The challenge

The client offered a secure method to make payments on its platforms in the United States. It can be used to pay for purchases, send money to friends, or make donations. The client was looking to roll it out to selected markets internationally.  

The client was aiming to review a number of international markets to assess those where a payment product could be launched successfully. A key consideration was that the payment instrument / feature launched could be rolled out across all of the client’s platforms and apps. To be successful, the product must offer a better user experience and a superior value proposition to competing and substitute payment products already available in a market.  

The client chose to partner with EDC due to our in depth knowledge of international markets, competitive dynamics, payment preferences, and regulatory constraints. The project objective was to identify the strategic choices available and assess the market needs, the optimal product construct, relevant use cases, target audience, and priority markets.  

How we helped

EDC provided strategic insights and worked alongside the client’s executives and local market staff to review and analyse data which was used to formulate strategic options and recommendations. While data analysis was crucial, the core purpose of the engagement was to develop hypotheses and recommendations to help the client design successful payment offers in each target market.  

EDC also worked closely with the client to globally expand its new payment system in a scalable, replicable and defensible manner, and develop a clear line of sight on the recommended model per country and associated investments to inform a playbook for international expansion. EDC recommended a phased approach for market entry based on time to market, investment, regulatory requirements and the pros and cons of adopting a Merchant of Record (MOR) vs. Non-Merchant of Record (NMOR) model in each country.  

‍