As the Venn diagram of consumers embracing physical and digital retail experiences becomes a single circle, the focus is on providing a seamless customer journey fusing best practices in user experience. Payments will be an integral part of this, but there is a careful balancing act between minimising friction and maximising consumer data. At the core of this will be robust identity management,  integration of alternative data sources via APIs, and a focus on embedded payments that occur as a seamless component of the overall experience.