Integrated campus payment, ID and commerce solutions provider, Transact Campus, has released its notable trends to watch over the coming year. With the year 2020 likely going down as one of the most unpredictable years ever; the team at Transact is preparing for 2021 with these predictions for the edtech fintech space in mind.

1. Cash is no longer king.

Today, roughly half of an institution’s facilitated payments are cash payments. Over the next year, there will be considerably less cash on campus as students and families elect contactless and mobile options. This will lead to increased safety and convenience and more effective receivables collection for institutions. 

2. Contactless payments happen more as human contact happens less.

With increasing consumer preference and conditioning for contactless interactions, payment credentials will expand beyond the fingerprint to other biometric solutions, such as palm and iris authentication.

3. Mobile integration gets moving.

With students’ mobile-centric mindset and expectation for simple, connected experiences top of mind, institutions will pursue mobile solutions that work together in a single app solution for students. Entering the dorm, checking courses, making a payment, and ordering take-out all become accessible through a single, simple solution. 

4. Data access and analytics revolutionize as enterprise resource planning moves to the cloud.

Moving legacy ERP infrastructure to the cloud is a potential catalyst for the revolutionary use of predictive analytics on campuses nationwide. Today, data comes from multiple, disconnected sources so there is no way to correlate patterns, learn behaviors, and make predictions. With ERP in the cloud, institutions will be able to perform connected analyses not only to improve campus safety, but also to provide additional value to the institution, such as creating student profiles to assess drop-out risk and bolster retention.

5. Cryptocurrency becomes practical.

As the artificial friction of moving money from source to source is reduced and international funds transfers become faster and simpler, institutions will be able to leverage practical applications of blockchain to accelerate their financial transactions.

6. Capacity management applications multiply on and off campus.

In 2020, social distancing and contactless order pickup became mainstream. In 2021, these concepts will be applied in ever broader ways as consumers resume daily activities with new expectations. Imagine being able to reserve a time slot to shop at your favorite grocer or store at the mall, or schedule your time for dormitory move in, a gym workout, or a meal in the on-campus dining facility.

7. Institutions reprioritize budgets as families prioritize value over amenities.

The conscientious consumer in 2021 will prioritize value and safety more than ever. Higher education institutions will buy based on those consumer priorities and focus investments on campus safety, student wellness, and removing friction from processes to improve the student experience.

“For all the challenges that 2020 brought, the acceleration of technology adoption and advancement of many mobile technologies were very positive outcomes,” says David Marr, CEO of Transact. “Transact sees a bright future in higher education in 2021. We are excited to make a difference in students’ lives by delivering compelling technology that uses digital credentials, integrated payments and other solutions to facilitate students’ safe return to the post-pandemic campus.”

For more information about Transact’s integrated payment solutions, campus ID solutions, and campus commerce solutions, visit www.transactcampus.com.

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