The UAE’s hospitality market, worth USD 7.37 billion at present, is poised to reach USD 9.46 billion by 2029. And restaurants, an integral part of this booming hospitality sector, cater to guests with varying tastes and budgets. However, the checkout experience is often suboptimal because of traditional processes that involve cash or card machines and long wait time. This impacts customer satisfaction, leading to poor tipping and lost revenue.

TAPn’GO from PayTabs is set to transform the scenario though, since guests can settle checks quickly and safely by simply tapping a NFC cube or scanning a QR code. The TAPn’GO QR platform allows guests to easily check the bill or order, view digital menus, split the bill or pay it in full, add tips for servers, receive receipts via email, follow the restaurant on social media, and post Google reviews. Customers can make payments using Google Pay, Apple Pay, or credit cards.

Now, let’s understand the TAPn’GO benefits and how it can revolutionize dining experiences in the UAE.

Advantages of TAPn’GO for Restaurant Businesses

As a unique technology, TAPn’GO eliminates the need to make complicated calculations while splitting a bill or request separate bills. Guests can use smartphones to divide a bill in just a few seconds. This convenience makes them happy and encourages them to reward the hospitality teams generously (up to 40% higher tips). Other benefits for merchants like you include:

1. Direct POS Integration

The payment collected from guests goes straight to your bank account and you receive an instant notification. Staff members also get payment notifications on their smartphones, smartwatches, the TAPn’GO dashboard, and via email.

2. Cost-efficiency

The service fee for using the TAPn’GO QR platform is extremely reasonable. You can expect affordable transaction fees, nil subscription fees, and nominal device fees.

3. Less Friction

With TAPn’GO, you can do away with expensive card payment machines that tend to malfunction and waste the guest’s time. When it’s time for bill payment, guests can check the same with a scan or tap, without interacting with a server. This minimizes the possibility of unnecessary disputes.

4. Eco-Friendly

Since the TAPn’GO technology is paperless, you can reduce your carbon footprint and position your brand as sustainable and environment-friendly.

5. Better Brand Reputation

By enabling guests to share their experiences and feedback on review and social platforms through TAPn’GO, you can boost brand awareness and reputation, strengthen engagement, get repeat visits, and attract new customers. This means more revenue.

6. In-depth Analytics

Access important data on date, time, table number, transactions, bill amounts, guest feedback and ratings, Google reviews, and tips. You can analyze the same, generate detailed reports, and make informed decisions.

TAPn’GO Is Not Just for Restaurants

TAPn’GO is a smart payment solution for restaurants as well as:

1. Food Courts

Big families that want different dishes from different stalls don’t need to swipe cards repeatedly. They can keep paying while continuing to order.

2. Food Carts and Trucks

A large group of friends can place one order and easily split the bill without asking the merchant to carry out multiple transactions.

3. Vending Machines

Customers don’t need to carry small denominations, cash, or local currency while getting a snack or drink.

4. Beach Clubs and Lounges

TAPn’GO can send instant notifications for guest orders, guest calls, and payment confirmations.

TAPn’GO Contactless Payment Is Perfect for Your Restaurant

Embracing TAPn’GO from a reputed payment gateways platform like PayTabs is your best bet for thriving in the UAE’s dynamic hospitality landscape. You can enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, ease checkout, and improve customer satisfaction. You can understand customer behavior better and derive actionable data-backed insights. It will help you boost your brand image and get more traffic in the future.

Home to stunning buildings like the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Emirates Towers, Cayan Tower, and Museum of the Future, the UAE has always boasted a dynamic construction industry. Currently, the market size is estimated to be worth USD 41 billion. By 2029, it is likely to reach USD 50.40 billion after growing at a 4.26% rate annually.

However, traditional payment practices have caused cash flow problems in the construction landscape for a long time. Complex processes, payment delays, confusing payment terms, and the involvement of various parties like owners, contractors, subcontractors, and vendors often lead to disputes, poor financial management, legal hassles, and even bankruptcy. It can be difficult to track all payments, ensure transparency, and enforce accountability too.

The good news is that payment orchestration for construction industry can address the above issues, improve payment efficiencies, enhance profitability, and simplify life for all stakeholders. Let’s find out how.

