The Rise of Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) in 2025

In today’s retail landscape, payment flexibility is no longer a “nice to have” — it’s a conversion driver. Studies show that up to 56% of shoppers will abandon a purchase if their preferred payment method isn’t available. This is especially true in cross-border commerce, mobile-first markets, and industries where younger demographics dominate.

Customers now expect a wide range of Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), including:

• Digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal, Amazon Pay, WeChat Pay, Alipay

• BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later): Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Sezzle

• Open banking / Pay-by-bank: Trustly, GoCardless, TrueLayer, iDEAL, Link Money

• Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, Litecoin, stablecoins

• Local payment methods: SEPA, Giropay, Sofort, BLIK, Pix, Interac, POLi, PayNow

Yet, NetSuite’s SuitePayments covers only a small portion of this spectrum.

What SuitePayments Supports — and Where It Falls Short

 Supported Payment Methods

• Major credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)

• ACH / Direct debit (select regions)

• PayPal (via Cybersource)

 Not Supported or Limited

• Digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Amazon Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay

• BNPL: Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Sezzle

• Open banking / Pay-by-bank: Trustly, iDEAL, GoCardless, TrueLayer

• Crypto: BTC, ETH, USDC, LTC, stablecoins

• Regional/local methods: SEPA, Giropay, Sofort, BLIK, Pix, Interac, POLi, PayNow

This means SuitePayments works well for traditional transactions, but leaves gaps for businesses selling in competitive global markets or serving younger, mobile-first customers.

Why SuitePayments Has These Gaps

The limitations aren’t accidental. SuitePayments focuses on:

• Traditional finance flows optimised for credit cards and ACH.

• Limited processor partnerships, meaning many new payment types aren’t natively integrated.

• Certification & compliance overhead, which slows adoption of emerging methods like crypto and open banking.

For merchants, these gaps can cause:

• Higher cart abandonment rates in markets where local methods dominate.

• Lost opportunities with Gen Z and millennial shoppers who prefer mobile wallets and BNPL.

• Increased competitive pressure from brands offering broader payment flexibility.

The Real-World Impact on Conversions and Customer Experience

Imagine a European customer trying to check out on your store:

• You offer only credit card and PayPal.

• They prefer Sofort or Giropay — both are unavailable.

• They abandon the cart.

Or consider a US-based Gen Z shopper:

• They want to split payments over time with Klarna.

• SuitePayments can’t offer it.

• They choose a competitor that does.

In both cases, the payment method gap directly impacts revenue.

Solving the Problem: Adding More Payment Methods to NetSuite

Option 1: Add a Payment Orchestration Layer with SensePass

SensePass is built to bridge exactly these gaps without forcing merchants to abandon SuitePayments entirely. It acts as a payment orchestration platform that connects NetSuite to a global network of payment providers — all through one integration.

With SensePass, you can:

• Offer 100+ payment methods instantly — Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal, Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Trustly, iDEAL, Alipay, WeChat Pay, Pix, and more.

• Add cryptocurrency payments for BTC, ETH, USDC, and stablecoins.

• Enable open banking for faster settlement, lower fees, and reduced fraud risk.

• Maintain unified reporting by feeding all transactions back into NetSuite.

• Avoid long IT projects — for supported POS, ERP, and e-commerce platforms, it’s a simple connection, not a custom integration.

Option 2: Use SuiteScript for Custom Integrations

For merchants with strong in-house NetSuite expertise, SuiteScript can be used to connect directly to new payment APIs. However, this approach requires:

• More development time

• Ongoing maintenance

• Payment compliance expertise

Option 3: Hybrid Payment Stack

Many merchants choose to keep SuitePayments for core credit card processing and route unsupported methods through SensePass or other gateways. This hybrid model:

• Preserves existing workflows

• Expands payment acceptance

• Allows negotiation of better rates with multiple processors

Why SensePass Is a Strategic Advantage for NetSuite Merchants

The SensePass value proposition goes beyond just adding missing payment types:

• Lower fees: Choose from multiple credit card processors to negotiate optimal rates.

• Higher approval rates: Especially for riskier industries (e.g., firearms, CBD, travel) via open banking and alternative methods.

• Faster market expansion: Launch in new countries without waiting months for payment method certifications.

• Future-proofing: As new payment methods emerge, they can be added instantly without major IT investment.

Final Takeaways

SuitePayments is a solid foundation, but it’s not enough to compete in 2025’s diverse payment landscape. By adding a solution like SensePass, NetSuite merchants can close the gap — enabling Apple Pay, Google Pay, BNPL, crypto, open banking, and dozens of local payment methods — all while keeping their existing NetSuite workflows intact.

If you’re ready to expand your NetSuite payment capabilities, book a call with a payment specialist and see how SensePass can unlock 100+ payment methods with just one connection.