Merchant is a payment management and processing solution dedicated for D2C subscriber platforms, providing an efficient way to handle financial transactions. As an external Merchant of Record (MoR), Cleeng Merchant manages the entire payment lifecycle, including transaction processing, fraud prevention, chargeback management, and compliance with international tax regulations.
Using Cleeng's Merchant means clients don't have to manage complex payment processes themselves, allowing them to focus solely on their business.
Out-of-the-box payment integrations
The Merchant API provides a wide range of payment options to cater to diverse customer preferences worldwide, including a leading payment processor Adyen (which enables Apple Pay, Google Pay, and card payments with 3D Secure support) and PayPal. This flexibility, combined with the support for one-click registration and payments, allows broadcasters to process a high volume of secure transactions efficiently. Additionally, Merchant handles recurring billing seamlessly, along with dunning process and payment retries, to help maximize revenue by reducing churn and minimizing lost payments.
Branding identity and seamless checkout
Mediastore SDK offers a set of ready-to-use front-end modules for payment which allows users to create a customized checkout experience tailored to their brand identity. They can easily add branding elements like colors, images and logos to create a customized checkout look. By leveraging the MS SDK, businesses can integrate Cleeng's payment processing capabilities into their platforms while maintaining a consistent look and feel that aligns with their brand. This not only enhances the user experience but also strengthens brand recognition and trust among customers.
Global tax compliance
Advanced tax management is another key feature of Merchant. The platform automatically calculates and applies taxes based on customer location and relevant tax jurisdictions. It ensures compliance with complex tax regulations, including VAT or sales tax. Additionally, Cleeng handles tax filings and remittances to the local authorities on behalf of the broadcaster, and is liable for any mistake or penalty. To enhance accuracy in the US and Canada, Cleeng integrates with tax compliance tool Avalara.
This compliance enables clients to operate legally and confidently in multiple markets without the risk of fines or legal complications.
Detailed reporting and analytics
Merchant offers real-time tracking and analytics tools that provide insights into transaction performance, payment success rates, and subscriber behavior. It spots issues and triggers fast setting updates. Ongoing monitoring allows Cleeng to provide continuous support and insights to the broadcaster, benchmarking its performance vs other broadcasters and sharing learnings from similar issues. A/B testing is also performed to constantly look for the most optimal settings.
Chargeback management and fraud prevention
By acting as the Merchant of Record, Cleeng takes on the responsibility of handling chargebacks, employing advanced fraud detection and prevention strategies to identify and mitigate fraudulent activities before they impact the business. Cleeng's automated chargeback handling processes streamline the resolution of disputes, reducing the administrative burden on digital subscription service providers.
Increased data security
The tool ensures security and compliance by adhering to regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, PSD2, PCI DSS, VAT-MOSS, as well as US and Canada state tax laws, and is SOC 2 Type 2 certified. Cleeng safeguards data through encryption and additional security measures on the backend.
Merchant offers an AI-based anti-fraud tool that detects and reacts to risk settings.
Important: Please note that you can implement Merchant only if you use Core (but it doesn’t work both ways and Merchant is not necessary to use Core).
Why use Merchant?
Global market expansion
Cleeng Merchant supports a wide range of currencies and local payment methods, which facilitates seamless transactions across international markets. This allows OTT platforms to expand their reach and cater to a global audience without worrying about currency conversion or payment processing challenges.
Hassle-free taxes and risk management
The solution automates tax calculation and remittance, including VAT, GST, and local sales taxes. This ensures compliance with international tax regulations and reduces the administrative burden associated with managing taxes across different regions.
Seamless integration
The Merchant solution easily integrates with various D2C subscriber platforms, providing a smooth setup process and reducing the time and effort needed to implement the payment system. This allows businesses to focus on content delivery and customer engagement.
Scalable and flexible solution
The platform is designed to scale with your business, accommodating growth and changes in subscription models. It provides the flexibility needed to adapt to new markets or adjust pricing strategies without significant infrastructure changes.
Reducing revenue loss
Merchant can reduce revenue loss by optimizing payment processes, such as minimizing failed transactions and offering multiple payment options, while improving subscriber retention through engaging communication, flexible subscription models, and a streamlined onboarding experience.
Improved payment success rate
Thanks to utilizing AI solutions and data intelligence, Merchant ensures boosted payment performance up to 95%. This is possible thanks to our efficient risk rules that have constantly been fine-tuned from 12 years of historical data, Network Tokens, as well as A/B testing on dunning settings. Merchant is outperforming the industry by a huge margin (8 percent points), and every extra % increase in payment success rate means more subscribers retained and more money collected for you.
Aid in strategic decision-making
Cleeng Merchant delivers detailed payment analytics, offering valuable insights into transaction performance and customer behavior. These analytics empower businesses to make informed choices to optimize their payment processes and enhance overall financial performance.