Transcending our little pieces of plastic

Financial Futures

Cash is quickly disappearing as a form of payment. But what will take its place?

Tech wizzes have given us a dizzying variety of devices and apps that make paying for things easier than lifting a finger. We’ve got smartphones, smartwatches, smart speakers. Digital wallets, P2P apps like Venmo, and refrigerators that will buy more milk for us when we run out. As different as they are, most of these payment innovations are still linked to that little piece of plastic we call a credit or debit card. But just like cash, new technologies are making that physical token less and less relevant.

In this episode of “Financial Futures,” FIS’ Melissa Kopp returns to talk about what it means to be a cardholder these days, and why financial institutions and merchants need to unify the growing variety of payment experiences available today. We’ll discuss:

• How consumers are interacting with retailers and financial institutions through an ever-growing variety of digital channels.
• What the “omnichannel” buzzword really means, and how to create a truly omnichannel experience.
• How APIs can be leveraged to design cohesive customer experiences.
• Do payment providers really need to go omnichannel?