Securing your customers’ payments: solutions for omnichannel retail

With 90% of consumers now engaging in hybrid shopping journeys, businesses are forced to rethink their strategies. They need to integrate payment solutions that can adapt to diverse use cases. However, as touchpoints increase, so do the risks related to fraud, data breaches, and system inconsistencies. 

This article provides an overview of best practices for securing payments in an omnichannel context, leveraging current market standards and payment solutions designed for unified commerce.

Securing omnichannel payments

Vulnerabilities in the payment process

Omnichannel commerce relies on the seamless integration of physical and digital channels. However, this convergence complicates the payment process and multiplies touchpoints. A transaction may start online, continue through a mobile app, and conclude in-store. All systems must adhere to the same security standards. Vulnerabilities often surface when transitioning from one channel to another:

• Information transmission between terminals;
• Managing customer identifiers across multiple platforms;
• Synchronizing inventory and shopping carts;
• Securing APIs.

Cybercriminals also exploit technological differences between channels. An outdated mobile app can become a gateway for targeted attacks.

Strengthening transaction security

Data encryption prevents information from being intercepted during exchanges between tools. Coupled with up-to-date SSL/TLS certificates, it protects sensitive information, such as credit card details and customer identifiers online. 

Additionally, strong customer authentication (SCA), required by the European PSD2 directive, limits fraud in online transactions. This protocol combines multiple identification factors, like passwords, biometrics, or a recognized device. Moreover, technologies like tokenization and 3D Secure 2 protocols reduce the risk of compromise by masking credit card numbers and codes with temporary tokens. Openbravo POS integrates these technologies to ensure reliable transactions across all points of sale. Clients’ credit card data is never stored in clear text, and the system supports strong authentication mechanisms and 3D Secure protocols.

Optimizing the customer experience

Personalizing payment methods according to customer preferences

Today’s consumers need to be able to choose their preferred payment method. For 63% of them, being able to use their favorite payment option is a deciding factor in completing a purchase. Tailoring services to individual usage increases conversion rates and builds trust. 

For example, offering a quick payment option via a secure personal account for regular customers simplifies the shopping experience. 

This personalization is made possible through detailed analysis of browsing and purchase data. By identifying habits by customer segment, businesses can anticipate individual payment needs and offer contextualized services.

Ensuring an intuitive and secure user interface

In an omnichannel journey, a customer may switch between different payment terminals. A break in ergonomics or a change in visual logic can cause confusion and even abandonment. To ensure a smooth and secure experience, the interface must:

• Maintain visual and functional consistency across all channels (online, mobile, in-store) to prevent disruptions;
• Clearly guide users while integrating security measures, such as masking sensitive fields or automatically expiring inactive sessions;
• Facilitate recurring or personalized payments by automatically recognizing saved credit cards or payment preferences (such as using PayPal) without compromising data protection.

Openbravo POS is designed to adapt to all platforms while integrating essential security standards for seamless checkout at the point of sale.

Integrating technological solutions

Tokenization to protect sensitive data

Tokenization replaces online data with unique web identifiers that hold no value outside the system that generated them. In case of a breach, these tokens cannot be exploited. 

In unified commerce, tokenization secures all channels without complicating the experience. The same token can be used for an online purchase, in-store pickup, or a mobile app order. Additionally, this approach simplifies the registration of payment methods for regular customers.

Centralizing transaction management for better traceability

The diversification of payment methods and touchpoints complicates transaction tracking. Centralization then ensures businesses have greater visibility over financial flows across any channel:

• Quick identification of anomalies;
• Simplified accounting reconciliation;
• Better control of operational compliance.

Centralization also provides a consolidated view of data from e-commerce, physical stores, and mobile payment devices, ensuring complete traceability of the shopping journey and payment attempts. 

Additionally, it comes with real-time reporting tools and personalized alerts, enabling teams to manage the payment system’s performance with responsiveness and precision.

The role of Orisha Commerce solutions in payment security

Orisha Commerce relies on its expertise and partners to offer reliable solutions designed to secure transactions at every stage of the journey. In collaboration with Sipay, Orisha Commerce provides a robust and certified payment gateway, integrating the latest advancements in protection:

• Advanced tokenization, which replaces sensitive data with secure identifiers;
• Online authentication with 3D Secure;
• Fraud prevention tools.

Openbravo POS integrates security features designed to meet the demands of unified commerce. Compliant with PCI DSS standards, the solution ensures secure handling of in-store payments with rigorous management of sensitive data. Its centralized architecture limits exposure points while encrypting exchanges. The platform thus offers a unified view for the simplified reconciliation across various points of sale.

Openbravo Mobile POS, meanwhile, is a mobile payment tool with a high level of security. Each transaction by your sales associates benefits from Openbravo POS’s security mechanisms, ensuring a seamless experience that meets the requirements of unified commerce. Discover the solution!

Evaluating and adapting security strategies

Analyzing user performance and behavior

Analyzing data from payment journeys helps identify vulnerabilities and optimize security. Several actions can be taken:

• Detecting friction points: by monitoring abandonment rates or recurring errors, both online and in-store, teams can pinpoint the steps of the journey that hinder conversion;
• Monitoring suspicious behavior: unusual connections, repeated transactions within a short time span, or IP address inconsistencies can alert to malicious attempts;
• Continuous improvement of journeys: behavioral analysis helps simplify unnecessary steps and adjust protocols based on usage and needs.

Updating systems to counter new threats

Cybersecurity threats continuously evolve, requiring regular system updates (payment gateways, APIs, in-store terminals, fraud detection tools) to maintain a high level of protection. These updates must incorporate the latest security standards and legal requirements. A SaaS solution like Orisha Commerce ensures rapid deployment of fixes and security updates. Businesses benefit from an always up-to-date environment capable of consistently adapting to new vulnerabilities and regulatory changes.

In the retail market, the complexity of shopping journeys and the variety of payment methods demand constant vigilance. To ensure the protection of sensitive data, businesses must combine advanced security protocols with centralized transaction management. Orisha Commerce solutions leverage strategic partners like Sipay to effectively address the new demands of omnichannel commerce. With SaaS infrastructure and advanced technologies, retailers secure all transactions.