Latest News

Wholesale Payments Are Changing. It's Time We Lead the Shift.

Written by MarketTime | May 17, 2026 10:36:48 PM Z

Let’s be candid:
Credit cards are compromised at every market. Every single one.

We don’t talk about it openly, because it’s uncomfortable. Because customers didn’t sign up to be cautionary tales. And because for decades, wholesale operated without a better option.

Until now.

The Workflow That Built Wholesale, and Outlived It

Picture the moment:

A Sales Rep is closing an order before a Buyer heads to the airport. The Buyer pulls out a credit card. The Rep writes it down - on an order form, a sticky note, a hotel pad. Later, it gets keyed in, the order is processed, and everyone moves on.

This workflow powered billions of dollars in commerce. It wasn’t careless - it was effective, given the tools we had.

But today, that same workflow is:

    • Creating unnecessary risk
    • Driving higher chargebacks
    • Exposing teams to PCI compliance enforcement
    • Leaving the most diligent professionals holding the liability

This isn’t a people problem. It’s a systems problem.

And systems can be fixed.

One Industry. Five Roles. Shared Responsibility.

Wholesale payments don’t belong to any single player. They’re the product of an ecosystem - and so is the solution.

1. Retailers (Buyers): Set the New Standard

Buyers have more influence than they realize. When they accept insecure payment methods, the system persists. When they demand better, the system evolves.

What leadership looks like:

    • Decline to send card data via text, email, or voicemail
    • Avoid sharing card numbers verbally or having them written down
    • Request secure invoices as the default - not the exception

Buyers who lead here don’t just reduce risk - they elevate the professionalism of every partner they work with.

2. Sales Reps: From Last Line of Defense to Trusted Advisor

Sales Reps have carried this burden quietly for years - often without tools, training, or support.

Now, they become the catalyst for change.

The new standard:

    • Never store or transmit card data (notes apps, texts, forms - off limits)
    • Guide Buyers to secure workflows with confidence
    • Use simple language:
      “Let me send you a secure invoice so your card stays protected.”

The Rep who protects their customer becomes the Rep who earns lasting loyalty.

3. Agencies: Enable, Train, and Back Your Team

Agencies define behavior at scale.

Your role:

    • Make PCI awareness part of your operating rhythm - not a one-time training
    • Embed secure workflows into your standard processes
    • Stand behind your Reps when they say “no” to insecure practices

When Reps feel supported, they act with confidence—and customers notice.

4. Brands: Rewrite the Rules

Brands have the power to eliminate risk overnight.

Leadership in action:

    • End acceptance of credit cards via phone, email, or fax
    • Remove “call for card” fields from order flows
    • Replace outdated practices with modern, secure alternatives

The result? Fewer chargebacks, cleaner A/R, and stronger customer trust.

5. SaaS Platforms (That’s Us): Make Safe the Default

At MarketTime, we own our role in this evolution.

We helped power the old workflows—and we’re leading the transition to better ones.

Our responsibility:

    • Stay ahead of evolving PCI standards so our customers don’t have to
    • Make secure payments frictionless - not optional
    • Educate the market with transparency and clarity

Because the right workflow shouldn’t require extra effort - it should just be the way business gets done.

The New Standard: mtCharge+ & InvoicePay

We’ve spent the past several years rebuilding the wholesale payment experience. The result is simple, secure, and built for how this industry actually works.

How it works:

Step 1: Rep writes the order in MarketTime
Step 2: PO flows to the Brand
Step 3: Brand ships and converts the PO to an invoice (one tap)
Step 4: Buyer receives a secure, click-to-pay link
Step 5: Payment is completed - without anyone else touching card data

No notes. No phone calls. No exposure.

One Tap to Invoice. One Click to Pay. Secure by design.

Why This Matters - Right Now

Trade shows amplify every weakness in the legacy workflow:

    • Fast-paced environments
    • Shared spaces and devices
    • High transaction volume
    • Constant interruptions

These aren’t failures of discipline - they’re symptoms of an outdated process.

The brands that modernize before the next market don’t just reduce risk—they eliminate it.

And the difference is visible:

    • Buyers receive clean, professional invoices
    • Reps stay focused on selling, not chasing payments
    • Teams operate with confidence, not caution

Where Leaders Start

Wholesale has always been built on relationships. Protecting those relationships now means modernizing how we move money.

The post-it note era is ending.

The next era belongs to the brands, agencies, reps, and retailers who:

    • Prioritize security
    • Embrace better tools
    • Lead their partners forward

Take the Next Step

    • Already using mtCharge+? InvoicePay is ready for you.
    • Using a third-party processor? It’s time to see what fully integrated, secure payments look like.

Explore mtCharge+. Book a demo. Lead the shift.

FAQs

What is InvoicePay?

A secure, click-to-pay invoicing solution embedded in MarketTime - no portals, no friction, no card handling by intermediaries.

What payment methods are supported?

All major credit cards.

Can brands still offer terms?

Yes. With ResolvePay integration, brands can offer net terms while receiving payment upfront and eliminating risk.

How is this different from Stripe or Square?

Those tools process transactions. MarketTime connects payments directly to the wholesale order lifecycle - POs, commissions, terms, and workflows included.

• • •

About this series

This is the first of three posts on modern wholesale payments. Next up: "Why Your Net Terms Policy Is a Loan You Didn't Mean to Make." Subscribe to the MarketTime blog at markettime.com.