Nine countries and counting
Harley-Davidson
Helping an icon take payments around the world
The name Harley-Davidson stirs emotion. This isn’t simply because they build the world’s most iconic motorcycles. For over a century the brand has been a symbol of freedom, adventure and a life lived to the fullest. Fans around the world love them for it. The problem? Anywhere other than in the U.S., fans have to drive to a dealership to buy Harley-Davidson merchandise.
The challenge: Getting their payment system up to speed
Harley-Davidson has been supported by Cybersource in the U.S. since 2000. Now they wanted to expand their online store beyond North America and sell merchandise and accessories to their international fans and followers—specifically in Europe.
Until recently, people outside of the U.S. could browse items but couldn’t order them direct. This was a huge pain point for the business with potential revenue being lost on a daily basis. Their payments systems needed to get up to speed fast.
Navigating new ground
The challenge wasn’t just to expand Harley-Davidson’s payment acceptance capability into new territories across Europe. That was the first step. The next was to understand the culture and ensure the different ways people preferred to pay across Europe were accommodated.
What we did: A payment platform in nine countries across Europe
At Cybersource we can enable transactions in over 50 currencies in over 160 countries—and we have relationships with 150+ acquirers and processors around the world. Working fast, we used this scope to open the door to Europe. Harley-Davidson’s online shop is now open for business in nine countries including the U.K., France, and Germany. Leveraging a single API integration, Cybersource was able to support Harley-Davidson’s preferred Processor/Acquirer, payment methods, and markets to be served. Harley-Davidson was able to minimize PCI compliance risks via Cybersource’s Token Management Service (TMS) storing sensitive customer and payment data in highly secure Visa data centers.
More ways to pay
With our experience across Europe, we know exactly how people in different countries like to pay—so we were able to advise Harley-Davidson on integrating alternative payment methods.
The difference our work made
The experience has been so positive that Harley-Davidson has renewed their partnership with Cybersource. Together, we are looking at expanding into more countries in Europe and beyond.
Minimal charge backs
Our payment solution enabled Harley-Davidson to grow sales while at the same time cutting susceptibility to fraud—with charge backs reduced to a minimal amount. Cybersource optimized Harley-Davidson’s payment acceptance KPIs and customer experience via our fraud management solutions Decision Manager, 3DS Payer Authentication, and our managed risk analysts.
Transforming the customer experience
Before, customers would have to drive to a dealership to buy Harley-Davidson merchandise. Today they can shop online and have it delivered to their door. