3 Takeaways from MRC Vegas & Navigating the Evolving eCommerce Landscape

Cam’s Big Takeaway: Navigating the Regulatory Maze

The discussions around regulatory concerns were really interesting, especially the impact of Unfair, Deceptive Acts and Practices (UDAP) and how it will cascade into additional scrutiny for Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and the handling of subscriptions and auto-renewals. 

I don’t envy ecommerce merchants having to navigate the regulatory mazes that they’re running through in real-time. While these regulations don’t always impact fraud prevention (beyond possible dispute resolution), a lot of people I talked to were thinking about how they might trickle down into a need for fraud solutions with low regulatory risk, unbiased practices, and lean data collection (mirroring the priorities of UDAP). And more directly, under UDAP, ecommerce merchants are responsible for the actions of their fraud partners if those actions impact customers; making it even more important to make sure that all fraud prevention vendors are staying on top of regulatory and compliance challenges.

Processing this all through our NeuroID lens, it was reassuring that we’ve always had an approach focused on transparency and employing non-data collection practices that significantly lower regulatory risk. As the landscape shifts, NeuroID’s commitment to unbiased (or “borderless”) behavioral analytics becomes even more crucial. Our solutions can be a great support to help ecommerce ensure that their fraud strategies are not only effective but also future-compliant and customer-friendly. 

From what I heard at MRC, it’s clear that fraud is never just prevention, but a multifaceted challenge that involves managing disputes with transparency, across a complex ecosystem of consumers, card issuers, merchants, and payment networks. And then this is further muddied by layers of regulations that outline procedures for dispute resolution timelines and provisional credit, all in addition to whatever rules the payment network enacts around chargeback and dispute resolution. When thinking about what goes into even the simplest dispute, fraud detection and prevention become even more important. Regulations are always going to be complicated, but third-party fraud prevention doesn’t have to be!

Nash’s Big Takeaway: Striking the Perfect Balance Between Fraud Prevention and Customer Experience

The challenge of balancing fraud prevention with a seamless customer experience was a recurring topic in every conversation I had. It’s clear that the ecommerce space is acutely aware of how friction can impact customer satisfaction and overall success, probably even more than any other client industry we’ve worked with. 

It’s also clear that the rise of friendly fraud and competitive pressures necessitates a more holistic approach to fraud solutions across the enterprise. NeuroID’s behavioral analytics, with their passive, zero-friction capabilities are a natural fit for ecommerce priorities. I talked with many fraud professionals at MRC about how our technology seamlessly integrates across the customer journey, offering bespoke user experiences without compromising security. For example, NeuroID behavioral analytics can be implemented anywhere across the customer journey—including at checkout. As a targeted fraud tool, NeuroID ensures a smooth transaction process for trustworthy users while adding necessary barriers for fraudsters.

My Big Takeaway: Overcoming Fraud Stack Complexities with Real-Time Data

The issue of data noise from overly complex fraud stacks, and how it could hinder the customer experience and real-time analysis was discussed in depth, across multiple sessions and panels. 

We heard a lot of frustration that stemmed from the riskiness of making decisions based on incomplete or incorrect data, and the resulting false positives and missed fraud attacks. Yet at the same time, throwing more data at the problem to fill those gaps just seemed to make it worse: more noise with less clarity. When data volumes expand correspondingly to higher demand, it just becomes a new struggle to handle increased loads without compromising performance.

The need for sophisticated data aggregation tools that can manage and interpret data in real time without overwhelming systems is clear. And this is no surprise—we’ve long seen how the dynamic nature of fraud means delays in detection can lead to significant losses, making real-time data analysis a game-changer for ecommerce merchants. What was surprising was how open and honest ecommerce merchants were willing to be about it all. The sessions on fraud stack complexities were some of the most engaging to attend. Everyone was asking the same question: how can we get real-time visibility that is actionable and manageable?

NeuroID thrives in real-time. Our behavioral analytics work at the top of the funnel on down, for faster decisioning earlier in your fraud stack (or anywhere you need it). They also enhance the ability of your overworked manual review teams to focus on complex cases by automating the detection of simpler fraud schemes. This approach not only improves operational efficiency but also gives you a more nuanced understanding of fraud risks, so you can stay ahead of fraudsters in an ever-changing landscape.