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Merchant services cover a broad set of tools and financial functions designed to help businesses accept and manage payments. These services play a central role in enabling merchants to handle transactions efficiently, securely, and in a way that supports growth across markets.
Whether you're launching in a new region or trying to reduce payment costs, selecting the right merchant services provider can have a significant impact. Here's a breakdown of what merchant services include, how they work, and what to watch for when evaluating your options.
What are merchant services?
Merchant services enable businesses to process electronic transactions from customers. At the core, this includes authorising and settling payments via credit cards, debit cards, and digital payment platforms. Providers like Antom facilitate these services through payment gateways that link a merchant's website or POS system with payment networks.
The aim is to make payments reliable, fast, and easy—for both the customer and the business.
Services beyond payment processing
Merchant services have evolved beyond basic transaction handling. A complete offering often includes:
- Recurring billing: Automate subscription payments with minimal manual intervention.
- Online invoicing: Send and manage digital invoices with integrated payment options.
- Fraud detection and chargeback support: Identify suspicious transactions and manage disputes.
- Settlement and reconciliation tools: Streamline accounting with daily or custom settlement reports.
These features not only simplify operations, they help protect revenue and improve the customer experience.
Real-world scenarios
Here are some examples of how businesses use merchant services to solve common challenges:
- A subscription box brand uses auto debit to ensure monthly payments happen smoothly without customer reminders.
- A marketplace enables combined checkout so buyers can pay for products from different sellers all at once, boosting average order value.
- An online gaming company expands into Southeast Asia using local payment methods like GCash and GrabPay to reduce cart abandonment.
These aren't edge cases—they reflect practical use across industries from travel to digital services.
A variety of payment methods
The broader the payment options, the better your chances of reaching new customers. Merchant services should support:
- Credit and debit cards
- Bank transfers and mobile banking
- Digital wallets (e.g., Alipay, PayPal, GCash)
- Buy Now, Pay Later services
- Localised payment methods by region
Offering these options is essential for businesses operating across borders. For example, card payments dominate in North America, while wallets and bank transfers lead in Southeast Asia.
Providers can also deliver insights that help shape decisions—such as which payment methods perform best in each market, or which user segments show the highest cart abandonment rates.
Key components of merchant services
|
Component |
Description |
|
Card processing |
Handles authorisation, capture, and settlement of card-based transactions. |
|
Mobile payments |
Accept payments from Apple Pay, Google Pay, and region-specific wallets. |
|
Online payments |
Process secure e-commerce payments via checkout or in-app experiences. |
|
POS systems |
Integrate hardware and software to handle in-store transactions. |
|
Shopping cart tools |
Plug into platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce for seamless checkout. |
|
Virtual terminals |
Key in card details manually—ideal for phone or mail orders. |
|
Security services |
Includes PCI DSS compliance, tokenisation, and fraud protection tools. |
Operational benefits
For growing businesses, payment infrastructure isn't just a backend function. It can either support expansion or hold it back.
Benefits include:
- Higher approval rates with local acquiring strategies
- Lower fees when processing is handled locally instead of cross-border
- Streamlined reporting across currencies and payment types
- Automated retries for failed payments to recover lost revenue
- Integrated dashboards that reduce time spent on reconciliation
Modern merchant service providers reduce the operational burden by consolidating tools into a single platform. This is especially valuable for finance and payments teams who manage complex multi-region operations.
Considerations when choosing a provider
As you evaluate options, look beyond the core functionality. Here's what to assess:
- Pricing transparency: Are there setup fees, monthly charges, or FX markups?
- Payment coverage: Does the provider support the local methods your customers prefer?
- Onboarding time: How quickly can you start accepting payments?
- Support model: Is support available in your region and time zone?
- Security posture: Does the provider meet the latest global and local compliance standards?
- Scalability: Can the system handle seasonal traffic spikes or new market launches?
Tailoring solutions to business size
Different business stages require different capabilities. Here's how the needs often differ:
|
Business Type |
Key Needs |
|
SME |
Easy setup, low integration cost, fast onboarding, simple reconciliation |
|
Enterprise |
Custom integration, multi-region support, detailed reporting, SLAs |
Some providers offer flexible models that support both ends of the spectrum—ideal for companies growing fast or operating in hybrid models like marketplaces or SaaS.
Merchant services and your growth strategy
Modern merchant services help businesses scale faster by:
- Unlocking local payment preferences
- Supporting cross-border settlement in multiple currencies
- Reducing revenue loss from failed transactions
- Ensuring compliance with regional regulations
- Giving teams visibility and control through unified analytics
If you're preparing to enter a new region or want to improve performance in existing ones, merchant services are a strategic lever.
Talk to us to learn how Antom's merchant solutions support businesses across regions and industries.
