The user interface layer of a payments solution has long been considered to be a major pain point and conversion killer, according to AstroPay CEO Mikael Lijtenstein. But by taking a new, ‘radical approach’ to integrations in 2022, the payment provider hopes to streamline the user journey and ‘virtually remove all pain points’ for customers.

Speaking to SBC News, Lijtenstein delved into AstroPay’s customisable API which he believes will help with the management and facilitation of payments. He highlighted that with a custom API integration, merchants can process withdrawals easily, thereby “offering their customers a variety of local options in order to make withdrawals through AstroPay platform”.

He said: “The new function offers merchants the possibility to process withdrawals from a customisable API that adapts to the merchant’s requirements for security and velocity. This means, with a custom API integration, merchants can process withdrawals easily, offering their customers a variety of local options in order to make withdrawals through the AstroPay platform. 

“The API is designed to adjust to any workflow and security checks the merchant has to undergo – it is highly flexible, reliable and easy to adopt.

“We currently support two ways of which merchants can integrate this host-to-host API. The merchant can either opt for a closed loop mechanism, whereby they send the funds to the same user who deposited on the site, or the merchant opts to provide a cash out option for all users. In both cases, the user can transfer the money from the merchant into their digital wallet.”

The withdrawal solution, Lijtenstein continued, has been designed with ease of use in mind with the user-friendly interface available to those that have an AstroPay account as well as those that do not.

“Just by following simple steps, users can collect money into the wallet, which can be withdrawn to a bank or credit card or deposited again,” he said. The flow for customers is simple, they can select the option to withdraw money with AstroPay at the merchant’s site without the need of entering any data, and then they can collect their money in their AstroPay digital wallet. 

“Moreover, the API is highly customisable, allowing merchants to apply different combinations of security controls to be enforced based on risk needs.”

By prioritising user experience and making the withdrawal solution customisable, AstroPay is confident that merchants will be able to offer their customers “the best experience possible”. 

The CEO went on to explain that by using AstroPay’s withdrawal API, merchants can implement a very smooth withdrawal process with maximum conversion and minimum effort on both their and the user’s side.

Lijtenstein added: “User experience is extremely important, especially when we wish to provide a payment solution that is trusted by our users. People want personalised experiences and value alignment from their service providers. The need for the payment process to be as invisible as possible to avoid any pain points of contact with the merchant, has become the most important aspect in a customer/user journey. This comes along with the need for trust as an implicit hallmark, and we need to build an environment that is secure by default.

“Merchants want to offer customers the best experience possible with the ability to process withdrawals easily. Users demand the possibility to make withdrawals in a simple way. In fact, according to an investigation we carried out among our users, the vast majority of them stated that they look for sites where they can withdraw their money in a fast and secure way. 

“With AstroPay’s withdrawal solution, merchants can implement a very smooth withdrawal process with maximum conversion and minimum effort on both their and the user’s side.”

As the conversation drew to a close, talk turned towards plans for the next 12 months – more specifically, how AstroPay plans to continue improving withdrawals.

Lijtenstein drew particular attention to the overall UI layer, and the impact that a long-winded withdrawal process can have on player conversion and engagement. 

He explained that AstroPay has outlined new goals to “virtually remove all pain points” during the user journey: “It’s been long known in the industry that the UI layer of the integration is a major pain point and conversion killer when working with payment solutions, mainly due to ever changing browser and apps restrictions. 

“Our R&D team has been working hard on trying a radical new approach for improving this area of our payment solutions. We are going to launch new innovative tools that make integration easier and virtually remove all pain points during the user journey, providing premium user experience to boost sales conversions.

“AstroPay will also introduce new features to our digital wallet solution, OneTouch, to enable merchants to do more things with less effort. This will help them not only operationally but also provide an easy and effortless way for the users to pay and withdraw with AstroPay. 

“As an innovative company, we are always striving to try new things to provide better service to our customers. 2021 was a year full of new innovations in AstroPay, and we learned so much from listening to our merchants and the feedback received from our end users. All these learnings will have a big impact on the service we provide.”