PayPod: The Payments and Fintech Podcast

Unzer's Revolution Robert Bueninck on Unified Commerce and the Future of Payments

·27 min·2 clips

Robert Bueninck explains how buying shoes in-store instantly updates online stock, a key feature of Unzer's unified commerce.

The episode begins with host Kevin Rosenquist introducing Robert Bueninck, CEO of Unzer, a European fintech company focusing on SMEs. Bueninck explains the difference between omnichannel and unified commerce, emphasizing real-time data availability across sales channels. He provides an example of a shoe purchase updating online stock instantly. The discussion shifts to merchant demand for integrated systems, with Bueninck noting that larger retailers often build in-house while smaller ones seek outsourced solutions. He details Unzer's acquisition strategy to build a full ecosystem, making buy-or-build decisions for each capability. Bueninck highlights the cultural tendency in Germany for companies to build everything themselves, citing examples like Rocket Internet and Zalando. He shares an anecdote from his buy-now-pay-later experience, where German retailers resisted outsourcing despite data showing inefficiencies. Bueninck then explains Unzer's white-label BNPL approach, which allows merchants to control branding and customer touchpoints to avoid competitor cross-selling. The conversation turns to Germany's payment landscape, with Bueninck noting that 50% of transactions are still cash, compared to under 10% in neighboring countries like Denmark. He attributes this to cultural factors and mentions COVID-19 accelerating change. Bueninck describes Unzer's POS Go product, an Android device combining payment terminal and business management software for small retailers, used at events like Christmas markets and the Paralympics. He discusses Unzer's move to Berlin in 2022 to attract tech talent and the company's hybrid work policy. Bueninck expresses a preference for in-office collaboration to foster innovation and team integration, especially given Unzer's status as a merger company. The episode concludes with closing remarks.

As heard by us

A merchant-first look at unified commerce, BNPL, and Unzer's European push.

Robert Boonink, CEO of Unzer, presents a familiar fintech shift: a German payment processor broadening into a wider European platform for small and medium-sized enterprises.

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Why you'd press play

When payments need a brand, Robert Boonink explains why merchants still want the steering wheel.

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