Why Investment in Payment Orchestration Will Pay Off

Payment orchestration offers a single platform to integrate and manage multiple banks, payment service providers, payment gateways, and acquirers, so that the end-to-end payment process becomes seamless, secure, efficient, and fast. From validating and routing transactions effectively to safeguarding sensitive data and preventing frauds to ensuring timely settlement, payouts, and reconciliation, a payment orchestration platform does it all. In the construction industry, it can help in the following ways:

1. Easy Invoice Generation

Automation, which is an integral part of payment orchestration, can eliminate the need for contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers to raise manual invoices. These can be generated electronically, thereby lowering administrative hassle, preventing unnecessary delays, and minimizing disputes that usually arise when paper invoices get lost or misplaced. It is also hassle-free to send automatic reminders against every invoice, so that the payment gets done on time.

2. Greater Transparency

Payment orchestration facilitates transparent transactions among all parties, as somebody who is supposed to receive a payment gets an immediate notification when the money is credited to their account. Those who are supposed to make payments can no longer claim that their check got lost in the mail or there is a delay due to a bank holiday. Hence, everyone becomes more accountable automatically and strives more to honor the contract and payment terms.

3. Payment Flexibility

Using payment orchestration for construction industry means stakeholders can make payments via various means, be it cards, digital wallets, internet banking, QR code, or payment links. Moreover, since there are multiple gateways and processors involved, the chance of successful transaction shoots up. A payment request is automatically routed to the most suitable processor and gateway for immediate acceptance. Stakeholders can also make payments on the go through mobile devices. This is highly convenient and can keep projects operational at every stage. No one can claim they are waiting for payment to come in and are stalling work till then.

4. Multi-Currency Support

In the construction industry in UAE, it is common to outsource work to suppliers and subcontractors situated in other countries. However, conventionally, sending them payments can be a hassle owing to the complexities associated with currency exchange. But with payment orchestration, it is simple for everyone to accept payments in foreign currencies and get their account credited in the base or home currency.

5. Better Cash Flow

Since an orchestration platform plays a crucial role in streamlining all payment aspects, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers get paid on time and can maintain a positive cash flow. No one has to wait unnecessarily for the next payment to stay liquid. A healthy cash flow also means a strong bottom line and minimizes the need to apply for credit or the risk of running into debt.

6. Data Security

Financial transactions are always sensitive, irrespective of the industry. But a payment orchestration platform keeps important data secure and prevents cyberattacks effectively. It uses sophisticated authentication mechanisms to make sure only those who are authorized and involved in the payment system can access relevant information. This is much safer than using paper bills, receipts, and checks, which can easily fall into the wrong hands or get lost, making it difficult to trace the nitty-gritties of a transaction.

7. Reduced Transaction Cost

Payment orchestration is an effective cost reduction strategy for players in the construction industry. Since everything is automated and there is minimal need for documentation or paper checks, transaction fees are considerably low. Plus, streamlining payments can save a lot of precious time for everyone. This is likely to translate to a better profit margin as well.

8. More Opportunities

With the whole word going digital and most industries embracing digital transactions all along the value chain, it makes sense for UAE’s construction sector to follow suit. Payment orchestration can help in winning more and better projects easily, since the client will deem the contractor as a progressive entity with efficient systems in place. A glitch-free, transparent, and safe payment experience can add to the contractor or subcontractor’s brand image.

9. Attractive for Young Talent

Since payment orchestration can modernize a construction business, improve operational efficiency, and even enhance relations among stakeholders, young professionals ready to join the industry will feel more inclined to put in their best effort and continue with an employer for many years.

10. Valuable Insights

Investment in payment orchestration means a stakeholder can gain complete visibility into their payment system, track cash inflow and outflow easily, spot bottlenecks or problem areas and assess their financial standing. The best orchestration platforms come with data analytics capabilities too, which means it will be easy to derive useful insights and take informed payment-related decisions in the future.

UAE’s Construction Industry Is Ready to Transform with Payment Orchestration

UAE’s glitzy and ultramodern skyline was not put together in a day. It took a lot of time, effort, ingenuity, dedication, and conviction. Hence, the construction industry here needs the right push to become smarter and more efficient, cost-effective, and competitive. And payment orchestration can guarantee just that. Choosing an orchestration platform like PayTabs can especially turbocharge the construction landscape, make processes smooth and fast, and open up a whole new world of possibilities.

The UAE’s travel and tourism sector contributed more than USD 45 billion to its GDP in 2022. By 2028, this contribution is likely to reach USD 62.8 billion. Hence, if you are running a tour agency, it’s time to ride the wave of growth and take your business to new heights. Enhancing customer experience is crucial for that though. A payment orchestration platform for the travel industry can especially make a difference.

