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Times have changed with back-to-school spending

Younger consumers drive a digital‑first checkout, and they’ll abandon carts if their preferred payment method isn’t available. For SMBs, enabling Apple Pay/Google Pay and embedded wallets isn’t a “nice‑to‑have,” it’s critical to cutting steps and saving the sale.

,   and  Bill Schiffner
1 min read

NEW YORK — Back-to-school shopping is no longer just about notebooks and sneakers: it’s about meeting the payment expectations of digital-first consumers. Younger, digital-first shoppers expect fast, wallet-friendly, and consistent payment experiences across channels. For small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), and the SaaS platforms that power them, payments readiness will decide who captures the seasonal spike. 

Here’s what’s changed: 

  • Gen Z + Gen Alpha expect tap‑and‑go. Younger consumers drive a digital‑first checkout, and they’ll abandon carts if their preferred payment method isn’t available. For SMBs, enabling Apple Pay/Google Pay and embedded wallets isn’t a “nice‑to‑have,” it’s critical to cutting steps and saving the sale.
  • One checkout across every channel. Families browse on social, buy online, pick up in store, and return anywhere. A unified payment token and consistent methods (in-store, online, subscription, and social) reduce friction and keep revenue in-flow.
  • Peak-season fraud needs peak-season controls. Back‑to‑school surges attract bad actors. SMBs can protect consumers by pairing tokenization with  adaptive risk tools to protect good customers without needless declines.
  • Monetize the moment with embedded payments. SMBs can turn back-to-school into a loyalty and revenue moment by embedding payments, simplifying operational friction while unlocking recurring revenue year-round.

Adam Gray, Stax Payments’ chief transformation officer said “For retailers, back-to-school shopping isn’t just about having school supplies; it’s a stress test for checkout. Today’s younger consumers, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, are digital-first, and they’ll quickly abandon their carts if their preferred payment method isn’t there. Digital wallets like Apple Pay Google Pay, and PayPal have become table stakes."

"For merchants, consistency across channels and stronger fraud controls are what protect sales during seasonal shopping spikes. When done right, having an embedded payments solution doesn’t just cut friction; it turns back-to-school shoppers into loyal, year-round customers,” he added.

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