TNS expands payment platform for unattended commerce

TNS has expanded its payment orchestration platform to support more than 100 alternative payment methods alongside traditional card schemes. The move is aimed at businesses in unattended settings such as parking and self-service.

The platform now gives merchants a single connection to payment options including digital wallets, QR-based payments, Pay by Link, buy-now-pay-later services and local payment schemes. The expansion is designed to help businesses respond to shifting consumer preferences without taking on multiple integrations or additional provider relationships.

Unattended sectors are a particular focus because payment choice can determine whether a sale is completed. In car parks, kiosks and other self-service environments, customers may leave without finishing a purchase if their preferred payment method is unavailable and no staff member is present to suggest an alternative.

Michael Johnson, Global Managing Director, TNS Payments Market, said payment acceptance coverage has become more important as consumer behaviour changes across in-person, mobile and online channels.

"The breadth of payment acceptance is particularly important in these unattended environments, where there is often no staff member available to direct a customer to an alternative payment method if their first choice is unavailable," said Michael Johnson, Global Managing Director, TNS Payments Market, TNS.

"In parking, self-service and similar environments, a consumer whose preferred payment method is not accepted may abandon the transaction entirely, making payment method coverage a direct driver of revenue protection," Johnson added.

Single connection

Businesses can accept additional payment methods through one connection rather than building separate links to each provider. TNS manages connections, compliance, and processing in the background, while customers continue to use the platform to accept payments.

The change reflects a wider shift in payments as merchants face a more fragmented market. Payment preferences vary by country, customer group and transaction type, making it harder for businesses operating across regions or channels to decide which methods to support.

This challenge is more pronounced in unattended commerce, where the payment window is brief, and there is less opportunity to recover a failed transaction. A merchant running self-service infrastructure may therefore need to offer both established card schemes and newer payment options to capture demand from a broader range of customers.

Johnson said narrow acceptance can directly lead to lost sales.

"Consumer payment preferences are changing faster than ever and businesses that only accept a narrow range of payment methods risk losing revenue every time a customer's preferred option is unavailable," he said.

"By supporting more than 100 alternative payment methods through a single platform connection, we are giving businesses the coverage they need to accept any payment, anywhere, without adding complexity to their operations."

Market expansion

David Hore, Senior Director, Payments Product Portfolio, TNS Payments Market, said the diversity of payment methods is a major issue for companies entering new markets. Local habits and domestic payment schemes can differ sharply, meaning businesses often need to tailor payment acceptance to each territory.

For companies with self-service operations, getting that mix wrong can have immediate costs. If a consumer encounters an unsupported payment method at the point of payment, there may be no second chance to complete the sale.

"Payment method diversity is one of the biggest challenges a business faces when expanding across markets and it becomes particularly acute in unattended environments where there is no opportunity to offer an alternative at the point of failure," said David Hore, Senior Director, Payments Product Portfolio, TNS Payments Market, TNS.

"Our platform removes that complexity, giving businesses a single connection to the payment methods their customers want to use, wherever they are in the world," Hore added.

The expanded support sits within TNS's wider payments offering, which combines payment acceptance, Android terminals and orchestration services through one managed platform. TNS serves more than 2,800 organisations across more than 50 countries.