Nets is part of Nexi, one of Europe’s large payment companies, and was main sponsor of this year’s Summit. Patrik Müller works in its Stockholm office, one of about 150 people there. His session covered what is changing in hospitality payments, from devices already on the counter to things still years away.
New terminals, new rails
He started with hardware: a new generation of terminals. Some are fully portable. One has a removable screen you can carry to the guest. Several can run apps, built by you or by your suppliers.
Further out is the digital euro. Pilots are running, and Nets is part of them. The expected rollout is now 2029. A year ago it was 2027. “So perhaps it’s 2030,” he said. Worth knowing about, not worth watching closely.
Europe also wants payment rails of its own. Account-to-account payments like Swish and Vipps MobilePay work well inside one country. Wero aims to do the same across borders, and in the Netherlands iDEAL has already become Wero. The Nordics are working on resilience too. In some countries it is possible to take payments offline if the network goes down, at your own risk.
AI moves the start of the journey
In a Nets survey, 79% of Swedes said they use AI assistants. 48% had used one for booking or shopping in the past month. Traffic is moving away from websites, and many sites cannot be read by AI assistants at all. Patrik has tested it himself, asking for things he knows are on a site and getting nothing back. If an assistant cannot find you, you are not part of the conversation.
Nets has also worked with Mastercard on a proof of concept where an AI agent completed a food purchase in seconds. Mastercard’s Timothée Badin covered it in his session later that afternoon.
The distracted guest
Guests are easily distracted, and one of the top reasons they abandon a purchase is simple: the payment method they wanted was not there. Patrik no longer carries a wallet. When a site takes cards but not Apple Pay, he cannot finish the purchase. So check your mix: Swish, cards, Klarna, invoice, PayPal, Apple Pay, Trustly. Each one you are missing turns someone away.
Click to Pay helps card payments catch up with the phone. A guest enters an email address or phone number, confirms with a code and picks a saved card. When a card is replaced, the new one appears automatically.
He also noted a counter-trend. Many young people say they are tired of the digital world. Screen time is falling. Knitting and analog cameras are back. Physical experiences are popular again.
What it means with VISIT
CJ Holmén from VISIT and a Nets colleague closed the session. The two companies had just received a collaboration award, and they explained what the partnership means for customers.
Enabling Klarna in Sweden brought quick uptake, and average basket size went up with it. New all-in-one devices combine the point of sale, the terminal and receipt printing in one unit: one charger and one Wi-Fi connection instead of three. The first smart station is now connected at a front desk, with a second screen facing the guest.
For BookVisit users, one change saves real time. Virtual cards from OTAs can now be charged directly, without keying them in, and this is live for everyone. Charging can also be scheduled, so it happens automatically; contact support to turn it on. “We want to give you time back to talk to your guests,” CJ said.
The new terminals are on the way, and customers who want to try them early can join the pilot.
Try it yourself
Open your own checkout on your phone, and leave your physical card in the drawer. If you cannot finish the purchase, neither can your guests.