Choosing an eCommerce solution today is no longer a simple feature comparison. The landscape has changed dramatically. Companies selling software, SaaS, online services, gaming, AI tools, and eLearning products face new layers of complexity: subscription billing, global tax and compliance, cross-border payments, localization, fraud prevention, and multi-entity operations.

Because of this, selecting the right provider becomes a strategic decision that influences your revenue, your expansion plans, and your operational efficiency for years to come.

This guide walks through 12 essential questions that help you evaluate eCommerce platforms with clarity and confidence.

Quick Summary

• Compare total cost of ownership, not just fees
• Choose a provider experienced in your business model
• Evaluate global payment and localization capabilities
• Understand MoR vs PSP trade-offs
• Ensure scalability for subscriptions and cross-border growth

1. How Do They Compare in Terms of Total Cost of Ownership?

When evaluating eCommerce platforms, the biggest mistake companies make is comparing only the visible costs: subscription fees, transaction markups, or monthly plans. These numbers rarely reflect the true financial impact of a provider.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) includes:

• foreign exchange markups
• chargeback and refund fees
• cross-border processing costs
• fraud prevention and risk management
• tax and compliance obligations
• engineering hours for integration
• ongoing maintenance and updates
• additional modules or add-ons
• passthrough fees from third parties such as issuing banks and card schemes
• obscure service fees that rarely appear in the initial quote

For companies selling software, SaaS, online services, gaming, or digital goods, these hidden costs can quickly exceed the base platform fee.

A provider with strong authorization rates, smart routing, and built-in fraud tools can reduce losses and improve revenue. A Merchant of Record (MoR) model often includes tax, compliance, and risk management, while PSPs require you to manage these separately, which increases internal costs.

Key takeaway: Don’t compare sticker prices. Compare the full operational cost of running your business on that platform.

2. Which Provider’s Standard Solution Best Meets Your Requirements?

Not all eCommerce platforms are built for digital commerce. Many were originally designed for physical goods and later adapted for subscriptions or digital products, often with limitations.

If you sell SaaS, software, AI tools, gaming, or eLearning, you need a provider that understands:

• subscription lifecycles and recurring billing
• churn management and retention
• revenue recovery and dunning
• usage-based or seat-based billing
• cross-border digital sales
• B2B assisted sales
• fraud patterns specific to digital goods

Ask for case studies or references from companies similar to yours. A provider that has already solved challenges for your vertical will help you scale faster and avoid costly workarounds.

Key takeaway: Choose a provider built for your business model, not one that forces you to adapt to its limitations.

3. What Payment Gateways and Methods Does It Offer?

Your payment model determines how easily you can expand globally.

Merchant of Record (MoR)
The MoR becomes the legal seller of record, handling:

• tax calculation, collection, and remittance
• compliance with global regulations
• fraud and chargebacks
• payment processing
• risk management

This model is ideal for companies that want to scale internationally without setting up local entities or navigating complex tax rules.

Payment Service Provider (PSP)
A PSP processes payments but leaves everything else to you:

• tax registration
• compliance
• chargeback management
• local entity setup
• risk and fraud handling

This model can be cheaper upfront but requires significant internal resources.

Key takeaway: Choose the model that aligns with your expansion plans and operational capacity.

4. How Easy Is the Platform to Use?

Ease of use affects your team’s productivity and your time to market. Before committing, test the platform through a demo or sandbox and evaluate:

• clarity and completeness of documentation
• availability of tutorials, guides, and onboarding materials
• how quickly your team can configure products, subscriptions, and pricing
• whether the interface feels intuitive or requires training
• how easy it is to customize checkout or storefront elements
• transparency of upgrade paths and pricing

User reviews can reveal whether the platform is easy to manage day to day or becomes a bottleneck.

Key takeaway: A powerful platform is only valuable if your team can use it efficiently.

5. Will It Integrate Smoothly With Your Tech Stack?

Your eCommerce solution should fit into your existing ecosystem, not create new silos. Evaluate:

• API flexibility and documentation quality
• availability of SDKs and webhooks
• CRM, ERP, and marketing automation integrations
• subscription management workflows
• data export and reporting capabilities
• compatibility with your analytics tools

Hosted checkout is faster to launch and requires minimal development. API checkout gives you full control over the customer experience but requires engineering resources.

Key takeaway: Integration complexity affects both your launch timeline and long-term maintenance costs.

6. Does It Include Marketing and Sales Tools?

Modern eCommerce platforms should help you grow revenue, not just process payments. Look for built-in tools that support:

• coupons, promotions, and discounts
• upsell and cross-sell flows
• subscription upgrades and downgrades
• free trials and introductory pricing
• affiliate and partner sales channels
• multi-store and multi-channel distribution

These capabilities are especially important for SaaS and digital goods, where retention and lifetime value drive profitability.

Key takeaway: Your eCommerce provider should support your marketing strategy, not limit it.

7. How Strong Is the Provider’s Global Expertise?

Selling internationally requires more than accepting multiple currencies. A strong global provider offers:

• localized payment methods (cards, wallets, bank transfers, regional options)
• multi-language checkout
• local tax calculation and display
• optimized payment routing for higher authorization rates
• localized pricing formats
• region-specific checkout flows
• compliance with local regulations

Localization directly impacts conversion rates. Customers are more likely to complete a purchase when the experience feels familiar and trustworthy.

Key takeaway: Global expertise is a revenue driver, not a nice-to-have.

8. Is the Platform Stable and Secure?

Security and stability protect your business, your customers, and your reputation. Evaluate whether the provider offers:

• PCI DSS compliance
• HTTPS/SSL support
• advanced fraud prevention
• 99% or higher uptime
• secure data handling and storage
• regular security audits

A reliable platform ensures that customers can complete purchases without interruptions and that sensitive data remains protected.

Key takeaway: Security and uptime are foundational.

9. What Is the Provider’s Reputation and Compliance Track Record?

A provider’s history and compliance posture are strong indicators of reliability. Look for:

• years of experience in digital commerce
• proven expertise in your vertical
• transparent policies
• strong compliance programs
• positive customer reviews
• clear communication around updates and changes

If you use the Merchant of Record model, compliance becomes even more important because the provider handles tax collection and remittance on your behalf.

Key takeaway: A trustworthy provider reduces risk and ensures long-term stability.

10. What Support Capabilities Do They Offer?

Support quality can significantly impact your implementation and daily operations. Evaluate:

• onboarding assistance
• response times
• availability in your region
• training resources
• dedicated account management for enterprise plans
• escalation paths for urgent issues

A responsive support team helps you resolve issues quickly and maintain business continuity.

Key takeaway: Good support accelerates growth. Poor support slows everything down.

11. What Are Their Refund, Chargeback, and Dispute Policies?

Chargebacks and disputes can be costly and time-consuming. Review:

• refund workflows and automation
• dispute resolution processes
• chargeback handling
• transparency of fees
• fraud prevention measures that reduce disputes

Clear, merchant-friendly policies indicate a provider that stands behind its product and supports your business.

Key takeaway: Understanding these policies upfront prevents surprises later.

12. Will the Solution Scale With Your Business?

Your eCommerce provider should support your growth for years, not just your current needs. Consider whether the platform offers:

• advanced subscription billing
• global expansion capabilities
• multi-currency and multi-entity support
• flexible pricing models
• robust reporting and analytics
• the ability to add new products or business models

Switching platforms later is expensive and disruptive, especially for subscription businesses.

Key takeaway: Choose a provider that can grow with you, not one you’ll outgrow.

Conclusion

Start your investigation by reading eCommerce platform reviews and comparison tables. It’s a solid start and a straightforward method to help you decide which solution is right for you. Then consider each aspect included in this guide, and do your due diligence before signing up with a new partner. Remember that no software is constructed in a mold, so it pays to evaluate options and find a solution that suits ALL of your business needs.

One of the best routes is opting for a reliable all-in-one eCommerce platform, one that takes information about your needs and guides you in achieving your revenue goals. So, make sure you ask your questions while giving honest details about your expectations.

Are you looking to start selling across markets and borders and learn more about the two main payment processing models: Merchant of Record and Payment Service Provider and which one can best suit your business? Then check out our eBook to learn what each model implies in terms of order and payment management, localization, and compliance, and supports best your business objectives.

The post Comparing eCommerce Solutions? 12 Questions to Ask appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

The businesses growing through all of this share one trait: access to the right strategies at the right time. CommerceNow’26, the 10th edition of 2Checkout’s annual virtual commerce event, is built to give you exactly that.

On June 23, leading practitioners from across the digital commerce ecosystem come together for a full day of sessions focused on the decisions, frameworks, and tactics that drive real business growth.

What Is CommerceNow’26?

CommerceNow’26 is a free, fully virtual conference hosted by 2Checkout on June 23, 2026. Now in its 10th edition, it brings together eCommerce professionals, SaaS leaders, growth marketers, and revenue teams from around the world to learn from practitioners with direct experience solving today’s most pressing commerce challenges.

