Call for Papers - Developments in consumer to merchant payments

Call for Papers 

Special Issue of Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems:

Developments in consumer to merchant payments

Gerard Hartsink, Editor, Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems

Submission deadline: 15th November 2024

Introduction
Merchants are important market participants of any payment eco-system around the world, yet usually less visible or organised than banks, payment service providers or consumers.  Merchants offer their consumers a mix of payment instruments that are available in their market and meet the business requirements and the needs of their customers.  Each merchant category, such as specialised shops, large supermarket chains (food or non-food), online merchants, government agencies, public services, healthcare service providers, public transport companies, parking venues, airlines, hospitality, etc have their specific requirements to manage incoming payments to optimise the consumer experience and manage their operational costs and risks.     

Call for Papers
This special issue of Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems (JPSS) on developments in consumer to merchant payments aims to deliver thought-provoking articles and in-depth advice for both buyers and sellers of merchant payments. The papers in this special issue are also intended to provide comprehensive coverage of the merchants’ perspective on payments acceptance for the delivery of their goods and services.

Submissions covering any of the following topics for this special issue will be considered, but additional suggestions for papers are also welcomed

Market developments and payment strategies

  • Which (regional) payments legislative developments are relevant for merchants and how could they prepare themselves for changes to regulations or the introduction of new regulations?  
  • What choices do merchants need to make to optimise their payment processes?
  • How are merchants best represented in the governance and design of the payment eco-system of their country and/or region?
  • If and how could the FSB Recommendations for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments impact merchants’ choices for the delivery of good and services in foreign markets in the future?
  • How should merchants organise the payment function within their organisation in order to best support their organisation’s business objectives?
  • How does surcharging for payments help consumers to make informed choices about which payment  method (cash, card, mobile, etc) to use and stimulate competition between those payment methods?

Trends in payments methods, products and services

  • Which data requirements of payment or card schemes are mission critical for merchants to ensure the lowest possible cost and risk of the payments they receive?
  • How could payment or card schemes improve their services for merchants by using consumers’ data?
  • Should merchant organizations be better (or more) involved in the design of rulebooks and standards (such as for credit transfers, direct debits, cards and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC))?
  • What role should non-domestic online merchants have in better disclosing to their consumers who they are and where they are from?
  • How can Strong Customer Authentication (SCA ) be made more consumer- and retailer-friendly to minimise the number of legitimate transactions that are declined?
  • How should payments pricing reflect omnichannel customer journeys? Why are click-and-collect, pay-at-pump and vending machines considered e-commerce? Why is e-commerce priced higher than brick-and-mortar commerce?

Treasury management

  • How could merchants of large chains, such as supermarkets, airlines, hotels or marketplaces, best manage their liquidity within their payments landscape?
  • What impact will the introduction of instant payments and/or CBDC have on merchant’s cash management?

Payments operations

  • What are the best models to synchronise the merchant’s sales and invoicing process with the payments process?
  • How to best manage refund payments to consumers for goods that were ordered online but returned to the vendor
  • What re- or up-skilling is needed for merchant staff to deal with changing customer behaviour and customer payments?
  • How does the mandatory acceptance of cash impact merchant operations?

Payment risk management

  • How can online merchants minimize their operational risks for not getting paid for the goods and services they have delivered?
  • What is the best approach for merchants to avoid payments fraud?
  • How do Merchant Initiated Transactions (MIT) help to maximise conversion while minimising fraud?
  • Are the current standards for terminals (such as EMV and PCI) fit for the future payment instruments (such as for example instant payments and CBDC)?

Submission Guidelines:
The deadline for the submission of articles to this special issue is 15th November 2024. 

The following types of papers will be considered for publication:

Practice articles: Thought leadership pieces, regulatory updates, briefings, and other contributions on consumer to merchant payments developments written by practitioners. Articles should be 2,000 to 5,000 words in length.

Research papers: Contributions which explore new models, theories and research on consumer to merchant payments developments. The principal management implications of the submission should be included. Articles should be a maximum 6,000 words in length. 

Author guidelines, sample articles and other relevant information about the journal can be found here.

Authors are advised to send in proposals for papers as soon as possible.

Questions and proposals for papers should be directed to the Editor, Gerard Hartsink, at gerard.hartsink@identifierstandards.org and Julie Kerry, the Publisher, at julie@hspublications.co.uk

About the Journal
Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems publishes peer-reviewed articles and case studies analysing best practice, regulation, emerging issues and new thinking for the payments industry. It examines major issues facing the corporate, wholesale and retail payments industry from a business, risk and operational perspective. As a peer-reviewed professional publication, the Journal is read by senior payments executives based at banks, credit card issuers, regulators, other financial institutions, service providers, vendors, consultants and treasurers. Typically readers are departmental heads, VPs, SVPs, EVPs, Directors and Senior Managers in payments, product management, payments operations, transaction banking and cash management.