For enterprise leaders in payments and engineering, customer loyalty is measurable. But it's also increasingly shaped by the payment experience. Choosing the right payment platform is no longer only about reducing friction or managing cost. It's about building trust, increasing engagement, and supporting meaningful customer relationships. So, how do you evaluate the platforms that can do both?
Why loyalty starts with the right payment foundation
A smooth payment experience shapes how customers feel about your brand. And loyalty hinges on how they feel. According to Baymard Institute, over 70% of shoppers abandon their purchases at the checkout. Two of the top reasons: lack of trust in the site and a checkout process that's too long or complicated. These aren't minor annoyances but loyalty killers.
Supporting preferred payment methods, from digital wallets to instalment plans, creates a more convenient shopping experience and reflects customer preferences. It also reinforces consumer trust and increases conversion.
Questions to ask when evaluating payment platforms
Choosing the right platform means looking beyond the transaction. Here are key questions you should ask to effectively evaluate payment platforms:
- Does the platform integrate with your customer loyalty programme? If your loyalty programme sits in a silo, your customers won’t engage with it consistently. Look for payment platforms that make rewards visible, usable, and real-time at checkout. A good answer includes native support for loyalty APIs or partnerships with leading programme providers.
- Can it personalise offers and rewards at the point of payment? Personalisation shouldn’t end at marketing. Platforms that use customer data to tailor rewards in the payment moment can enhance engagement and increase repeat purchases. A strong platform will allow segmentation, offer targeting, and real-time application.
- Does it support multiple payment options and preferred payment methods? One-size-fits-all doesn’t apply in payments. Your platform should offer digital wallets, cards, bank transfers, and region-specific options. A good answer includes local acquiring and support for mobile-first experiences.
- Can it operate reliably at scale, across in-store and online? Loyalty is eroded by outages. Evaluate whether the platform can handle high volumes, seasonal spikes, and multiple channels without latency. Look for uptime guarantees and evidence of proven scalability.
- Does it give you access to payment analytics and customer engagement insights? Loyalty can’t improve without feedback loops. Choose a platform that turns payment data into actionable metrics: repeat rate, average order value, loyalty redemption, and beyond. A solid answer includes dashboards, exportable reports, and integration with BI tools.
Effective payment solutions also support flexible settlement and scalable infrastructure, critical for maintaining healthy cash flow and adapting to growth. And they must deliver a consistent checkout experience, no matter the channel.
Measuring success: the loyalty metrics that matter
Here are key loyalty metrics that reveal how well your payment strategy supports retention and growth:
- Repeat customer rate – Measures how many customers return after their first purchase. A higher rate signals successful engagement and a compelling experience.
- Average order value (AOV) – Indicates how much, on average, customers spend per transaction. Loyalty incentives often lead to increased AOV.
- Customer lifetime value (CLV) – Projects the total revenue a customer is expected to generate over their relationship with your business. A useful lens for long-term planning.
- Customer satisfaction score (CSAT) – Captures immediate sentiment, typically post-purchase. It can reflect the checkout and payment experience quality.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) – Gauges the likelihood of customers recommending your business. A broader reflection of loyalty, not limited to payment, but influenced by it.
- Loyalty redemption rate – Shows how often customers use earned rewards or perks. Indicates the visibility and relevance of your loyalty programme.
- Customer feedback volume and sentiment – The nature and tone of feedback, especially about checkout, reveals what’s working and what’s not.
Balance these with processing costs and uplift in conversion to assess true ROI. The most valuable platform is the one that keeps customers coming back profitably.
Connecting loyalty to payments—where most platforms fall short
Loyalty efforts often live in a different system, disconnected from the core payment flow. Customers might earn points, but if they can't see them or use them at checkout, the impact fades. Loyalty only works when it's visible and usable in the moment.
Embedding rewards into payment makes each transaction feel more personal. When platforms fall short of this, customer loyalty metrics stagnate and the cost of reacquisition rises.
Building trust and personalisation through data and security
Security should be invisible but felt. Biometric verification, tokenisation, and fraud detection help build trust without getting in the way. These features aren't just defensive—they create space for personalisation.
With analytics from payment data, you can better understand customer behaviour. What gets repeated? What triggers drop-off? Combine this with real-time customer feedback, and you have a live pulse to shape loyalty strategy with precision.
Antom's infrastructure supports the goals outlined above: combining flexible settlement, modular checkout design, and intelligent loyalty APIs to enable integrated customer engagement. The platform handles digital wallets, cross-border payments, and omnichannel experiences, delivering a payment solution that supports both growth and retention.
With real-time analytics and powerful risk controls, Antom helps you build trust and personalise the customer experience at scale. Whether your goal is to improve customer loyalty, increase average order value, or reduce payment failures, our tools give you the control and visibility to do so.