Sessions span the full growth lifecycle: customer acquisition, retention, conversion optimization, AI-driven marketing, pricing and monetization, subscription growth, online payments, and cross-border expansion.

Secure your free spot at CommerceNow’26 →

This Year’s Speakers

CommerceNow’26 is hosted by Nataliya Shadykulova, Head of New Business, EMEA at 2Checkout. Confirmed speakers include:

• Richard Hill, Founder & CEO, eComOne

• Dale Bertrand, Founder & CEO, Fire&Spark

• Gia Laudi, Chief Strategist, Customer-Led

• Taru Aalto, Chief Customer Officer, Netigate

• Andrei Rebrov, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, Finsi

• Riten Gohil, Digital ID, Fraud & AML Evangelist, Signicat

More speakers to be announced.

What You’ll Learn

Sessions at CommerceNow’26 are organized around the priorities shaping digital commerce growth in 2026:

• Customer acquisition — scalable strategies, AI-assisted targeting, and demand generation

• Customer retention and lifecycle marketing — reducing churn, designing for long-term value

• Conversion rate optimization — funnel performance, checkout, and post-signup activation

• AI-driven marketing — where AI creates real lift in growth and marketing workflows

• Pricing and monetization — models, testing, and expansion revenue

• Subscription growth — trial conversion, billing optimization, and recurring revenue

• Online payments and payment innovation — infrastructure, optimization, and what’s changing

• Cross-border commerce — localizing the experience, managing complexity, scaling globally

Who Should Attend

CommerceNow’26 is built for anyone responsible for growing a digital business: SaaS and eCommerce leaders, growth marketers, CRO specialists, product managers, payments professionals, and revenue teams. The event is free and virtual, accessible to a global audience with no barrier to entry.

Join CommerceNow’26 on June 23

Ten years in, CommerceNow remains what it has always been: a practical, peer-driven event for commerce professionals doing the work. Free. Virtual. Built to be useful.

Secure your free spot →

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is CommerceNow’26?

CommerceNow’26 is the 10th edition of 2Checkout’s annual free virtual commerce conference, taking place on June 23, 2026. It brings together digital commerce professionals to learn from industry practitioners across growth, marketing, payments, and monetization.

2. Is CommerceNow’26 free to attend?

Yes. CommerceNow’26 is completely free and open to commerce professionals worldwide.

3. Who should attend CommerceNow’26?

SaaS leaders, eCommerce professionals, growth marketers, revenue teams, CRO specialists, payments professionals, and digital business owners — anyone responsible for growing an online business.

4. What topics will CommerceNow’26 cover?

Customer acquisition, retention, conversion rate optimization, AI-driven marketing, pricing and monetization, subscription growth, online payments, and cross-border commerce.

5. When is CommerceNow’26?

June 23, 2026. Registration is free and open now.

6. Why should digital commerce leaders attend?

To get actionable, practitioner-led strategies for growing a digital business in 2026. Free, virtual, and in a single focused day.

The post CommerceNow’26: Digital Commerce Strategies for Growth, Retention, and Global Expansion appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

This month, we’re shining a light on a few things we’re particularly excited about. CommerceNow’26 is back with fresh expert-led sessions built for eCommerce and SaaS growth. We’re thrilled to introduce our new documentation portal at docs.2checkout.com, a dedicated, AI-powered platform designed to give you faster answers and a better overall experience. And last, but not least, you’ll also find sharp reads on AI feature monetization, global tax complexity, and what your MRR schedule might be missing. 

Happy selling! 

• CommerceNow 2026 

Already in its 10th edition, CommerceNow is back with a refreshed experience, new insights, and expert-led sessions focused on what’s next for eCommerce and SaaS growth. We’ve already started announcing the first speakers joining the lineup, and you won’t want to miss who’s on board. If you’re looking for practical strategies to grow smarter, improve conversions, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market, CommerceNow’26 is for you. Register now to get your free ticket! 

• One Login, Total Control: 2Checkout’s Universal SSO Explained  

Managing separate credentials across every platform your team uses creates real security exposure and operational drag. This feature breakdown explains how 2Checkout’s Universal Single Sign-On (SSO), built on the SAML 2.0 standard, integrates with your existing Identity Provider to give your team seamless access while keeping IT firmly in control of who has it. 

• What Your MRR Schedule Isn’t Telling You   

Your MRR schedule shows what happened, but rarely what’s coming. Learn how SaaS finance teams can use AI on existing data to surface dormant ARR, score revenue durability, and uncover expansion opportunities. 

• Merchant Of Record Services: The Complete Guide  

Ready to sell globally without getting buried in tax, compliance, and payment complexities? This guide breaks down everything you need to know about the Merchant of Record model, from how it works to the benefits it delivers for SaaS, software, and digital businesses. Discover how leading companies streamline global expansion, reduce risk, and accelerate growth by partnering with a Merchant of Record. 

• 35 Best SaaS & Growth Newsletters to Subscribe to in 2026  

Looking for smarter ways to stay ahead in SaaS and digital growth? We’ve rounded up the best SaaS and growth newsletters to keep you ahead of trends and learning from industry experts. Check them out!  

• How to Build a Competitor Ad Intelligence Tool   

Most paid search teams monitor category keywords but miss a more immediate threat: competitors bidding directly on their brand terms. This practical guide shows how to build a lightweight tool that surfaces who’s targeting your brand, what they’re saying, and where the gaps are. 

• Shopping Cart Best Practices  

Your checkout isn’t just a step in the funnel. It’s where revenue is won or lost.  In this eBook, we break down the shopping cart best practices that actually move the needle. You’ll learn how to optimize your purchase flow, reduce cart abandonment, increase average order value, and test what truly drives conversions.  Because even small tweaks, like simplifying forms or improving UX, can significantly boost conversion rates. 

• Navigating the Complex Tax Landscape and How the Reseller Model Helps 

Scaling globally comes with serious tax complexity. From EU VAT to digital services taxes, understanding the right business model can save your SaaS or eCommerce team time, money, and compliance headaches. 

• EU Tightens Fraud Rules and Fintech Licensing in Open Banking Overhaul  

The EU’s PSD3 and Payment Services Regulation are set to reshape open banking compliance across Europe, with stricter fraud controls, tighter API standards, and clearer licensing rules for fintechs. For businesses in European markets, understanding what’s changing is the first step to staying ahead of the compliance curve.  

• From APAC to the World: How Digital Businesses Scale Globally in 2026 and Beyond 

APAC has become one of the most dynamic launchpads for digital businesses, but scaling beyond the region is where real growth begins. Watch this exclusive panel where Heath Lin, Client Success Manager at EaseUS, Dhruv Dewan, Enterprise Leader at Invideo, Raja T M, Marketing Director at Kissflow, and Maggie Lee, Head of Digital Sales, APAC at 2Checkout, share how they are turning international expansion into a competitive advantage. 

The post Industry Buzz – May 2026 appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

The good news is that the MoR market has matured. There are credible options across different price points and business profiles. The harder part is that those options aren’t interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one for your current stage (or your next stage) creates real friction down the road.

This article takes a close look at three of the most evaluated MoR platforms for SaaS, software, and digital goods businesses: 2Checkout, FastSpring, and Cleverbridge. All three are legitimate merchants of record. All three handle global taxes, payments, and compliance. But they’re built for different businesses, and the differences matter more than they might appear in a feature comparison table.

Here’s what you need to know.

What Is a Merchant of Record?

A merchant of record (MoR) is the legal entity responsible for processing a transaction on behalf of a seller. When you work with an MoR, they become the entity of record with payment networks and tax authorities, meaning they assume liability for:

• Calculating, collecting, and remitting sales tax, VAT, and GST globally
• Processing payments and managing payment infrastructure
• Managing fraud risk and chargeback disputes
• Ensuring compliance with local regulations in every market

This distinction matters because the alternative, managing these responsibilities yourself, or assembling multiple point solutions, is operationally expensive and legally complex, especially as you expand into new markets. A true MoR transfers that burden off your plate.

All three platforms in this comparison are merchants of record. The differences lie in how they’re structured, who they’re optimized for, and what happens as your business grows.

At-a-Glance Comparison

2Checkout (Verifone): Enterprise-Ready MoR for Growing Digital Businesses

What it is

2Checkout is Verifone’s digital commerce platform, purpose-built for software, SaaS, and digital goods businesses selling globally. It offers a tiered MoR built for mid-market and enterprise scale: combining global payment reach, full tax ownership, subscription management, and B2B capabilities within a single platform backed by one of the world’s most established payments companies.

The tiered model is designed for operational depth, not simplicity for its own sake. Mid-market and enterprise businesses managing global compliance, complex billing logic, and multi-market expansion need a platform with real configurability. 2Checkout’s structure is built around that, with a clear path from foundational capabilities to enterprise-grade functionality without changing platforms.

