This is how payment merchants are combating the surged chargebacks

By Puja Sharma

The leading dispute specialist that powers chargeback remediation for the largest global e-commerce businesses, Chargebacks911, releases its third annual report. The report details a real-world look at the health and status of chargeback management in the card-not-present (CNP) space.

The bank reverses a chargeback after the cardholder disputes a charge on their account. Payment disputes are also known as chargebacks. It is fairly easy to understand what the term chargeback means. Banks will refund cardholders for disputed transactions without requiring consent from merchants. As long as the chargeback claim is pending, banks typically provide a provisional credit to the customer’s account when a cardholder disputes a charge.

After a record-setting rise in chargeback fraud driven largely by the Covid-19 pandemic, many merchants were hoping for financial relief and a return to payment normalcy in 2022. Instead, 65% of merchants surveyed reported an increase in chargeback fraud – a shocking statistic that could have dire consequences for an economy still reeling from inflation and supply-chain breakdowns.

“Seeing these kinds of figures coming out of COVID and looking at where our global economy stands is a worrying time for merchants,” says Monica Eaton-Cardone, Founder of Chargebacks911. “The report clearly shows that the chargeback threat is growing faster than ever.”

According to the report, the number of merchants taking steps to mitigate friendly fraud more than doubled over the past year, rising to over 75% from the previous year.

“Merchants seem to be increasingly aware of the threat and are taking action,” comments Frank Turner, VP of Data Science at Chargebacks911. “At the same time, only 18% of them reported having success with their efforts, which speaks to the scale of the challenge.”

Card networks are also getting more active in stopping disputes before they get to chargeback status. Visa’s Rapid Disputes Resolution (RDR) is one resolution that has helped give merchants more control. On average, survey participants currently enrolled in the program reported a surprising 34% decrease in chargebacks.

The survey also noted that merchants are reverting to using the term “chargeback” to refer to payment disputes. After Visa replaced the word “chargeback” with “dispute” for its brand, previous research had shown merchants slowly adapting to the change. This report, however, shows a significant drop in usage for the newer term.

While credit cards are still the primary payment method used to buy online, the number of alternatives is increasing. ‘Buy Now Pay Later is surging; 27% of merchants in our survey say they offer it – up 29% from last year.  Whereas both eWallets and ACH transfers are now accepted by more than half of the respondents.

“With over 300 merchants surveyed, this report is our most comprehensive field report to date,” said Jarrod Wright, VP of Marketing at Chargebacks911. “This data is pivotal in tracking how businesses are handling friendly fraud coming out of a pandemic and moving forward into what could be an even tougher economic climate.”

Key highlights

• Around 65% of merchants reported an increase in friendly fraud over the past three years
• Card networks are creating new tools for resolving customer disputes before they hit the chargeback stage
• ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ programs see 29% surge as the economy moves out of Covid-era