🚧 Why Onboarding Friction Kills Merchant Growth

and why most PSPs don’t realise how much business they lose here

Every payment company talks about “merchant acquisition.”
Almost none talk about the part that actually decides conversion - onboarding.

Let’s break this down without overthinking it.

1. The first drop-off: Documents

Most small merchants already don’t know the difference between TRN, MoA, license activities, or why a simple online business needs so many papers.

If they can’t understand why something is needed, they don’t submit it.

2. The long wait: Compliance back-and-forth

This is where most deals die.

Merchants get an email:

“Your document is blurry. Please re-upload.”

“We need additional info.”

“We are reviewing.”

No timelines | No clarity.

And after 2–3 loops, the intent is gone.

3. “What’s the status?”

Every PSP has this problem - the merchant submits everything but still has no idea: who’s reviewing | how long it’ll take | what’s pending |what’s approved

When the process is opaque, the merchant mentally checks out.

4. Integration friction

Even after approval, a lot of merchants drop off here.

Why? unclear API docs | missing examples | SDKs that don’t match real use cases | support that replies after 24 hours

It’s not that merchants don’t want to accept payments - they just don’t want to feel lost.

5. Risk rules that reject without explaining

If you block a category, say it.
If the merchant doesn’t qualify, explain it.

Silence = frustration.
Frustration = churn.

The reality

Most PSPs don’t lose merchants to competition.
They lose them to confusion, slow loops, and zero visibility.
Fix onboarding, and you’ll see growth jump without touching pricing, marketing, or sales.

🛍️ And for merchants in the UAE

If you’re facing:
- slow approvals
- unclear requirements
- inconsistent support
- or issues going live with your payment provider

There’s a simpler option.

➡️ Switch to Comera Pay

Fast onboarding, clean flow, predictable timelines.

Because accepting payments shouldn’t feel like opening a bank account in 1998.

And if you still face any issues, you know who to reach out to!