Such platforms help you to coordinate and manage numerous online payment gateways, processors, services, networks, and methods, so that operations become more efficient, costs are minimized, transactions become seamless, checkout becomes simpler, and customer satisfaction improves. After all, happier customers translate to fewer instances of abandoned bookings and a higher conversion rate. Let’s understand how a payment orchestration platform can transform your game in the dynamic travel landscape.

Importance of Payment Orchestration Platform for Travel Industry

Your travel agency offers intangible services to customers, which is different from selling physical products. Moreover, someone can choose to travel to any country, even in the remote pockets of the world. Apart from booking flights or arranging for visas, you also need to handle accommodations and activities. Since the prices of every aspect of a trip can fluctuate based on the season, demand, availability, and related factors, a platform that ensures payment optimization for the travel industry can go a long way in easing your life.

Here are the top benefits of embracing orchestration:

• Increased Authorization Rate – One of the biggest advantages is that every payment request gets automatically routed to the most suitable processor, so that more transactions get authorized. This not only implies greater customer satisfaction, but also more conversions.
• Multiple Payment Methods – A platform that facilitates payment orchestration for travel industries allows you to offer various payment methods, including credit and debit cards, digital wallets, buy now pay later schemes, cash on delivery, bank transfer, and mobile payments. When shoppers get more options and flexibility, they are less likely to abandon their bookings and more likely to check out.
• Multiple Currencies – The best payment orchestration solutions for travel businesses support multiple currencies, so that customers from any corner of the world can transact smoothly and comfortably. Being able to pay in their local currency helps a customer to trust your business more. Also, you can easily expand your reach beyond the UAE this way. Orchestration platforms also ensure transparency with their currency conversion feature, whether a UAE resident plans to fly to another country or a foreign national decides to visit the UAE.
• Security – Orchestration of payment processes for travel agencies strengthens the security of sensitive data related to transactions and customers. Robust fraud prevention measures and multi-layer authentication mechanisms instill confidence in your customers, thereby boosting the conversion rate.
• Compliance – It is essential to comply with payment regulations in the UAE as well as other countries in which you conduct business. Payment orchestration for the travel industry makes it easy to do so, thereby building customer trust and driving more people from the consideration to the purchase stage. In other words, you witness a significant jump in the revenue through payment orchestration.
• Mobile Optimization – In the UAE, more and more consumers are using their mobile devices to make purchases. This is mainly because of the high penetration of such devices as well as the affinity Gen Z and millennial shoppers feel towards technology. Payment Orchestration for Travel Industry can optimize your web store for mobile devices and simplify the checkout experience. This lowers the chances of a customer abandoning their bookings at the last moment due to technical glitches.

Adopt Payment Orchestration to Go Places with Your Travel Business

By now, you surely realize why your revenue through payment orchestration is bound to shoot up. Remember that as a travel agency owner, you need a platform that is easy to integrate with your website and set up for action. It should also align with your specific requirements and budget. With the right platform, you can leverage automation smartly, maximize efficiencies, minimize expenses, and enhance the customer experience like never before. A provider like PayTabs can particularly help with the latest AI-powered technologies and tailor-made solutions.

A fuss-free, fast, and safe payment experience is a key part of what makes an online business thrive in the Middle East. After all, when it comes to money, no one wants to take unnecessary risks or put up with a digital experience that causes more friction and trouble than ease. A smooth payment and checkout process helps both merchants and customers by improving flexibility, transparency, trust, and efficiency. However, myriad online payment gateways, processors, service providers, and networks can make it tricky for you to manage and coordinate them all as a business owner. Luckily, payment orchestration can step in here and streamline and optimize the overall payment experience. A well-rounded orchestration platform like PayTabs can boost the acceptance rate for payments, handle multiple payment options and routes easily, ensure complete compliance with regulations, and minimize transaction costs as well.

The right payment orchestration platform can especially help if you are looking to scale fast in the Middle Eastern region or spread your wings in other countries without setting up brick-and-mortar stores. But before you get onboard, it is important for you to know about the three key aspects of payment orchestration – Connect, Manage, and Optimize.