Payments and global reach

2Checkout supports all major credit and debit cards globally (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, UnionPay, and regional cards across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and India), plus digital wallets, PayPal, bank transfers, SEPA, and purchase orders. The platform processes in approximately 100 billing currencies, with pricing localization available on Enterprise Edition accounts.

Fraud protection and risk management are included across all packages, not an add-on or upgrade. In chargeback disputes, 2Checkout acts as mediator between the bank, the buyer, and the merchant, rather than leaving businesses to navigate those disputes alone.

Beyond dispute handling, 2Checkout operates dedicated support functions for both merchants and shoppers. Merchants have access to a dedicated merchant support team, while end-customers are served by a separate shopper support team. Larger accounts are assigned a Customer Success Manager for ongoing guidance.

Because 2Checkout sits within Verifone’s broader global payments infrastructure, the platform carries the reliability and network depth of a mature company with decades of payments experience in digital commerce. For mid-market and enterprise buyers where platform stability, compliance track record, and long-term vendor viability matter, that foundation is a meaningful consideration.

Tax and compliance

Tax handling in 2Checkout scales with your plan:

• 2Sell and 2Subscribe: Include a configurable tax calculator based on your own tax data. Best suited for businesses operating in a limited number of markets or with in-house tax expertise.
• 2Monetize: Full MoR tax ownership. 2Checkout calculates, collects, and remits VAT, GST, and sales tax globally. Merchants don’t need to maintain their own tax registrations in covered markets.

This structure means businesses can operate with appropriate compliance coverage at each stage, rather than paying for capabilities before they need them.

Subscription management

Subscription billing is available from the 2Subscribe tier, including recurring billing, renewal management, dunning logic, and failed payment recovery. The 2Monetize tier adds compliance-grade subscription management suited to mid-market and enterprise billing requirements.

Checkout experience

Four checkout approaches are available: an inline popup (one-step or multi-step), a hosted checkout redirect, an embedded checkout that keeps buyers on the merchant’s own site, and a fully API-driven checkout for teams that want complete control over the purchase experience. Native cart integrations with Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce are also supported. Businesses can integrate 2Checkout into existing commerce flows without rebuilding their checkout infrastructure.

Reporting and integrations

2Checkout’s Business Intelligence engine supports custom and scheduled reporting across all plans. At higher tiers, this extends to subscription analysis, financial reporting, and user log audits, giving finance, operations, and product teams access to the data layers they actually need. Revenue performance, transaction rates, net sales, and refund rates are trackable at the product level. Integration connectors include Salesforce and Adobe Analytics, along with a REST API and webhooks for connecting 2Checkout data to broader business intelligence workflows. Google Analytics can be connected for cart web analytics.

Pricing

Four tiers: two pay-as-you-go options (2Sell and 2Subscribe), a tailored pricing tier (2Monetize), and a custom enterprise package (4Enterprise). Self-serve signup is available across all tiers.

Who 2Checkout is best for

• Mid-market and enterprise companies selling SaaS, software, or digital goods globally
• Businesses expanding across international markets that need reliable compliance and broad payment coverage
• Companies that need a platform supporting both self-serve and sales-assisted go-to-market models
• Teams that want a scalable MoR backed by proven global payments infrastructure

Where 2Checkout has limitations

• Pricing localization is available on Enterprise Edition accounts; not included on base plans
• Advanced reporting features are unlocked at higher tiers
• The managed services layer is not as extensive as Cleverbridge’s for companies that want a fully outsourced commerce operation.

FastSpring: Built for Speed and Simplicity

What it is

FastSpring is a merchant of record that has been serving digital goods sellers — SaaS, software, video games, eLearning, and mobile apps — for over two decades. It operates as a full MoR from day one on every plan, with no tiering required to access global tax coverage. For businesses that want a fast, low-configuration MoR without plan decisions, FastSpring delivers that clearly.

Payments and global reach

FastSpring accepts major credit and debit cards, ACH and SEPA direct debit, PayPal, Apple Pay, SOFORT, and additional region-specific methods. Currency localization is flexible — FastSpring handles the conversion, or merchants can set fixed prices per currency. Fraud detection is handled via a partnership with Sift. Payouts are available in five currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, and CAD.

Tax and compliance

Global tax calculation, collection, and remittance across 200+ regions is included on all plans. Because FastSpring is the entity of record on transactions, merchants don’t need to register for tax in covered markets.

Subscription management

Subscription lifecycle tools are included, with dashboard reporting on MRR, churn rate, and customer lifetime value. Data can be exported via CSV, JSON, or FastSpring’s data API.

Merchant and shopper services

Beyond the core platform, 2Checkout offers a range of in-house services that distinguish it from platforms that are purely self-serve. These services are delivered by internal teams rather than outsourced, which keeps costs lower than comparable services from providers like Cleverbridge:

• Conversion rate optimization (CRO): Checkout and funnel optimization to improve purchase completion rates
• Affiliate marketing: Access to a global software affiliate network for indirect revenue growth
• Custom development: Technical implementation support for complex integrations and checkout customizations
• End-customer support: A dedicated shopper support team handles buyer inquiries, refund requests, and dispute resolution
• Merchant support and CSM: A dedicated merchant support team is available across all plans, with Customer Success Managers assigned to larger accounts for ongoing strategic guidance

Checkout and integrations

Three checkout types: hosted web storefront, popup checkout, and embedded checkout. The Store Builder Library (JavaScript) enables fast deployment and customization. Integrations include Mailchimp, Google Analytics, AdWords, AdRoll, and a REST/GraphQL API with webhooks.

Pricing

Single flat-rate package, negotiated based on transaction type and volume. No minimum transaction volume. Self-serve signup available.

Who FastSpring is best for

• Indie developers and creators launching digital products quickly
• Smaller SaaS or software companies with straightforward billing models
• Businesses that want full tax coverage from day one without tiered plan decisions

Where FastSpring has limitations

• Limited depth for B2B invoicing, enterprise quoting, or sales-assisted GTM models
• Fewer advanced lifecycle and renewal optimization tools compared to platforms built for mid-market and enterprise scale
• Can become a constraint as billing complexity, integrations, and international operations grow
• Trustpilot rating (2.8/5) reflects mixed end-customer experiences worth factoring in when checkout and support quality are priorities.

Cleverbridge: MoR for Enterprise and B2B SaaS

What it is

Cleverbridge is designed for enterprise and B2B SaaS companies — and high-volume B2C — where billing complexity is high, renewal management is a strategic priority, and operational support needs go beyond what a self-serve platform provides. It combines a full MoR with a managed services layer.

Payments and global reach

Cleverbridge operates across 240+ countries and territories, supporting 30+ payment methods and 59 transaction currencies. The platform supports both self-serve and sales-assisted GTM models, including partner and reseller channels.

Tax and compliance

Full global tax ownership — VAT, GST, sales tax, and regional taxes — is included across all accounts, without additional configuration required.

B2B invoicing and quoting

Cleverbridge includes built-in B2B quoting, renewal quote generation, and compliant invoice management. For B2B SaaS companies where invoicing and quoting are integral to the sales process, this functionality is built into the core platform.

Subscription management

Cleverbridge includes subscription lifecycle tools with a focus on renewal performance and net revenue retention. The platform is well suited to traditional SaaS billing models, though usage-based billing has notable limitations. Usage reporting requires manual handling and not all consumption models are supported natively.

Managed services

Professional services covering demand generation, retention marketing, custom development, and end-customer support are part of Cleverbridge’s offering. Each service is scoped as a separate statement of work, so costs can be difficult to anticipate as requirements grow.

Pricing

Custom, volume-based pricing. No self-serve signup — onboarding is handled through their sales team.

Who Cleverbridge is best for

• Enterprise and B2B SaaS companies with complex billing and sales-assisted GTM motions
• High-volume B2C SaaS businesses seeking deep operational support
• Companies looking for a fully managed commerce partner rather than a self-managed platform

Where Cleverbridge has limitations

• Pricing and onboarding are not suited for earlier-stage or lower-volume businesses
• No self-serve signup — getting started requires going through their sales process, which also limits price transparency.
• Handles complex billing and sales-assisted transactions well, but has limitations with modern pay-as-you-go and usage-based billing models.
• The platform’s full value is realized when businesses leverage the managed services layer alongside core MoR functionality.

How the Three Platforms Compare on Key Dimensions

Tax handling

All three handle global tax as genuine merchants of record. FastSpring and Cleverbridge include full tax ownership on every plan. 2Checkout provides full MoR tax coverage on its 2Monetize tier, with a configurable tax calculator on lower tiers — giving businesses the ability to scale into full coverage as their market footprint grows.

Payment method breadth

2Checkout provides broad global payment coverage across cards, wallets, bank transfers, and purchase orders, backed by Verifone’s payments infrastructure. FastSpring’s payment method coverage is appropriate for smaller digital product sellers. Cleverbridge covers 59 transaction currencies within a pricing structure that reflects that scope.

