Smart Payment Technologies: A New Era Unveiled – Behind the Scenes of Our Rebranding Journey

As Smart Payment Technologies begins a new era, we take a behind the scenes look at the re-branding process with Marketing Manager Grace Salisbury.  

Background

Secure Retail were a huge player in the payments industry for over 20 years. Founded by Carl Barton in 2003, we initially focused on supplying smart card connectors to payment terminal manufacturers and card readers to ATM providers. A year later, chip & pin technology launched in the UK which changed the way we make payments forever. We played a key role in this by supporting the trials in Northampton. Over the years Secure Retail were at the forefront of payments, evolving with the technology and prioritising customer experience. Fast forward to 2021, we shipped our 100,000^th order and opened our new distribution facility in the Netherlands which really put Secure Retail on the map for support across Europe and the rest of the world.

In 2024, Secure Retail acquired Smart Technology Solutions (STS), a move that saw two companies with years of expertise in payments solutions come together to form a force to be reckoned with in the payments world.

Following the acquisition, we felt we needed a fresh new image to really showcase who we are and what we do. From this Smart Payment Technologies was born, a global technology partner for complex integrated payments.

The process

We initially needed to come up with a company name that fitted with what we had to offer. Secure Retail felt too niche, we were in a lot more sectors than just retail. We put the same attention to detail into our branding as we do to every customer interaction we have. We knew this rebrand wasn’t just about our ‘look’, it needed to reflect our commitment to providing a transformative experience for our customers at each point of their journey with us.

When thinking about our new company name, we knew we needed something that made it clear to customers what we did. We didn’t want to be pigeonholed into a specific vertical like we had with Secure Retail. As we had acquired STS, we knew their G8 platform was going to become a huge focus for us going forward, so we felt we needed to keep part of their name. There were a few ideas on the table, but we kept coming back to Smart Payment Technologies, it flowed, kept some of the STS legacy and made it clear that payments were our focus.

Once we had the name it was time to really think about our image and our voice. How did we want to appear to our customer base and potential clients.  Working with design agency Creative Direction, we built our brand pillars – Authentic, Innovative, Transforming, Versatile – and really thought about who we are as a company and the wonderful people who make it what it is. We needed a more contemporary look and we needed to stand out, whilst maintaining the feel of a professional and established business.

Then came our logo and tagline ‘Limitless Payment Possibilities’. We felt it really showcased that we could offer a payment solution to anybody, no matter their size or unique requirements, the possibilities were endless.

Creative Direction presented their ideas for typography and colours. The Halyard type family is robust and lively, clear, simple and balanced, which reflects our brand values. The colour pallet had a dynamic, modern range of colours, allowing us to flex to match its context.

We had fun with the rebrand, of course we ran into some challenges along the way but always overcame them thanks to the hard work of the teams at Smart Payment Technologies and Creative Direction.

From all of this, the brand image and voice really started to come together. Through various versions of the website, tweaks on images and text we could see that this was Smart Payment Technologies.

Launch

The rebrand touched on so many different areas of the business, and without them this wouldn’t have been possible, and the launch day was no different. We had to ensure all systems were updated, all documents had the correct wording and branding, uniforms were changed and that our phones were going to be answered with our new company name. And thanks to the amazing team we have here, it went without a hitch. 

As a company we celebrated the launch with pizzas, fizz and games. We handed out promotional goody bags and hoodies for all staff. We wanted them to feel proud and a key part of Smart Payment Technologies.

The rebrand has given everyone here a new lease of life. Theres a real buzz around our Coalville and Croydon offices. Everyone can confidently say who we are and what we do as a company.

This is just the start for Smart Payment Technologies, our vision for the future is limitless.

Take a look around our website and see how we can help you. We hope you like the rebrand as much as we do!