A brick-and-mortar (B&M) merchant refers to a traditional business that operates out of a physical storefront or building, where customers browse and purchase goods or services in person. Examples include local grocery stores, physical retail boutiques, restaurants, and shopping mall outlets.
The Risk Profile of Physical Stores
In the payments industry, brick-and-mortar stores are generally considered lower risk for fraudulent transactions compared to e-commerce sites because the physical credit card and the cardholder are present at the time of purchase. However, they still face significant compliance challenges, particularly regarding the physical security of their Point of Sale (POS) terminals and protecting cardholder data from skimming devices.
Streamlining B&M Compliance with Onlayer
Even traditional B&M merchants must prove they are securely handling payment data. Onlayer’s Intelligent PCI Wizard guides brick-and-mortar merchants to the exact SAQ type (often SAQ B, B-IP, or P2PE) automatically using smart Q&A logic. This enables acquirers and ISOs to achieve a 100% SAQ classification match rate for their physical portfolios without manual risk team intervention.