Subscription and billing complexity

For standard recurring billing, all three platforms are capable. For mid-market and enterprise billing requirements — tiered pricing, complex upgrade/downgrade logic, renewal workflows — both 2Checkout’s 2Monetize tier and Cleverbridge’s platform are built to handle that depth. FastSpring’s subscription tooling is better suited to straightforward billing structures.

B2B capabilities

Cleverbridge includes B2B quoting and invoicing as core platform features. 2Checkout supports invoicing and B2B billing on its higher-tier plans. FastSpring’s B2B invoicing capabilities are more limited relative to both.

Pricing structure and accessibility

FastSpring offers the simplest entry point — a single package with no plan decisions. 2Checkout’s tiered structure provides flexibility across business stages, from mid-market growth through enterprise scale. Cleverbridge’s custom pricing and sales-led onboarding reflects its focus on larger, more complex accounts.

Support and services

2Checkout and FastSpring both provide standard platform support. Cleverbridge offers a more extensive managed services layer suited to enterprise accounts that want ongoing operational support beyond the platform itself.

Which MoR Is Right for You?

Choose 2Checkout if:

You’re a mid-market or enterprise company selling SaaS, software, or digital goods globally and want an MoR built to scale with you — with global payment coverage, full MoR tax ownership, subscription management, and B2B capabilities within a single platform. Backed by Verifone’s global payments infrastructure, 2Checkout is a strong fit for businesses expanding across markets that need reliability and breadth without committing to a fully managed enterprise service model.

Choose FastSpring if:

You’re an indie developer or smaller digital goods seller that wants fast, low-configuration MoR setup with full tax coverage from day one and no minimum volume requirements. FastSpring is a practical starting point, though businesses should evaluate its fit again as billing complexity and operational scale increase.

Choose Cleverbridge if:

You’re an enterprise or B2B SaaS company that needs built-in B2B invoicing, renewal optimization, and a managed services partner alongside your MoR. Cleverbridge’s capabilities in this space are purpose-built for that use case — at a price point and onboarding process that reflects it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a merchant of record and a payment service provider? A payment service provider (PSP) processes payments on your behalf but doesn’t assume legal or tax liability for transactions. A merchant of record (MoR) goes further — it becomes the legal entity responsible for the transaction, including calculating and remitting taxes globally, managing fraud and chargebacks, and ensuring regulatory compliance in every market. 2Checkout, FastSpring, and Cleverbridge are all merchants of record.

Does 2Checkout handle taxes automatically? On the 2Monetize plan, yes — 2Checkout calculates, collects, and remits VAT, GST, and sales tax globally as the merchant of record. On the 2Sell and 2Subscribe plans, a configurable tax calculator is available, with compliance responsibility remaining with the merchant on those tiers.

Is FastSpring a merchant of record? Yes. FastSpring operates as a full merchant of record on all plans, handling global tax calculation, collection, and remittance, as well as fraud management and chargeback liability.

Is Cleverbridge suited for mid-market businesses? Cleverbridge is designed primarily for enterprise and B2B SaaS companies with complex billing needs and high transaction volumes. Its sales-led onboarding and custom pricing reflect this positioning. Enterprise and mid-market businesses that don’t yet require a fully managed enterprise service may find 2Checkout a more appropriate fit.

What payment methods does 2Checkout support? 2Checkout supports Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, JCB, and regional cards across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and India. It also supports PayPal, major digital wallets, bank transfers, SEPA, wire transfers, and purchase orders. Approximately 100 billing currencies are supported.

Which merchant of record is best for SaaS companies? It depends on scale and business model. Smaller SaaS companies often find FastSpring’s simplified setup appropriate at early stages. Mid-market and growing SaaS businesses frequently find 2Checkout’s 2Monetize tier to be the right balance of capability, compliance, and flexibility, backed by Verifone’s global payments infrastructure. Enterprise and B2B SaaS companies with complex billing, invoicing, and renewal requirements should evaluate Cleverbridge’s purpose-built capabilities for those needs.

Can I switch MoR providers later? Yes, but migrating checkout integrations, tax configurations, billing data, and subscription records involves significant work. MoR decisions are worth getting right the first time. A platform with a clear path from current needs to future scale — without requiring a full platform change — reduces that migration risk considerably.

Bottom Line

All three platforms are capable merchant of record solutions, each aligned to a different type of business.

FastSpring serves smaller digital goods sellers and indie developers well, with a simple, all-inclusive setup optimized for getting to market quickly. Cleverbridge is built for enterprise and B2B SaaS companies that need deep invoicing, renewal management, and a managed services layer alongside their MoR.

2Checkout occupies a distinct position: a platform built for mid-market and enterprise digital businesses that need the scalability and payment breadth that comes with Verifone’s global payments infrastructure — with the flexibility to grow from self-serve into enterprise-grade capabilities without switching platforms. For companies expanding into new markets, managing increasingly complex billing, and looking for a proven MoR that scales alongside them, it’s a combination worth evaluating carefully.

Ready to see how 2Checkout supports your business at scale? Explore our plans or talk to our team.

The post 2Checkout vs. FastSpring vs. Cleverbridge: Which Merchant of Record Is Right for Your Business? appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

This is agentic commerce. And for software and digital goods sellers, it is the most structurally important shift in buying behavior since mobile commerce arrived.

What Is Agentic Commerce?

eCommerce has evolved in three distinct stages. In the first generation, a customer opened a browser, searched for a product, and manually completed a checkout form. In the second, AI assists: a tool recommends a product, the buyer evaluates it, and the human completes the transaction. In the third stage, the AI agent acts autonomously. It researches options, selects a vendor, applies a payment token, and confirms the purchase. The human reviews a notification afterward.

This third stage is agentic commerce: autonomous purchasing with delegated authority. The buyer is still in control – they set the parameters and grant permission – but the execution is entirely machine-driven.

This is not a future concept. Alipay processed 120 million AI-agent transactions in a single week in February 2026. Microsoft Copilot Checkout launched in January 2026. Shopify’s Agentic Storefronts – one admin toggle connecting a merchant’s catalog to ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, and Copilot – launched in Winter 2026. Every major payment network – Mastercard, Visa, PayPal – announced an agentic commerce product within a twelve-month window. The infrastructure is live. The question is whether your store is ready for it.

The market numbers reflect the pace. The agentic AI in retail and eCommerce market was valued at $46.74 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $218 billion by 2031. McKinsey estimates agentic commerce could redirect $3-5 trillion in global retail spend by 2030. These are not rounding errors – they are structural redirections of commerce volume.

Why Software Sellers Are in the Crosshairs

Not every business feels agentic commerce equally. Physical goods and location-based services have natural friction that slows AI adoption. Software, digital subscriptions, and SaaS products are the ideal candidates for agentic purchasing – structured data, API-accessible catalogs, programmable billing – and the ones most at risk from becoming invisible to AI agents.

• B2B procurement is already being automated. Gartner projects that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated, routing over $15 trillion through agent-to-agent exchanges. Software procurement is at the front of that wave. 67% of B2B buyers already prefer a rep-free purchasing experience, and 45% used AI tools in a recent purchase decision.

• Discovery is moving off traditional search. Adobe Analytics recorded a 4,700% year-over-year increase in AI-driven visits to US retail sites in 2025. AI-referred shoppers convert 31% higher, generate 254% more revenue per visit, and spend 45% more time on-site compared to visitors from traditional channels.

• Subscription management is a natural AI use case. AI agents are ideal for monitoring usage, recommending plan upgrades, executing renewals, and negotiating retention offers. If your renewal flow is not agent-accessible, a competitor with a cleaner API may capture those renewals.

→ Explore how Agentic AI is shaping the future of eCommerce, subscriptions, and digital growth at CommerceNow’25.

The Three Things You Need to Get Right

Agentic readiness comes down to three dimensions: discoverability, transactability, and trust. Get all three right, and you are well-positioned for the wave. Miss any one, and you will lose pipeline you cannot see or measure.

1. Discoverability – Can AI Agents Find and Understand Your Product?

This is the first step of your journey to agentic commerce. The practice of structuring your product data so that generative AI engines surface it in their responses – rather than directing users to a search results page – is called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Think of it as the new SEO imperative for digital commerce in 2026.

GEO is not about keyword stuffing. It is about structured data: accurate pricing, rich schema markup, product descriptions that answer intent-based queries in natural language, and API-accessible catalogs. Adobe reported a 12x jump in AI-referred retail traffic between July 2024 and February 2025. The merchants capturing that traffic have made their product data readable for AI – not just crawlable by search bots.

eMarketer estimates that 31.3% of the US population will use generative AI search in 2026 – a share growing fast enough that the question is no longer whether AI-referred traffic matters, but when it exceeds traditional search for your category.

2. Transactability – Can an AI Agent Complete the Purchase?

This is where checkout design becomes an infrastructure challenge. AI agents cannot navigate multi-step checkout flows, CAPTCHA challenges, pop-ups, or visual redirects. If your checkout requires manual form-filling or hosted payment pages that rely on visual interaction, an agent will likely fail, abandon the flow, or route to a competitor with a cleaner path.

