home that’s used as a home office).
Again, collect any paid invoices, statements, lease agreements, or canceled checks that will help prove you had these expenses.
However, if you want to have your loan forgiven, you must spend 75% of the loan funds on payroll costs (and the remaning 25% on rent, mortgage interest, and utilities).
If you’re a sole proprietor, 75% of the loan acts as a straight replacement for lost profit and doesn’t need to be spent in a particular way. The remaining 25% must be spent on mortgage interest, rent and lease payments, and utilities in order to be forgiven.

When Does The Application Open?
Sole proprietorships can start to apply on April 3.
Independent contractors and self-employed individuals can also start to apply on April 10.
You are encouraged to apply early as there is a funding cap for this program. You have until June 30 to apply.

How do I apply?
You can apply for the Paycheck Protection Program through an SBA-backed lender. We recommend applying through your own financial institution to start—a lender you already have an existing banking relationship with. That will be the fastest way to get approved.
Next, we recommend applying for PPP through a community bank. They have less demand and will likely be able to process you faster.
Here is the PPP application form from the U.S. treasury, indicating which information you’ll be expected to present to your bank.
Financial Records You’ll Need
You’ll need to provide payroll/bookkeeping records to prove your payroll expenses.
That could include:
Payroll processor records
Payroll tax filings
Form 1099-MISC records
Schedule C for a sole proprietorship
If you don’t have access to those kinds of documents, you can also provide bank records.
If You Own More Than One Business
We are also learning that entrepreneurs who own more than one company are having trouble getting relief funding when their businesses don’t have cleanly divided finances. If you own more than one business, it’s important to get separate bookkeeping done for each company. This will become essential when it comes time to prove your expenses for loan forgiveness.

For bookkeeping help, please visit our partner page for more information.
https://bench.co/partner/betterpay/

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