How Customer Experience Fuels Growth in Payments

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March 2025: Insights from Pay360 by Calypso Harland, Founder, Fintech Fringe

Hosted on the Innovation Stage at Pay360 by Fintech Fringe, this fireside chat brought together leaders redefining the payments experience through brand and customer-centric thinking.

Moderated by Simon Taylor, Head of Strategy at Sardine. The conversation featured:

  • David Sandström, Chief Marketing Officer, Klarna

  • Kamjar Hajabdolahi, CEO, Kustom


Together, they explored how brand identity and seamless customer experience underpin loyalty, conversion, and long-term business growth in an increasingly competitive payments landscape.

A Shared Foundation: Checkout as a Business-Critical Experience

The session opened with the story behind Klarna’s sale of its checkout business to Kustom, a move that underscored how the customer journey is evolving into two distinct innovation tracks: merchant-side and consumer-side.

Yet despite this split, both speakers were united on one essential truth: checkout is the moment that matters most.

“At the end of the day, it’s the same KPI… make sure that the purchase is completed in the smoothest possible way.”
David Sandström, Klarna

This shared goal, reducing friction at the point of payment, reveals why seamless checkout isn’t just about conversion. It builds brand trust, drives repeat business, and anchors the entire customer experience.

Consistency = Trust

Klarna and Kustom may now operate separately, but they’re both doubling down on consistency.

David shared how Klarna’s rebrand was driven by a need to differentiate from a financial services industry plagued by low trust and tired tropes.

“We chose pink not because it appeals to women, but because it’s the opposite of blue. It’s the antidote to an industry that’s boring, bureaucratic, and distrusted.”

Kamjar echoed this focus on trust as Kustom’s North Star. Kamjar notes that, in the Nordics, consumer familiarity with the checkout experience is so high, people can “almost blindly click through it- and that kind of trust drives market leadership”.

“We’re number one in the Nordics not just because of UX, but because of brand trust. Consumers know the flow, and that drives conversion.”


The Power of Seamless Design

Behind a smooth checkout lies a complex orchestration.

Both speakers pointed out that most merchants, especially in the midmarket, don’t have the technical teams to build high-performing checkouts in-house.

Kustom’s mission is to handle that complexity so merchants can focus on selling.

“Our job is conversion. We’re not just offering tech, we’re a business-critical service.”
Kamjar Hajabdolahi, Kustom

Meanwhile, Klarna’s value lies in consistency across the broader customer journey, ensuring that every touchpoint, from browsing to payment, meets the expectations set by the brand.

“I make promises through marketing, but if the product doesn’t deliver, we don’t get a second chance.”

Local Beats Global in Payments

Despite Klarna’s global footprint, the panel emphasised the intensely local nature of payments.

Too many merchants treat global expansion as a copy-paste exercise without understanding the critical nuances of regional payment methods and customer expectations.

“If you don’t have Vipps in Norway, you’re nothing. If you go into Germany without Klarna or PayPal, you’re invisible. Payments are extremely local.”
David Sandström, Klarna

“Merchants need to think long-term. Picking the cheapest payment method now may cost you loyalty later.”
Kamjar Hajabdolahi, Kustom

This shift from short-term cost savings to long-term value creation is driving greater demand for orchestrators who can offer both local relevance and global scalability.

What’s Next: Checkout as a Platform, Not Just a Page

Looking ahead, the speakers shared their vision for the evolution of the checkout. It’s no longer about a button or form field, it’s about the entire transaction ecosystem.

Kamjar shared Kustom’s move into mobile point-of-sale and offline retail, unifying commerce across channels.

He also flagged rapid expansion into new markets and payment methods as the most immediate focus.

“We’re going from 18 to 45 markets, tripling the number of local payment methods in a year. That’s what moves the needle.”
Kamjar Hajabdolahi, Kustom

David added that Klarna is closely watching how retail distribution is shifting, particularly with the rise of TikTok shops and social commerce.

“Retail is distribution, and checkouts must evolve to meet customers where they are. That means understanding new buyer journeys and building trust in different formats.”
David Sandström, Klarna


Practical Takeaways for Fintechs and Merchants

  • Customer experience starts at the brand. Consistency builds trust; trust drives conversion.

  • Checkout orchestration is business critical. Merchants need partners who optimise the full flow.

  • Think long-term on payments. Localisation matters more than short-term cost savings.

  • Use brand to differentiate in low-trust industries. Stand out by rejecting outdated norms.

  • The future is omnichannel. Build for where customers are going, not just where they are.

At the intersection of brand and build lies a powerful insight: trust isn’t just earned through design or speed. It’s built through consistency, clarity, and putting the customer first at every step of the journey.