Online retail sales have been gradually increasing throughout 2020, with the ONS reporting a 6.4% increase in online sales during October 2020, driven by early Christmas shopping. And with online sales during the week leading up to the Black Friday trading period 56% higher than in 2019, 2020’s Black Friday and Christmas period is expected to break online sales records. PIS will be crucial for retailers to cope with online demand, providing an accessible user experience, and maintaining profit margins.

PIS allows consumers to complete transactions through their banking app, by using their familiar banking authentication methods, ensuring a more secure and efficient payment way than traditional card payments, as the consumer goes through the bank’s security measures rather than a third party’s with no settlement period or transaction cost. With the average UK transaction fee for standard payments sitting at 2%, reducing these costs at a time when physical sales are expected to drop due to shop closures will be crucial to recovering strongly from the pandemic’s impact.

Leon Muis, Chief Business Officer at Yolt Technology Services, comments:
“Retailers already using PIS will have been in a better place to cope with the Christmas surge and adapt quicker to the changes brought on by the pandemic, with more consumers than ever making purchases from home rather than the high street. Those retailers who can offer the best digital experience will come out best and PIS will be playing an important role in helping retailers deliver an efficient and faster process for consumers, while saving money at the same time.”

With the potential for retailers to save large amounts of money through lower transaction costs, it’s no surprise that Yolt Technology Services’ recent Unlock the Value of Open Banking report found over half (56%) of retail companies not yet using open banking systems saying they were strongly considering adoption.

Leon Muis, Chief Business Officer at Yolt Technology Services, comments:
“With the shift to digital services during the pandemic expected to become a long-term behaviour amongst consumers, PIS and open banking will only become more important. As a result, many customers may quickly start to see PIS from being an accessory to a necessity in their everyday shopping. Retailers who don’t embrace PIS may find themselves losing not just on saving costs but on sales themselves, with retailers using PIS having a significant competitive edge in offering the optimal online experience for consumers.”

TPPs such as Yolt Technology Services are available to facilitate the implementation of PIS successfully for retailers in a matter of days, so retailers who don’t have it over the Christmas period can get PIS in time for the sales season.