The end of a black box approach
The history of online payment has long been written around a central player, the PSP (Payment Service Provider), which allowed payment to be collected via traditional networks (by credit card) with minimal complexity.
But as needs became more sophisticated, this model revealed its limitations. What was its strength (simplicity) became a point of friction: lack of visibility into flows, opaque management of service provider commissions and fees, partial integrations with business tools, dependence on rigid technical frameworks, etc.
The result: e-retailers who no longer manage their flows, overworked finance teams, and a fragmented customer experience.
Towards an integrated and comprehensive infrastructure
A new generation of e-commerce payment solutions has evolved their original infrastructure. This shift is embodied in a new model: the payment hub. A central element that orchestrates all flows, from online checkout to the financial back office.
The benefits are multiple:
- Unification of channels and payment methods, in an omnichannel and multi-segment approach
- Dynamic payment orchestration, with intelligent routing based on context (amount, customer, channel, cost)
- Automation of post-payment processing: payment-order reconciliation, refunds, payouts, etc.
- Consolidated real-time view of collections, DSO, and anomalies
This infra-native payment model allows merchants to move from “consumed” to “managed” payments.
Radically different needs depending on e-commerce models
To be effective, the online payment solution must be perfectly aligned with the strategic challenges of e-retailers, marketplaces, or recurring service providers (such as SaaS).
B2C and B2B e-commerce
The challenge is no longer simply acceptance, but also optimizing the journey and costs: avoiding bank card failures, adapting payment journeys to customer types, and reducing the friction that fuels shopping cart abandonment. Diversity of payment options, smart routing, and detailed analysis of acceptance rates are becoming margin drivers.
Marketplaces
Merchant onboarding, integrated KYC/KYB protocols, third-party collection, and payouts… Platforms operate within a strict regulatory framework, which requires a robust, centralized infrastructure capable of managing the contractual and operational complexity of their sellers.
SaaS / recurring services
In some cases, payment also becomes a key retention factor. Every direct debit rejection, every card expiry friction can trigger churn. An e-commerce payment solution that natively integrates SEPA management, reminder scenarios, and real-time payment due date monitoring is therefore essential.
CentralPay, a solution designed for complex flows
In this context of structural transformation, players like CentralPay are positioning themselves with a full-infrastructure approach, focused on controlling payment flows and interconnecting with business tools.
Designed to meet the challenges of e-commerce retailers, marketplaces, and SaaS providers, the CentralPay payment platform acts as a hub, capable of:
- Centralize all online payment methods, regardless of the payment method.
- Monitor transactions, refunds, payouts, and processing in real time.
- Natively integrate platform-specific processes (KYC/KYB, segregation, payouts, etc.).
- Manage business rules via API or interface using ready-to-use tools (CMS, ERP, invoicing software).
Its ambition: To go beyond collection to provide businesses with a complete e-commerce payment solution that simplifies end-to-end collection flow management.