It’s also important to note that in many regions (e.g., under EU PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication rules), payment confirmation requires initial human authentication and explicit user consent. This means fully autonomous end-to-end payments without any human involvement are generally not possible in regulated markets. However, once a payment method is authenticated and tokenized, subsequent transactions can often be executed programmatically within the permissions granted by the user.

Agent-friendly checkout in practice means:

• Clean, API-accessible checkout endpoints – no hosted payment pages requiring visual interaction.

• Token-based payment support – store credentials with user consent and reuse them programmatically.

• Machine-readable order confirmation – structured API responses, not HTML pages meant for human interpretation.

• No CAPTCHA on agent-expected flows – or smart routing that allows legitimate agent traffic while blocking abuse.

If you are already on an API-first commerce platform, you are likely closer to agent-ready than you think. The key question is whether your checkout has been tested against agent-initiated flows.

→ Identify the friction points in your checkout that block both humans and agents: read the 2Checkout Payment Friction Map.

3. Trust – Are Your Transactions Protected When No Human Is Present?

This is the most urgent near-term challenge. 78% of financial institutions expect fraud to spike from AI shopping agents. When no human is in the checkout loop, traditional authentication assumptions break down – the shift from card-not-present to person-not-present creates entirely new risk vectors.

However, in most regulated markets fully autonomous end-to-end payments without human authentication are not yet permitted, so these systems remain in development and testing rather than production use.

The industry is converging on tokenized credentials as the solution. Mastercard’s Agentic Tokens are cryptographically secure credentials scoped to specific agents, merchants, and transaction parameters. Your payment provider needs to support these standards and have agent-aware fraud detection – not just traditional bot-detection logic that flags legitimate agent traffic as suspicious.

The emerging Know Your Agent (KYA) framework – analogous to KYC but applied to software agents – is also in development. It aims to provide clear delegation audit trails so that when an AI agent completes a purchase on a customer’s behalf, the action is cryptographically traceable and disputes can be resolved cleanly, once regulatory and infrastructure frameworks fully mature.

GEO: The New SEO You Cannot Afford to Ignore

Search engine optimization was the defining digital acquisition skill of the 2010s. Generative Engine Optimization is the equivalent for the 2020s – and the window to build early advantage is now.

AI platforms – ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot – are increasingly the first stop in the software buying journey. Merchants who are not structured for AI discovery will lose first-party traffic without knowing it: the buyer never visits your site, never sees your ad, and never triggers an analytics event.

The GEO checklist for software sellers:

• Structured product data with schema markup – price, features, availability, and reviews in a format AI can parse and act on.

• Conversational content answering real buyer questions – the natural-language queries typed into AI assistants, not keyword strings aimed at search crawlers.

• Accurate, current pricing pages – AI agents will not complete a purchase if catalog data contradicts the pricing page.

• API-accessible product catalog – agents that can query your data directly are more likely to surface your products.

• Fast, reliable APIs – agents evaluate response time as a signal of merchant trustworthiness.

BigCommerce has published practical GEO implementation guidance for eCommerce contexts. eMarketer’s 2026 FAQ on GEO and AEO is the most comprehensive framework available for understanding where to prioritize your efforts.

What This Means for Your Payment Infrastructure

You do not need to rebuild your stack from scratch – but you do need to audit it against agentic requirements. The payment infrastructure that works best for agentic commerce shares four characteristics:

• API-first: while some agents can interact with traditional checkout flows, APIs provide the reliability, speed, and programmability needed for scalable autonomous transactions. Clean API endpoints are the non-negotiable baseline.

• Subscription-native: AI agents will manage software subscriptions programmatically – plan changes, upgrades, autonomous renewals. Billing APIs built for human-initiated cycles will not handle agent-initiated lifecycle events gracefully.

• Globally capable: AI agents purchase globally without geographic awareness. Your payment layer needs to handle currency conversion, local payment methods, and VAT/tax compliance invisibly, within the transaction.

• Compliance-managed: when there is no human in the loop, tax jurisdiction and fraud liability cannot be managed manually. A Merchant of Record model handles this at the platform level.

→ Explore the 2Checkout API datasheet to see how API-first billing supports automation, subscriptions, and global scalability.

The Merchant of Record model is particularly well-suited to agentic commerce. In agent-driven transactions there is no human to handle edge cases – no one to respond to a tax jurisdiction mismatch or confirm a VAT number. A platform that absorbs that complexity at the infrastructure level becomes a prerequisite for reliable agentic commerce at scale.

→ Learn how 2Checkout’s Merchant of Record model handles tax, compliance, and cross-border complexity.

For SaaS sellers thinking about subscription revenue protection: as AI agents manage customers’ software portfolios more aggressively – canceling unused subscriptions, renegotiating pricing – merchants with the most resilient retention infrastructure will protect revenue that others lose quietly.

→ See how advanced payment retry logic and smart dunning protect SaaS revenue from involuntary churn.

Where to Start: Your Agentic Commerce Action List

Agentic commerce is not coming. It is already running at scale in markets like China, structurally supported by live infrastructure from every major payment network, and actively intermediating software purchase decisions in enterprise B2B procurement. For Western-market software sellers, the early-mover window is open – but it will not stay open.

The three actions that will have the most impact in the next 12 months:

• Audit your product discoverability for AI. Treat GEO as a current-quarter priority. Start with your pricing page, feature descriptions, and schema markup. Ask: if a buyer described your ideal use case to ChatGPT, would your product appear in the response?

• Test your checkout against agent-initiated flows. Identify the CAPTCHA, redirect, and multi-step friction points that cause agent abandonment. The same friction that costs 2-3% of human conversion will cost 100% of agent-initiated transactions.

• Confirm your payment infrastructure is agent-ready. Token-based credentials, agent-aware fraud detection, invisible cross-border compliance, and subscription APIs built for programmatic lifecycle management.

The merchants who move now will capture AI-referred traffic that converts 31% higher and generates 254% more revenue per visit than traditional channels. The ones who wait will lose pipeline they cannot see or measure – which is the worst kind of loss.

Want to learn more about how AI is transforming software and SaaS businesses?

→ Explore the top AI trends shaping growth, automation, and customer experience.

The post Agentic Commerce 101: What Software Sellers Need to Know About AI-Powered Buying appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

Your team logs in to your eCommerce platform daily. They also log in to your CRM, your HR tools, your project management app — each with its own username, its own password, and its own reset email waiting to happen.

It’s a small friction point, until it isn’t.

Scattered credentials are more than an inconvenience. They create real security exposure, slow down your operations, and put the burden of identity management squarely on your IT team. Sound familiar? According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, stolen or compromised credentials are involved in the majority of web application breaches.

We built Universal SSO for 2Checkout to solve exactly that — so your users get seamless, secure access, and your organization stays in control.

What Is Universal SSO — and Why Does It Matter?

Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication method that lets users log in once through a centralized Identity Provider (IdP) and gain access to all connected applications — no repeated logins, no separate passwords.

2Checkout’s Universal SSO solution takes this further. Built on the SAML 2.0 standard, it integrates directly with your existing Identity Provider, making the 2Checkout cPanel part of your organization’s unified authentication ecosystem.

The result? One login experience. One place to manage access. One less security blind spot.

The Real Cost of Password-Based Access

Before we go further, let’s talk about what “just managing passwords” actually costs.

• Security risk: Separate credentials for each platform mean more attack surfaces. A compromised 2Checkout password is a compromised account.
  • IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the average cost of a credential-based breach at $4.88 million (2024).

• IT overhead: Every offboarded employee or role change means a manual access revocation. Without centralized identity governance, things fall through the cracks.
  • Gartner estimates 10–50% of IT help desk calls are for password resets, at roughly $70 per ticket.

• User friction: Your team shouldn’t need to remember a different password for every tool they use. Friction slows people down — and in operations, that adds up.
  • The average employee manages over 100 passwords, according to NordPass — a number that grows with every new SaaS tool added to the stack.

SSO eliminates all three problems at once. And when that SSO is built on SAML 2.0, it works with virtually every enterprise Identity Provider on the market.

Works With the Identity Providers You Already Use

One of the biggest advantages of 2Checkout’s Universal SSO is its compatibility. If your organization already uses an IdP that supports the SAML 2.0 standard, you’re ready to connect.

Enterprise & large-scale platforms

• Okta                               

• Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD)       

• Ping Identity
• IBM Security Verify                   

• Oracle Identity Cloud Service

Cloud & SaaS-first platforms

• OneLogin

• Auth0

• JumpCloud

• Google Workspace

• Salesforce Identity

Education, public sector & nonprofit

• Shibboleth

• Azure AD for Education

• WSO2 Identity Server

Developer & custom environments

• Keycloak

• Gluu

• SimpleSAMLphp

If your IdP isn’t on this list, it still likely qualifies — any provider that implements the SAML 2.0 standard is compatible.

