As one of the most trusted and established payments platforms, PayPal’s fraud detection tools operate with advanced data analytics and machine learning, identifying transaction anomalies and monitoring user behaviour in real time.

Santiago says the company has had some of these systems in place for the better part of a decade – long before AI became the tech buzzword it is today – allowing the payment platform to grow in sophistication alongside the threats it identifies.

This is particularly valuable for businesses facing common threats like phishing, card testing, and chargeback fraud, allowing the platform to automatically block suspicious transactions while minimising impact on legitimate customers.

For Echidna Sewing, an Australian family business dealing in high-value sewing and embroidery machines, security in online transactions is paramount. By transitioning to Complete Payments, the company not only streamlined its payment processing, but also gained critical protection through the platform’s built-in risk management tools.

With machines priced as high as $20,000, this added security has helped Echidna Sewing safeguard its online sales and focus on building customer relationships.

“Our focus is increasingly on fraud mitigation. We’re lucky to have fraud rates well below industry averages, but even a small amount can have a significant impact on our bottom line,” says Erik Merkley, general manager at Echidna Sewing.

“Moving to PayPal for our credit card processing gave us access to 3D Secure, which shifts the liability for chargebacks onto the banks. Without 3DS, small businesses are left to bear the full cost of fraud. We got tired of always being the ones to lose out.”

Keeping it safe, but at the same time keeping customers, is what a successful payments platform is all about, Merkley says.

“Payments are the kind of thing you only hear about when they break! Customers want a quick and streamlined checkout experience, and they want total trust when they’re entering their card details. The PayPal platform’s card processing integrates seamlessly into our website checkout keeping roadblocks to purchase to a minimum.”

PayPal’s Complete Payments platform helps SMBs reach consumers by providing secure, convenient checkout processes, supporting merchants in managing risk and reducing friction.

By automating these protections, it enables businesses to focus on growth rather than managing every risk independently, says Santiago.

“AI has been an area that we have been historically invested in, not just in terms of payments, but in ancillary kinds of capabilities such as fraud and risk,” he says.

“It’s also been very critical in terms of personalisation – a very hot topic in our industry at the moment – which is all about offering relevant choices to our customers. It’s all about rethinking and re-energising what the path to purchase might look like.”

Ultimately, payment platforms offer not only security, but opportunities to grow. One example of this is buy now, pay later.

With current cost of living pressures, consumers are looking for flexibility in how they pay. One way businesses can offer consumers more choice is through providing a buy now, pay later (BNPL) solution, which can also help drive conversion for businesses, says Santiago.

“PayPal’s BNPL solution is fairly unique as it has no consumer fees – and by that, I mean no late fees, no interest, no sign up or account keeping fees for consumers. This has led to it becoming popular with Australian consumers. What’s more, there is no additional cost to merchants beyond their existing PayPal rates.

“In a market where many BNPL services charge merchants up to 6 per cent as a service fee, providing a BNPL solution that’s included at no additional cost is an attractive alternative.”

To find out more, please visit https://www.paypal.com/au/business