Payment executives reveal that AI could introduce new risks and financial losses if layered onto fragile online checkout flows
DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A third-party survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Spreedly (www.spreedly.com) in August 2025 reveals that while 83% of U.S. executives believe that by 2027, most payments will be initiated, optimized, or completed by artificial intelligence (AI), one in four report losing more than $1 million annually at online checkout. The State of Checkout 2025 Survey indicates that the top drivers of this loss aren’t fraud—they’re consumer-driven:
- Customer abandonment (29%)
- Unsupported payment methods (28%)
The survey findings suggest that executives are questioning whether AI, which adds complexity on top of these fragile online checkout flows, can lead to even more challenges and financial losses. Respondents cited several potential risks associated with AI-led payments:
- Losing transparency about who the customer is (23%)
- Compliance and regulatory risk (21%)
- False positives leading to lost revenue (20%)
- Losing the ability to market directly to consumers (22%)
- I don’t have any concerns (15%)
“AI has incredible potential to transform payments,” said Peter Dougherty, President of Spreedly. “But executives in the survey also revealed they’re already paying a steep ‘engineering tax’—with as much as a quarter of their engineering teams dedicated to maintaining fragile checkout flows. AI should be layered thoughtfully to strengthen these payment systems, not replace them entirely and introduce new risks. At Spreedly, our open payments platform helps companies unlock value and reduce losses—without needing to keep expanding engineering teams just to maintain checkout.”
Additional findings from the “State of Checkout 2025” survey:
- The most common causes of failed checkouts today are customer abandonment (29%) and unsupported payment methods (28%).
- 40% of executives have recently added multicountry checkout flows to mitigate trade risks and provider disruptions.
- Generational differences are emerging: Millennial executives are more optimistic about AI’s role in payments, while Gen Z leaders cite consumer trust and disintermediation as top concerns.
- Retailers are moving faster than other industries into digital wallets and pay by bank, reflecting changing consumer preferences.
- Travel brands face the sharpest cross-border and FX friction—more than double that of other industries.
- Manufacturing and financial services executives are the most likely to report over $1M annual checkout losses.
- Engineering ‘time tax’: A meaningful share of companies report dedicating a quarter or more of engineering resources to payments upkeep—this is the equivalent of 10 full-time engineers in a 40-person team focused on maintenance and optimization.
Survey methodology
The “State of Checkout 2025” survey was conducted by Talker Research (www.talkerresearch.com) on behalf of Spreedly in August 2025. The survey polled 500 senior U.S.-based executives (VP and C-Suite) across retail, travel, financial services, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, and other sectors. To request the full report and data tables, please contact Spreedly’s media representative below.
About Spreedly
Spreedly (www.spreedly.com) is an open payments platform company redefining global commerce. The company is trusted by major brands including BMW, CLEAR, HBO Max, Hopper, Lemonade, Getty, Warner, The New York Times, Priceline, and others. Spreedly processes over $50 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) on behalf of more than 400 customers across over 100 countries.
Media contact:
Olya Orda
[email protected]
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SOURCE Spreedly
