SUCCESS STORY
35% cost saving in merchant acquiring
Delivering Value Through Payment Process Optimisation and Capability Building
- Procurement transformation in fashion retail
Outcomes
35% cost reduction
Through optimised merchant acquiring and payment gateway processes
improved supplier accountability
With higher compliance and more consistent performance across categories
strengthened procurement capability
In-house teams equipped to deliver lasting value without external support
BACKGROUND
A leading high-street fashion retailer with a turnover of approximately £150M partnered with EBIT to overhaul its procurement strategy, focusing on payment processing.
The engagement included running a full end-to-end tender for merchant acquiring and payment gateway services to unlock savings and improve operational effectiveness.
the challenge
Payment processing presented a complex challenge due to layered fee structures across merchant acquiring, gateway services, and fraud screening. With multiple providers and limited in-house expertise, the retailer struggled to assess true value or benchmark costs. Headline pricing often concealed inefficiencies, and a lack of granular insight made it difficult to optimise for both cost and customer experience.
SOLUTION
EBIT partnered with the retailer to execute a targeted procurement transformation, with a focus on strategic sourcing and internal capability building.
- Conducted a full assessment across all indirect spend categories to identify inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities
- Established a dedicated procurement team, engaging stakeholders across the business to drive lasting change
- Identified further savings through spend consolidation and process redesign
Implemented standardised procurement policies and governance frameworks to ensure supplier accountability - Upskilled internal teams to embed best practices and sustain performance improvements
- Developed strategic and BAU procurement pipelines with robust value delivery and reporting mechanisms
EB102