Connect

Globalization has brought different geographies, cultures, and people together like never before. So, there is no doubt that the time is ripe for expanding the customer base and tapping new markets. However, it is essential to tailor your offerings and options based on local customs, trends, or preferences. In other words, if you are doing business in a new country, you would want shoppers to feel comfortable and safe enough while making payments. This will lead to more conversions. Here’s how a robust payment orchestration platform can come to your aid:

• You can enjoy access to a wide array of payment service providers, and choose based on the services and features they offer as well as their charges. You won’t have to worry about complex payment integration strategies or integrating with every provider you like separately. A large pool of providers will also allow you to negotiate rates better and maintain bigger profit margins on every transaction.
• You can make the payment experience user-centric by enabling customers to pay in their local currency and pick from methods that are familiar to them. This will build their confidence and encourage them to keep coming back for repeat purchases. If shopping from you is easy, they will recommend your brand to others too.

• The orchestration platform efficiently prevents frauds and detects suspicious or malicious activities, in line with local regulations. Leading platforms feature the latest security measures, like tokenization, to perfectly encrypt customer data and eliminate the scope of misuse even if a hacker gets their hands on the same. This translates to peace of mind for both merchants like you and shoppers, enhancing your credibility as an international business.

Manage

To achieve payment processing efficiency, it is not enough to have access to the best tools. You also need to manage them well, so that you have better control over the payment and checkout experience. Moreover, since every business has distinct needs and goals, managing various aspects of payment can look different for different entities.

With the right payment orchestration platform, things become simple:

• You can quickly connect to any payment service provider you want without coding or getting technical. Platforms like PayTabs allow you to manage payouts, subscriptions, refunds and more on a unified dashboard, which saves your energy and helps you focus better on core business areas.
• There are plenty of filters available too, so you can customize the checkout experience for different kinds of customers. For instance, based on their location, value of sale, preferred or local currency, and other related factors, you can decide which payment service providers a particular shopper will be able to see. If a customer can find the exact payment method they are looking for, you will automatically improve the conversion rate and reduce instances of cart abandonment.

• One of the key payment orchestration benefits is that you can avail top-quality technical support whenever required. Apart from facilitating seamless merchant onboarding, orchestration platforms offer training sessions for your team and address any technical glitch you might run into later. You won’t need to get in touch with an individual payment service provider’s support center anymore, which will save time and hassle.

Optimize

Optimization is necessary to make the most of a payment system management platform. As your business evolves, the payment experience you offer will need to change or improve too. Top orchestration platforms take care of that by putting you in charge, and constantly devising and suggesting ways to enhance your revenue as well as margin. Here is how they help:

• Payment orchestration platforms routes every transaction in the most optimal way, so that it gets accepted and processed quickly. For instance, if a certain payment provider declines a payment request, the latter is automatically routed to another provider. This process can happen multiple times in just seconds, until the transaction is approved. The best part is that the customer stays completely unaware of what goes on behind the scenes, which makes it easier to retain them, improve their satisfaction, and score more sales.
• The best orchestration platforms also enable customers to split their spending across multiple payment service providers, which means more convenience, freedom, and flexibility. This especially holds true in case of big-value purchases. Customers can also opt for buy now pay later or installment payment options. All these features make like easy for even low-income demographics or young shoppers who are on a tight budget or have just started working. Your brand value and reputation also sees an uptick.
• Payment orchestration platforms also help you to generate detailed data-backed insights and reports with a few clicks, so that you can make informed decisions without burying your head in complicated calculations. You can say goodbye to stressful spreadsheets and instead download and collate as many reports as you want for strategic decision-making.
• Such platforms also help you to zero in on payment service providers and processors that are apt for your business or a particular scenario. They analyze countless transactions around the world to provide you with industry-specific data. Hence, you get to make choices that increase your sales, revenue, customer loyalty, and bottom line.

Make the Most of Payment Orchestration

Now that you know how payment orchestration platforms help you connect, manage, and optimize payments for an efficient, speedy, and secure experience, get ready to choose one. Research well and compare different platforms in terms of services, features, and cost structures. Check if the team is qualified and experienced enough to handle any problems you might face along the road, depending on your industry, nature and size of the business, challenges, and objectives. Go through reviews and request demos before taking a call.

The term payment orchestration has been doing the rounds in Middle East’s ecommerce landscape for some time now. So, what is it? Much like the orchestra you are familiar with, where a large group of musicians come together to play a variety of instruments, led by a conductor. A payment orchestration platform enhances the overall payment experience for your customers while minimizing costs and improving efficiency. It involves the management and coordination of multiple payment methods, services, gateways, service providers, networks, and processors in an automated and systematic manner. This ensures the security and seamlessness of every transaction.

