As we approach the end of the year, thoughts are understandably turning towards the future. With two-fifths of consumers saying they wouldn’t return to a retailer following a poor checkout experience, merchants across all sectors are busy reimagining the checkout experience so it better aligns with evolving consumer expectations.
They’re working out how to make payments faster, smarter, and more invisible, while simultaneously balancing regulation, trust, and a diverse range of customer emotions. Their long-term success depends on transforming their checkout from a transactional step into a more seamless extension of the customer journey.
Consumers want greater control, with projections indicating that by 2030, over 24,000 stores will offer self-checkout. But equally, there are times when they still need the human touch, whether that’s discussing a return or seeking further advice on a product. Merchants must quickly find the right mix, and remember that empathy remains at the core of payment design.
AI and Software Point of Sale (SoftPOS), which turns smartphones or tablets into contactless payment terminals, are playing an increasing role – but what other forces are reshaping the modern checkout, and what do merchants need to consider as they develop their propositions?
The moment of truth: emotion, empathy, and transparency
“We’re designing our checkout to be as seamless as possible, so it feels just like you’re about to start the holiday – intuitive, fast, and flexible,” said Charles Aji, Senior Product Manager – Payments, at Collinson, and formally Product Owner - Payments at Tui, one of the world’s largest travel groups. “The goal is simple: make payments invisible so the customer can focus on the excitement of their trip, not the friction of the checkout.”
TUI drives this experience through a unified payment platform that connects its different brands and markets through a single orchestration layer. “This powers local payment preferences, such as Trustly, across Europe while giving customers the same smooth experience whether they’re booking online or through a call centre,” added Aji.
Furnishing giant IKEA is also focused on providing the best possible checkout experience, offering the rapid self-checkout Shop & Go experience as well as more traditional checkout options. This empowers customers to choose the checkout path that best aligns with their needs and mood.
“We’re moving towards data-driven mentalities, analysing customer data to understand when and where to use it,” explained Solmaz Zohdi, Product Owner, IKEA. “Checkout is where convenience, trust, and brand perception converge. It’s not just the end of the shopping experience, rather it’s the moment of truth. It’s about empathy and our mission is to make it feel like a natural extension of the brand, not a hurdle.”
Beauty retailer Douglas, meanwhile, is in the process of introducing a new payment service provider to reduce friction and redirects while improving efficiency, but it also recognises the importance of transparency and assisting its customers at every step of their journey through to the checkout. “With credit scoring or offering our own BNPL option, for example, we have an ongoing obligation to keep the customer informed,” said Laura Treude, Director of Group Payments, Douglas.
How product proposition informs checkout design
The nature of each business influences its approach to payments and checkout design.
IKEA’s broad product range – from house plants to kitchen renovations – requires a certain level of flexibility. “IKEA is a bit of a retail unicorn,” said Zohdi. “You can walk in for a pack of napkins and walk out with a new kitchen. “This means our checkout experience must be incredibly versatile.”
She paints a picture of two different scenarios to illustrate this point. “For a customer popping in on their lunch break to grab a storage box or a plant, they’re in a hurry and that’s where the speed of Shop & Go shines – fast, frictionless, and they’re in control. But when someone has spent hours planning a new living room layout, they may need extra help with financing and delivery options – so their checkout experience needs to be more guided, more supported, and more human.”
At Douglas, employees are “beauty advisors”, which highlights their role in supporting customers from the moment they enter the store through to the moment they pay. SoftPOS helps them to process payments personally with the customer, bypassing the need to queue.
“We strongly believe in guiding and assisting the customer from beginning to end,” explained Treude. “A warm welcome, expert advice about what they need, and then when payment solutions step into the game, they’re as quick and invisible as possible.”
The checkout process is more complex at TUI. Travel bookings often involve multiple passengers, payment methods, and selling channels.
“It can’t be one-size-fits all,” said Aji. “The person moving the mouse isn’t necessarily the person travelling, or in some cases they’re not travelling alone. So when you’re selling to them and helping them checkout, you’re not just thinking about that one person; you’re thinking about everyone connected to that journey. The complexity of this shapes how we design the checkout and we’re thoughtful about how much flexibility we bring to the flow.”
Aji highlighted how TUI’s system now uses micro front ends, allowing the company to enable all of its selling channels, whether it’s the TUI website or a subsidiary such as First Choice, to tailor the payment experience for each customer. “This helps us balance consistency and flexibility, which is the key to trust and conversion,” he added.
Balancing AI with expert human insights
AI is already having an impact on the checkout experience by helping to detect and prevent fraud in real time. But the hope is it will ultimately help to optimise payment flows and allow payment professionals to focus on innovation rather than tricky troubleshooting.
“Going forward, I’d like to see how AI can reshape how we optimise payments,” said Aji. “It would be good to see a scenario where we have a proactive assistant that can resolve failed payments automatically or suggest the most reliable way for customers to pay for their next trip. Professionals in our field spend a lot of time triaging and if there’s a way to systemise that to spend less time firefighting, then we can spend more time thinking about how to build for the next five to ten years.”
However, while Agentic AI has the power to redefine the checkout, this shift is also introducing new risks. “As we all know, ‘fraud-as-a-service’ is a hot topic right now,” explained Treude. “AI is not only used for good reasons; it’s harnessed for more sophisticated forms of fraud and that’s something we need to get prepared for.”
Leaning too far into AI also risks removing the valuable human touch from the retail journey. “We’re advisors for our customers,” continued Treude. “It’s fine with us that our customers are open to new AI experiences but we’re working out how we can best fit into the process to still offer the best advice.”
Zohdi believes that a successful future depends on flexibility. “It’s about making checkout invisible when it should be, but meaningful when it matters,” she explained. “Shop & Go is one step in that direction; customers love the freedom it gives them but not everyone wants the checkout to disappear. Many still value the moment of interaction, and the sense of closure, and so I think the best checkout will be the one that fits a customer’s needs in that very specific moment.”
Check out the final episode in our latest series of the Pay it forward podcast to find out more about how technology, innovation, and customer mindset is shaping the way we pay – and how brands can enhance this experience.