Keeping the lead in 2025: 6 Payment and commerce trends that businesses need to understand

AI is no longer just a buzzword. It’s quickly becoming an integral part of business operations, with new applications emerging by the day.

In payments, AI is streamlining tasks like invoice analysis, budget matching, and payment scheduling. For ecommerce, it's powering personalized product recommendations and "super wallets" that offer deeper analysis of spending habits. And the technology is transforming fraud prevention, with major payment networks continuing to invest heavily in AI detection of suspicious activity.

SMBs in particular are embracing AI that could help level the playing field, taking advantage of operational efficiencies previously accessible only to large corporations. Meanwhile, major enterprises have shown more caution, especially as it relates to concerns around data privacy.

Expect accelerating innovation and new applications for AI in inventory management, back-office functions, and credit assessment — and rapidly evolving discussions around privacy, bias, and new legislation.

Consumers are doing more of their shopping online. To capitalize on evolving customer shopping preferences, businesses need to build a robust digital presence and ecommerce experience.

The popularity of "search-to-purchase,” which allows customers to buy items directly from social media platforms and search engines, is just one example of how the ecommerce landscape is evolving — and forcing businesses to adapt. Companies are integrating social media marketing programs into their operations and supply chains to capture the valuable data and consumer engagement opportunities on offer.

These new digital commerce experiences require strong back end infrastructure. Which is why 2025 will see more businesses increasing investments in unified commerce, and integrating their back end operations into unified platforms.

Embedded payments, already a staple of consumer transactions, are now transforming the B2B landscape — a trend that will only accelerate in 2025. The shift is driven by the need for faster, more efficient payment processes in complex business ecosystems, and is driving companies to build B2B transactions into business processes and supply chains.

The adoption of embedded payments in B2B comes with challenges, including security concerns and the need for standardization across different systems. But for an increasing number of businesses, the benefits — including automated billing processes, predictability, rich data insights, and a seamless experience for clients — will outweigh the costs.

As digital payments become the default, there’s a critical need for robust security systems that keep pace with evolving threats. Luckily, the tools are evolving too. Businesses are investing heavily in new technologies to protect against fraud and ensure the integrity of digital payments.

Advanced authentication methods, such as biometrics and behavioral analysis, are going mainstream. AI and machine learning algorithms are being deployed to detect and prevent fraudulent activities in real time. And businesses continue to implement passkeys and tokenization to safeguard sensitive financial information.

Meanwhile, the trend towards open banking and data sharing is driving the development of new security protocols to ensure safe data exchange between different financial institutions and third-party providers.

Point-of-sale (POS) systems continue to evolve from simple transaction tools to comprehensive service hubs, and businesses are putting them at the center of the customer experience. The latest systems now integrate a wide range of functionalities, including inventory management, customer relationship management, and data analytics — and they’re growing more capable by the day.

Advanced POS capabilities are transforming relationships between businesses and customers. Integrated loyalty programs and personalized recommendations help bridge the gap between online and offline experiences. Mobile POS devices allow staff in brick-and-mortar retailers to assist customers anywhere in the store. And smart POS systems are enabling tableside ordering, split billing, and seamless integration with kitchen management systems.

The data collected through these systems is also proving invaluable, offering insights into customer preferences and operational efficiencies that can drive business growth.

Most businesses use payment orchestration platforms. And with an increasing number of advantages on offer, they’re poised to become more important than ever.

To name just a few: they provide a way to manage multiple payment providers, methods, and channels through a single interface. They allow businesses to optimize their payment stack, routing transactions through the most cost-effective or reliable providers. These advantages help improve operational efficiency, which is a central goal for companies in 2025.

But it’s not just the business that benefits. Payment orchestration is enhancing the customer experience too, by providing a consistent checkout process across different channels and geographies. As these platforms mature, they'll only become more essential as businesses look for ways to stay competitive in an increasingly complex payment landscape.

Get the full report

For a more in-depth understanding of how these developments will shape the future of commerce, we encourage you to read our full trend report. It’s packed with the data insights and expertise from industry leaders you need to navigate the uncertainty of the coming year — and come out on top.