January Trend Sharing Session
Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Payments
- Date: Tuesday, January 23
- Time: 10am EST/ 3pm GMT
- Location: Online
- Delegates: 50+
Retailers and merchants should care about digital payments for several compelling reasons that can positively impact their business operations, customer satisfaction, and overall success, however, the future of cash will likely be influenced by a complex interplay of technological, economic, cultural, and regulatory factors.
The pace of change may vary from one country or region to another. While cash might continue to be used for certain purposes, the overall trajectory suggests a decreasing reliance on physical currency and the engulfment of digital through the use of credit cards, direct bank payments, crypto currencies, CBDC, gift cards, and loyalty points.
During this webinar we took a look at security, the customer experience, loyalty points in wallets, account takeovers, digital gift cards, consumer protection, and convenience.
Our panelists:
- Shelly Hunter, Founder, Gift Card Reform
- Ruwani Hewa, Product & Propositions Director, Nuapay
- Georgiana Hera, Product Owner, Alphacomm
- Michael Smith, Co-Founder, LSA
This webinar explored:
- The meaning of digital payments
- The benefits and drawbacks of a world with an increased number of digital payments
- The evolution of fraud as we go more digital
- The loyalty landscape
- Where cash will be in 20 years
- Gift card use
- If and why merchants should care about digital payments
- Consumer trust
Shelley Hunter, formerly Gift Card Girlfriend, now leads GiftCardReform.com. As a dedicated consumer advocate, she collaborates with retailers, gift card issuers, and legislators, striving to restore gift cards to their intended purpose as user-friendly, secure, and reliable gifts.
Ruwai Hewa is an experienced payments and loyalty professional, who has created customer-centric solutions for over 16 years within tech, product, and propositions teams. She has been successfully delivering large and complex solutions globally, recently with EML/Nuapay and previously with Amadeus Payments, Collinson, Barclaycard and American Express.
As a Product Owner of the anti-fraud solution, Protectmaxx, Georgiana Hera is critical in translating business and market needs into a clear product vision. She leads her team to embody this vision, serving as a thought leader for the company’s products. Georgiana is also an accomplished Senior Software Developer with a proven track record of delivering projects on time. Her contributions are pivotal in the company’s quest to become a leading revenue boosting platform.
Before becoming a Managing Partner and Board Advisor to Airline Information, Michael worked in Loyalty at British Airways as Board Director of British Airways Global Financial Services Limited. His responsibilities at BA also included managing its co-branded credit cards and developing mileage sales with partners, such as American Express, GE Insurance, Avis, and InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. He was among the first airline executives to include ancillary services in the airline’s booking flow. At BA, he also developed strong knowledge about loyalty program fraud.
Prior to joining BA, Michael was the Marketing and Administration Director for the Financial Services Division of Great Universal Stores plc – at the time, the UK’s largest mail-order company.
Michael is one of the co-founders of the Loyalty Security Association.
Chris began his career in the airline industry as a Tariff Analyst at ATPCO in Washington D.C. and later worked as an Aviation Analyst at the U.S. Department of Transportation and as Manager of Revenue Management at Amtrak.
Prior to co-founding Airline Information, Chris worked as a Business Development Manager at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in both Miami and Geneva, Switzerland. Through his work at Airline Information, he has gained a passion for fighting fraud in the Airline and travel Industry, encouraging him to be a Co-Founder of the Loyalty Security Alliance.