What Your Team Actually Gains

When Universal SSO is live, the day-to-day experience changes for the better — for everyone.

For end users

• One login to access the 2Checkout cPanel — no separate credentials to remember

• Automatic redirection to your organization’s login page

• Consistent, familiar authentication experience aligned with your other tools

For IT and security teams

• Centralized identity governance across all connected apps, including 2Checkout

• Instant access revocation when an employee leaves — just remove them from your IdP

• Reduced attack surface — no standalone 2Checkout passwords to manage or protect

For business operations

• Faster onboarding for new team members — add them to your IdP and they’re in

• Audit-ready access controls aligned with your existing identity policies

• One less login process to document, train on, and maintain

A Real-World Scenario

Imagine your company uses Okta to manage access across your entire SaaS stack. A new member joins your eCommerce operations team. After their account and role are configured in 2Checkout, your IT admin simply adds them to the 2Checkout application in Okta. That’s it — the user logs into your company portal and has immediate, role-appropriate access to 2Checkout through Universal SSO. No support ticket. No password email. No waiting.

When that same employee leaves six months later, removing them from Okta instantly revokes access to 2Checkout. No manual cleanup required.

That’s what centralized identity governance looks like in practice.

Ready to Enable Universal SSO for Your 2Checkout Account?

Universal SSO with 2Checkout isn’t just a convenience upgrade — it’s a meaningful step toward tighter security, leaner operations, and a better experience for everyone on your team.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone. Our team is here to guide you through every stage of the setup process.

To get started, contact 2Checkout Support or reach out to your 2Checkout vendor representative. We’ll walk you through the onboarding process from day one.

Because access to your business should be simple, secure, and entirely under your control.

The post One Login, Total Control: 2Checkout’s Universal SSO Explained appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

Whether you’re focused on product development, growth strategy, customer retention, or subscription monetization, the right newsletters can help you make smarter decisions and stay ahead of industry trends. 

To help you cut through the clutter, we’ve curated an updated list of the 35 best SaaS, product, and growth newsletters in 2026 — verified, relevant, and aligned with the needs of modern digital commerce and subscription businesses. 

SaaS Industry & Strategy Newsletters 

1. SaaStrWeekly 

One of the largest SaaS communities globally, SaaStr delivers weekly insights on scaling, fundraising, customer success, and SaaS benchmarks. Expect tactical advice from founders, event updates, and curated industry news — ideal for teams navigating growth stages. 

2. SaaStock Newsletter

Powered by the global SaaStock community, this newsletter shares founder stories, scaling frameworks, and practical lessons from SaaS operators. It’s especially valuable for companies preparing for expansion or entering new markets. 

3. SaaSWeekly 

A curated roundup of the most relevant SaaS articles, frameworks, and industry insights published each week. SaaS Weekly highlights practical advice on product, growth, and scaling, making it a quick and reliable way for operators to stay informed without sifting through endless content. 

4. ChartMogulSaaS Roundup 

A concise weekly summary featuring the top three SaaS articles selected by ChartMogul’s analytics team. Perfect for operators who want actionable insights on metrics, retention, and subscription analytics — without information overload. 

5. forEntrepreneursby David Skok 

David Skok’s newsletter remains one of the most respected sources for SaaS metrics, sales efficiency, and growth modeling. Expect deep dives into CAC, LTV, churn, and go‑to‑market strategy — all backed by decades of operator and VC experience. 

6. OpenView Labs Newsletter

OpenView’s content focuses on product‑led growth, SaaS benchmarks, and operational excellence. Their research‑driven approach makes this newsletter a strong resource for teams optimizing product adoption and expansion revenue. 

7. Tomasz Tunguz

A data‑driven newsletter covering SaaS metrics, fundraising trends, and market analysis. Tomasz’s charts and quantitative insights make complex topics easy to understand and apply. 

Product, UX & Product‑Led Growth Newsletters 

8. Lenny’s Newsletter

One of the most influential product newsletters today. Lenny shares case studies, frameworks, and interviews with top operators from leading SaaS companies. Topics range from product strategy and onboarding to growth loops and experimentation. 

9. Product Habits

Hiten Shah’s long‑running newsletter covers product development, customer insights, and SaaS growth. Expect practical lessons drawn from building and scaling multiple SaaS companies. 

10. Reforge Newsletter

Reforge publishes advanced thinking on product strategy, experimentation, retention, and growth. Their content is academically structured and ideal for mid‑senior product and growth leaders. 

11. Product-Led Institute

Focused on product‑led growth, this newsletter shares onboarding tactics, activation frameworks, and PLG best practices. Great for SaaS teams shifting from sales‑led to product‑led motions. 

12. Product Coalition

A community‑driven publication offering diverse perspectives on product management, UX, and product strategy. Articles range from tactical how‑tos to broader industry reflections. 

Growth, Marketing & CRO Newsletters 

13. CXL Newsletter

CXL delivers high‑quality insights on conversion optimization, experimentation, and digital marketing. Their content is research‑driven and trusted by growth teams worldwide. 

14. GrowthHackersNewsletter  

A curated selection of growth case studies, experiments, and marketing tactics. The content is community‑generated but carefully reviewed, making it a strong source of actionable ideas. 

15. Mark Schaefer’s Newsletter

A trusted source for modern marketing insights, Mark Schaefer’s newsletter blends strategic thinking with practical advice on content, branding, and customer engagement. His weekly essays help SaaS and digital businesses navigate shifting marketing trends with clarity and creativity. 

16. Predictable Revenue Newsletter

A go‑to resource for outbound sales, SDR strategy, and revenue operations. Ideal for B2B SaaS teams building or optimizing their sales engine. 

17. The Daily Egg

Covers CRO, UX, and website optimization. Expect guides, infographics, and practical tips for improving user experience and conversion rates. 

18. Demand CurveNewsletter 

Short, tactical breakdowns of modern marketing strategies, ad campaigns, and growth experiments. Highly actionable and easy to apply. 

19. Marketing Examined

A fast‑growing newsletter offering concise, practical marketing insights. Great for SaaS marketers looking for fresh campaign ideas and creative tactics. 

20. Foundation Inc.

Focused on content marketing, distribution, and B2B SaaS growth. Ross Simmonds’ insights are especially valuable for teams scaling organic acquisition. 

Customer Success, Retention & Lifecycle Newsletters 

21. SixteenVentures

A leading voice in customer success and lifecycle optimization. Lincoln Murphy’s newsletter covers retention, expansion, customer psychology, and engagement — essential for improving NRR. 

22. CS Scoop (Customer Success Collective)

A monthly newsletter delivering curated customer success insights, practical frameworks, and expert perspectives. CS Scoop focuses on retention, onboarding, customer health, and NRR — and subscribing also unlocks free access to CSC’s Insider membership. 

23. Churn.fm

A monthly digest from the Churn.fm team featuring insights, interviews, and practical lessons on reducing churn and improving retention. The newsletter highlights real stories from SaaS leaders, making it a valuable resource for teams focused on customer success and lifecycle optimization. 

Founder & Thought‑Leadership Newsletters 

24. Hiten Shah – SaaSWeekly 

A curated list of SaaS articles paired with Hiten’s own insights on growth, product, and entrepreneurship. Great for founders and operators. 

25. Brian Balfour

Brian’s essays explore growth models, acquisition channels, retention loops, and product strategy. His content is detailed, structured, and highly actionable. 

26. Sujan Patel

A mix of growth marketing, SaaS scaling, and founder lessons. Sujan’s experience across multiple SaaS companies makes his insights practical and grounded. 

27. April Dunford – Positioning

A sharp, founder‑led newsletter focused on product positioning, messaging, and go‑to‑market clarity. April shares practical frameworks and real‑world examples that help SaaS teams communicate value, differentiate in crowded markets, and refine their narrative. 

28. Neil Patel

Covers SEO, content marketing, and digital growth. Neil’s newsletter includes blog posts, videos, and step‑by‑step guides for improving online visibility. 

29. Andrew Chen

Explores marketplace dynamics, growth loops, and startup strategy. Andrew’s essays are especially valuable for SaaS companies building network‑driven products. 

30. Ben Thompson –Stratechery 

Macro‑level analysis of tech, business models, and platform strategy. Not SaaS‑specific, but extremely relevant for understanding industry shifts. 

AI, Data & Modern SaaS Trends   

31. a16z Future Newsletter

Covers AI, SaaS, and emerging technologies. Great for leaders tracking how AI is reshaping software, commerce, and customer experience. 

32. The Rundown AI

A daily digest of AI news, tools, and trends. Useful for SaaS teams integrating AI into workflows or product features. 

33. Latent Space

Focused on AI engineering, LLM product strategy, and interviews with top AI builders. Strong for technical and product audiences. 

