Checkout & Payments
Transact on the brand's own merchant account
In one sentence
Client Merchant-of-Record lets a brand transact on its own merchant account rather than the platform's, so the brand keeps direct commercial and regulatory ownership of every payment it takes.
How it works
Instead of payments flowing through a shared merchant account operated by the platform, transactions settle directly against the brand's own merchant account with their chosen acquirer, while still running through the same checkout, payment methods and fraud and tax handling as everything else on the platform. This is relevant to brands who need direct control of settlement, their own acquirer relationships and rates, or specific regulatory ownership of the payment flow, rather than operating through a shared arrangement. This capability is on the roadmap — it is not yet live, so timing and scope should be confirmed with the owning product manager before it's positioned as available.
The problem it solves
For the brand
Some brands — particularly larger or more regulated ones — need to hold their own merchant-of-record status for reasons of financial control, existing acquirer relationships, or regulatory and audit requirements, rather than settling through a shared merchant arrangement.
For their customers
This is primarily a back-office and commercial arrangement rather than something a shopper experiences directly in the checkout flow, since the goal is that the buying experience stays unchanged regardless of which merchant account settles the transaction.
For shoppers
For the brand
Direct ownership of settlement and the commercial terms of the merchant account
Payment processing cost, acquirer relationship control
Supports regulatory or audit requirements that require the brand to be merchant of record
Compliance and audit readiness
Preserves the existing checkout, payment method and fraud stack rather than requiring a separate build
Implementation scope versus a full custom payment build
Keeps the option open for brands who outgrow a shared merchant arrangement
Scalability of the commercial relationship
In practice
A brand with its own acquirer relationship and regulatory requirements needs to be merchant of record for its transactions.
The commercial and technical scoping for this is a project run with the owning product manager, since the capability sits on the roadmap rather than in general availability.
Once scoped and delivered, the checkout would continue to look and behave as it does today for the shopper.
Settlement would route to the brand's own merchant account rather than a shared one, changing the commercial arrangement rather than the buying experience.
Where it lands hardest
Health & nutrition
Relevant primarily to larger brands with existing regulatory or acquirer requirements, rather than a category-specific driver.
Beauty & personal care
Relevance is driven by brand scale and existing commercial arrangements rather than anything specific to the category.
Food, drink & FMCG
Relevant where a brand's existing acquirer or regulatory position requires it, rather than a category-driven need.
Pet care
Relevance is driven by brand scale and existing arrangements rather than anything category-specific.
Fashion & apparel
Relevant primarily to larger, established brands with existing merchant relationships they wish to retain.
Luxury & premium
Often the most relevant vertical in practice, since larger luxury groups are more likely to already hold their own acquirer relationships and want to keep them.
Common questions & objections
Why the platform version wins
The intent is that a brand moving to its own merchant-of-record status keeps the same shared checkout, payment method breadth, and fraud and tax handling — changing who settles the transaction commercially, not rebuilding the buying experience from scratch.