Trust is “paramount” to customers in the payments industry, according to Rory O’Neill, chief marketing officer at checkout.com, the global payment service provider.
Speaking on the Scaling Europe podcast, O’Neill stressed that building and maintaining trust among customers has never been more important, particularly as people become increasingly cautious in today’s digital world and the ongoing shift towards e-commerce accelerates.
He explained that customers are paying closer attention to how their payments data is handled and are seeking greater clarity around how companies communicate fees, policies and data protection.
For this reason, O’Neill recommended that businesses prioritise transparency in their messaging to help strengthen long-term relationships and customer confidence.
O’Neill added that trust doesn’t just create customer loyalty as it can also act as a major differentiator in such a crowded and competitive payments landscape.
“We are fortunate enough to play in an extremely fast-paced market,” he said. “We want to offer merchants an exclusive alternative from others in the market.”
Although competition across the sector continues to intensify, O’Neill said this doesn’t mean growth opportunities are limited.
In fact, he believes the scope for expansion remains significant, particularly on a global scale, which has become one of checkout.com’s core ambitions.
He highlighted the US as a key example of this potential, describing it as an increasingly important market for payments companies. O’Neill revealed that checkout.com recorded 80% growth in the US in 2024, signalling strong momentum in the region.
“The US has the biggest payments market in the world—it’s huge,” he said.