34. Ben’sBites 

A daily, easy‑to‑digest roundup of the most important AI news, tools, and product updates. Ben’s Bites focuses on practical applications of AI for builders, product teams, and operators — making it a great way to stay current without getting lost in technical details. 

35. TL;DRAI 

A fast, easy‑to‑read newsletter that breaks down the latest AI news, product launches, and research into short, digestible summaries. TL;DR AI helps busy SaaS and product teams stay on top of rapid AI developments without getting lost in technical detail, making it a reliable way to stay informed in just a few minutes a day. 

Final Thoughts: Curate Your Inbox, Strengthen Your Strategy

The right newsletters can help you stay ahead of trends, sharpen your strategy, and make better decisions across product, marketing, customer success, and growth. Whether you’re building a new SaaS product, scaling globally, or optimizing your subscription business, these resources offer practical, high‑quality insights you can apply immediately. 

The post 35 Best SaaS & Growth Newsletters to Subscribe to in 2026 appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

This updated 2026 edition highlights the most relevant tax changes affecting non‑resident digital service providers, the challenges they create, and why the reseller (Merchant of Record) model remains the clearest path through complexity. 

2026: A Year of Accelerating Tax Change

Governments worldwide are balancing two pressures: protecting consumers from rising costs while increasing tax revenue. The result is a wave of indirect tax changes—VAT, GST, and sales tax—impacting digital businesses globally. 

According to Big 4 tax alerts and government publications, hundreds of VAT, GST, and sales tax changes were implemented globally in 2025, with more expected in 2026. 

Global VAT, GST, and Sales Tax Changes Relevant to Digital Services (2025–2026)

Rapid Change in the United States 

In the first half of 2025, more than 400 sales tax rate changes were implemented across US states — nearly 25% more than the same period in 2024, according to the Avalara 2025 Sales Tax Changes Report. 

This acceleration mirrors global trends and directly impacts non‑resident digital service providers selling into the US. 

Mauritius 

Mauritius introduced a 15% VAT on digital services supplied by non‑resident companies, effective 1 January 2026. 

Sri Lanka 

Sri Lanka implemented its 18% VAT on digital services, effective 1 April 2026, following delays announced in the 2025 budget cycle. 

Manitoba, Canada 

Manitoba expanded its Retail Sales Tax (RST) to cover all cloud computing services, regardless of server location, effective 1 January 2026. 

Brazil 

Brazil continues its multi‑year tax reform, transitioning to a dual VAT system. While 2026 is a voluntary transition year, mandatory registration for non‑resident digital providers begins in 2027. 

The Core Challenges for eCommerce Sellers

Geographical Tax Complexity 

Tax rules differ not just between countries, but within them. In the US, 50 states, hundreds of counties, and thousands of cities each have their own rates and rules. A business selling to customers in Texas, California, and New York faces three distinct compliance environments before even considering international sales. 

Want to go deeper? Download our eBook: How to Localize Your Digital Business for Global Commerce. 

Split and Stacked Taxes 

Canada illustrates another common challenge: provincial and federal taxes must both be applied and remitted separately depending on where the customer is located. In provinces like British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Québec, federal GST/HST and provincial sales tax are separate obligations to separate authorities. 

Validation and Verification 

For B2B sales, accurate VAT ID validation remains essential. Errors here don’t just create compliance risk—they can invalidate zero-rated transactions and expose your business to unexpected tax liability. 

The Pace of Change 

Perhaps the biggest challenge of all: the rate at which tax laws are changing. Rate changes happen with little warning. New digital service tax regimes can take effect within months of announcement. Keeping your systems—checkout, invoicing, reporting—in sync with real-world rules requires dedicated infrastructure that most businesses simply don’t have. 

How the Reseller Model Solves the Problem

The modern cross‑border tax environment is complex, and mistakes can lead to audits, penalties, and lost revenue. For digital businesses selling globally, the reseller (Merchant of Record) model offers a practical, proven way to simplify this complexity without building an internal tax and compliance operation.   

When you sell your digital products through a reseller (Merchant of Record), the MoR becomes the legal seller of record to your end customers. This single shift changes the entire compliance burden: 

• You make one sale to a single entity in one country, instead of thousands of sales across dozens of jurisdictions. 

• The MoR becomes responsible for VAT/GST/sales tax registration, collection, remittance, and reporting in every market where your customers are located. 

• The MoR handles ongoing tax rule monitoring, ensuring rates, thresholds, and product taxability rules are always up to date. 

• You avoid the risk of unexpected nexus triggers, especially in the US where economic thresholds change frequently. 

• You are not liable for tax compliance issues, audits, or penalties in the jurisdictions where your customers reside. 

• The MoR issues compliant invoices and receipts to customers, aligned with local requirements. 

• For B2B transactions, the MoR manages VAT ID validation and applies the correct tax treatment. 

For digital businesses planning to scale globally, this model removes the operational and legal burden of managing tax obligations across borders. Instead of building internal tax expertise, maintaining multiple registrations, or constantly updating systems, you rely on a partner whose infrastructure is designed for this exact purpose. 

In short, the MoR model allows you to focus on product, growth, and customer experience, while the MoR absorbs the complexity of global tax compliance. 

Conclusion

The global tax environment in 2026 is more complex than ever, especially for digital service providers navigating VAT/GST expansions, US sales tax changes, and new digital tax regimes. But complexity doesn’t have to slow growth. 

The businesses that scale internationally will be those that solve compliance once—by partnering with the right Merchant of Record. 

2Checkout exists precisely for this moment: to make global commerce accessible, compliant, and genuinely boundless—for everyone, everywhere. Our platform is purpose-built for businesses that want to sell globally without getting trapped in the payments complexity trap. As a full-service Merchant of Record, 2Checkout absorbs your global tax compliance obligations entirely. 

Ready to simplify your global tax compliance? Explore how 2Checkout can help. 

The post Navigating the Complex Tax Landscape and How the Reseller Model Helps appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

In this month’s edition, we’re spotlighting CommerceNow 2026, our flagship event for commerce leaders, alongside fresh insights on reducing checkout friction, protecting in-app revenue, and the top eCommerce blogs to follow in 2026. You’ll also find expert picks on BNPL trends, AI in SaaS activation, and the future of faster payments.  

Happy selling! 

• CommerceNow 2026 

Join us on June 23 for the 10th edition of CommerceNow — the flagship virtual event where digital commerce leaders come to discover what’s next. Hear from industry experts sharing fresh insights, proven strategies, and practical ideas to help you grow faster, sell smarter, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. Free to attend and designed for businesses ready to grow. 

• The eCommerce Blogs to Follow in 2026  

The eCommerce industry in 2026 is evolving fast, driven by AI, changing consumer expectations, and global competition. Staying ahead requires reliable, up-to-date insights from trusted sources. Check out our curated list of the best eCommerce blogs to follow to stay informed on trends, strategies, and growth insights that matter most. 

• 50% European Consumers use BNPL  

BNPL is now mainstream across Europe. Discover what growing consumer demand for pay-later options means for checkout strategy, conversion, and customer experience.  

• Shopping Cart Best Practices  

Your checkout isn’t just a step in the funnel. It’s where revenue is won or lost.  

In this eBook, we break down the shopping cart best practices that actually move the needle:  

•  Optimize your purchase flow  

•  Reduce cart abandonment  

•  Increase average order value  

•  Test what truly drives conversions  

Because even small tweaks, like simplifying forms or improving UX, can significantly boost conversion rates. 

• Payment Friction Map: 5 Hidden Drop-off Points in Your Digital Checkout Process  

Hidden friction in the checkout process can quietly impact conversions and revenue. Explore the key payment friction points in digital checkout and how to reduce them for a smoother customer experience and higher completion rates. 

• From Signup to Value: How AI Is Changing Activation in SaaS    

AI is reshaping SaaS activation by helping users reach value faster and engage earlier. Explore how smarter onboarding journeys can improve conversion, retention, and product adoption. 

• Customer Success Story: Perfect Corp.   

When Perfect Corp. set out to scale YouCam Online Editor globally, the company required more than a payment processor— they needed a partner capable of handling tax compliance, local payment methods, and subscription management across 200+ markets. By partnering with 2Checkout as its Merchant of Record, the company unlocked +250% YoY revenue growth while significantly simplifying its global payment operations. This case study reveals what it truly takes to make global expansion work. 

• Protecting In-App Purchases and Subscriptions from Fraud and Downtime  

As in-app purchases and subscriptions drive more digital revenue, protecting them from fraud and downtime is critical. This article covers the key risks mobile apps face in 2026 and shares practical strategies to secure transactions, prevent revenue loss, and maintain customer trust. 

• How the U.S. Built Its Faster Payments Ecosystem  

The U.S. faster payments ecosystem is evolving through a mix of innovation, collaboration, and infrastructure upgrades. Find out how these developments are shaping real-time payments, improving transaction speed, and influencing the future of digital commerce. 