Read on to know more about why modern merchants like you need payment orchestration for transaction processes, how to choose the right platform for your venture, and the things you need to keep in mind while offering orchestration services to customers.

Why Embrace Payment Orchestration?

By next year, Middle East’s ecommerce sector is expected to reach an impressive market volume of USD 50 billion. Most businesses, whether they are established or new, are joining the digital bandwagon to reach a larger base of target audience, especially millennials and Gen Z customers. So, to stay competitive, you not only need an attractive and easy-to-navigate online store as well as quality products, but also a smooth checkout process. The kind of last mile delivery you offer customers can make or break your brand. So, not only do you need to offer customers various payment options, you must make sure that all transactions happen fast and no sensitive data gets compromised.

Payment optimization through orchestration can help you with exactly that and more. It can route every payment request via the best possible channel, so that the chance of failure or non-acceptance is minimal. Moreover, if you intend to foray into new markets or geographies or you are already an international player, payment orchestration can help you align with regional regulations and distinct customer preferences. An orchestration platform can handle large transaction volumes too. So, how to pick one from the myriad options available out there?

How to Select the Ideal Payment Orchestration Platform?

Here is what you need to keep in mind while picking a platform to suit your business’s needs and goals.

• Conduct a Proper Assessment

Before choosing a payment orchestration or transaction management platform, check which payment channels and methods it supports. Channels might include in-store, online, and mobile, while methods might include digital wallets, debit and credit cards, internet banking, and alternative payment modes. Make sure there are plenty of options, to cater to different demographics and regions. The platform should also offer a smooth onboarding process for merchants like you.

• Focus on Security and Scalability

The payment orchestration platform must satisfy the latest security standards and comply with both local and international regulations, depending on where you want to grow your business. It should be able to detect and prevent different kinds of frauds and alert you about the same. The platform should be flexible enough to align with new market trends and scalable as well. Find out if it has ample options for customization and enhancements.

• Check Integration Capabilities

The platform should be easy to integrate with your ecommerce website, mobile application, other software solutions, and point of sale. You should be able to connect with multiple online payment gateways, service providers, processors, and so on. Proper payment integration will help you provide a glitch-free experience to customers anywhere in the world.

• Assess Currency Support

If you plan to expand your business in other countries, find out if the orchestration platform supports payments in multiple currencies. Since customers anywhere prefer to make payments in their local currencies, giving them that option will win you trust and brownie points. There should be an efficient currency exchange system in place too, and the platform should be compliant with local laws.

• Find Out About Analytics Capabilities

While choosing a platform for orchestrated payment processing, check if they offer in-depth analytics reports on your payment ecosystem. Various tools and dashboards should be available to help you review transactions, cash flow, revenue, etc. Using data intelligently can help you obtain valuable insights, spot inefficiencies or gaps in the current payment system, make improvements wherever possible, and take more strategic decisions in the future.

• Look into Reliability and Reputation

Go through reviews and testimonials to understand the dependability and robustness of the orchestration platform. Talk to other businesses that use the platform, if possible. Also enquire about the customer support they provide, if their team is easily reachable during a crisis, and if they offer training sessions.

• Go for a Trial

Before getting onboard with payment orchestration for transaction processes, it is important to examine the features and functionalities of an orchestration platform before taking a decision. So, request for a trial or demo run to see how the platform would perform in the real world. Watch out for downtime, since you might lose potential customers if the platform is not available or operational for long or frequently.

• Consider the Pricing Model

Ask if the platform provider will be charging you a percentage of the total transaction volume or a fixed fee. Keep your business model in mind and how you expect your transaction volume to increase while gauging the aptness of the pricing structure.

• Check Terms and Conditions

Before signing the dotted line on the contract, check the fine print carefully and go through cancellation policies and fees. The contract should also mention what happens in case your business model or goals change or if the provider fails to deliver as promised.

Get Ready to Transform Transaction Processes

Now that you know why a payment orchestration platform is important and how to select one that aligns with your business, get started with some thorough research. Take your time to go through provider websites to understand their offerings, rate structures, benefits, and more. Shortlist and talk to them to discuss your specific needs and objectives. Compare both in terms of services and costs to arrive at an informed decision. The right platform can augment transaction efficiency and take your customer’s experience to a whole new level, thereby boosting your brand value, presence, and bottom line.