• AI at Full Speed: How Software & SaaS Companies Accelerate Results in 2026 

Industry experts, Frank Sondors, Mike Korba, Sara Maldon, and Nataliya Shadykulova, unpacked the top AI-driven shifts that are transforming product, marketing, sales and CX in 2026 and beyond. From smarter automation to practical use cases, this session is a must-watch for software leaders and SaaS teams. 

The post Industry Buzz – April 2026 appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

But speed has created a different problem; many companies are rushing AI into their products before they figure out how it should be sold:

• Some add it into existing plans and blur the value of their core offer;

• Some give it away too early and train customers to expect more for the same price;

• Others build pricing pages around credits, add-ons, and premium tiers that make perfect sense internally and almost no sense at all to the buyer.

This tension is now increasingly present across the market.

By early 2026, more than $1 trillion in SaaS market cap had been wiped out as investors question how AI will affect traditional software models, especially those tied to per-seat pricing.

At the same time, pricing across SaaS has been shifting as vendors respond to rising compute costs, changing usage patterns, and stronger pressure to connect price more closely to delivered value.

This is where the real challenge begins. Adding AI to the product is only the first step. Packaging it in a way customers understand that value, and want to pay for it is where the harder work starts.

Read on below on how SaaS companies can sell AI features without weakening the product that made customers trust them in the first place.

The Cannibalization Trap and Why So Many SaaS Companies Fall Into It

This is what cannibalization looks like in SaaS:

• A new AI feature, add-on, or tier starts pulling customers away from a stronger offer instead of moving them toward one;

• The business launches something new expecting expansion, only to find that the pricing has made the existing product harder to justify.

This happens more often than many teams expect, because in 2026 AI feels urgent. It’s so easy to focus on shipping the feature and assume pricing can be adjusted later. But once customers see AI in a certain way, that perception becomes harder to undo.

If they see it as a free bonus, a minor add-on, or something that should already be included, willingness to pay starts falling before the monetization strategy has even had a chance to work.

One common problem is simple price spacing. When plans sit too close together, customers do the math quickly and decide there is no real reason to move up. If the upgrade feels only slightly different from the current tier, the safer choice is to stay put.

That issue becomes even sharper with AI because many buyers are still learning how to value it. If the jump is unclear, they default to the cheaper plan.

Another is treating AI like a ‘free sweetener’. This is one of the easiest traps to fall into, especially when teams want fast adoption or feel pressure to show momentum.

But once AI is framed as something extra you get at no additional cost, customers start to see it as part of the baseline. That can make future monetization harder, especially when AI carries real compute and support costs.

The third issue is weaker value differentiation. Some companies bundle AI into plans without being clear about who it is for, what problem it solves, or why it belongs at a higher tier.

That leaves buyers staring at a pricing page full of labels, limits, and feature lists without a strong sense of what actually changes for them. And when that happens, AI starts to feel like decoration instead of a meaningful reason to upgrade.

Packaging gets more complex, but the offer doesn’t become more compelling.

There’s a reason why so many SaaS vendors have become more careful in this area. In 2025, 68% of SaaS vendors restricted AI to premium tiers, largely to protect perceived value and avoid collapsing the difference between plans.

This doesn’t mean every AI feature belongs behind the highest paywall, but once again, it shows that many teams have already learned the same lesson: once AI undermines the value of the core offer, pricing gets harder to defend.

Match AI Features to the Right Pricing Model

One reason AI monetization gets messy so quickly is that companies treat very different capabilities as if they belong under one pricing logic, but they don’t.

Hence, before deciding how to sell AI, it helps to sort features by the kind of value they create. That usually leads to a better fit between the product experience and the way customers are charged.

Category 1: productivity enhancers (copilot-style)

These are the features that help people move faster inside work they already do, such as:

• autocomplete,

• smart suggestions,

• summarization,

• assisted drafting.

Features like these improve speed and convenience, but the user still stays in control of the workflow.

That makes this category a natural fit for a premium add-on or mid-tier unlock. Customers can see the added value, but they are still paying for an improved version of the same workflow, not a fully automated outcome.

It helps explain why copilot-style AI add-ons were priced 30% to 110% above base per-seat cost in 2025. It also lines up with how copilots are commonly monetized across the market, often through seat-based or consumption-based pricing tied to productivity benefits.

Category 2: workflow automators

These features replace a multi-step manual process with a faster automated flow, such as report generation, anomaly detection, or smart routing. The value with them is tied more directly to work removed, time saved, or throughput gained.

This makes usage-based or outcome-based pricing a better fit.

When the AI is doing more of the actual work, charging by task, output, or result starts to make more sense. More than 30% of enterprise SaaS solutions incorporated outcome-based pricing by 2025.

Usage-based pricing also continues to gain momentum in SaaS because it aligns cost more closely with real consumption and gives customers more flexibility as their needs change.

Category 3: intelligence layers (predictive/agentic)

These are the AI capabilities that act more proactively: predictive recommendations, agentic features, and autonomous workflows that take action on the user’s behalf. They can create significant value, but they also bring more uncertainty around usage, cost, and pricing.

That’s why hybrid pricing tends to fit best here, with a base subscription combined with a usage or consumption metric. Mixed models have become the norm in AI software, with 92% of AI software companies now using them in some form.

How to Build AI Pricing Tiers That Encourage Upgrades

After choosing the pricing model, SaaS teams need to decide where AI belongs in their plans. That choice shapes whether customers see AI as a clear upgrade or another confusing layer on the pricing page.

To start, each plan needs to feel meaningfully different.

Buyers should be able to see:

• who a tier is for,

• what changes at that level,

• and why the higher price exists.

When AI is added into an existing plan without that separation, the offer gets harder to read. A cleaner structure is the “good-better-best-AI” strategy, where AI sits as a separate layer instead of being squeezed into a plan that was built for something else.

The Add-On approach: low risk, real learning

For many SaaS teams, an add-on gives customers a clear choice, keeps the base offer intact, and creates room to test willingness to pay before changing the entire pricing structure. Add-ons usually account for 10% to 15% of total revenue and remain one of the least risky ways to introduce new monetization paths.

They also give teams better data on adoption, usage, and where AI creates enough value to justify a larger packaging shift.

Grandfathering existing customers

Pricing changes tend to create the most friction with customers who already know your product and plans. That’s why an appropriate transition is so important. A good approach is to lock-in legacy pricing for a specific period, then move customers to the new model at renewal or expansion.

This protects trust while giving the business time to roll out AI packaging more carefully. In addition to that, it creates a cleaner path for testing new pricing on new customers and upsell opportunities first.

Make AI Strengthen Your Core Product

It’s true that AI can easily take over the story if a company lets it. When that happens, the core product underneath can start to look less valuable.

For SaaS companies, that’s a real risk. It’s also why the platform your customers already trust should remain at the center of the experience, even as AI features are added.

To do this, businesses need to ensure that their strongest AI features work quietly. They should help users move faster, remove repetitive steps, and improve the product without forcing customers to change how they work.

AI features can spread quickly across the market. However, what doesn’t spread as easily is the data inside your product, your understanding of the customer, and the way your software fits a specific industry or workflow.

For instance, a product built around real customer history, industry needs, and day-to-day workflows carries more weight than a generic AI tool with no business context. This is why companies with stronger data and deeper market knowledge are in a better position to stay valuable as AI becomes more common.

The Metrics That Tell You If Your AI Monetization Is Working

It’s possible for AI adoption to look impressive without actually improving the business. A feature can get clicks, trial usage, and plenty of internal attention while doing very little for revenue, retention, or margin. That’s why adoption alone is generally a weak signal.

A better test is whether AI is helping the business grow in a healthier way.

Start with AI attach rate. This shows how many customers are actually paying for AI-enabled plans or add-ons. It gives a clearer picture of monetization than feature usage on its own.

Then look at Net Revenue Retention. If AI is doing its job well, customers on AI plans should expand more strongly and stay longer than those who aren’t using them. NRR is one of the clearest ways to see whether new monetization is supporting long-term account growth.

Plan upgrade velocity is also crucial. How long does it take for a free or base user to move into an AI tier? If that journey is too slow, the issue may not be demand, but rather weak positioning, poor onboarding, or an offer that still feels optional rather than valuable.

Then there is gross margin by AI plan, which cannot be ignored. AI carries real delivery costs, and that changes the economics.

AI products often operate closer to 50% to 60% gross margins, compared with 80% to 90% for traditional SaaS. So if your AI revenue is growing while margins are quietly shrinking, the model needs attention.

Final Thoughts

AI doesn’t have to pull value away from the product that built your business. With the right pricing structure, it can strengthen that product, open new revenue paths, and give customers a clearer reason to grow with you.

The SaaS companies pulling ahead in 2026 are treating AI monetization as a strategic decision. They’re making deliberate choices about value, packaging, and pricing instead of turning AI into a loose collection of features.

Ready to rethink how you package and sell AI features? Let’s talk about what the right monetization model could look like for your product.

The post How to Sell AI Features Without Cannibalizing Your Core SaaS Product appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.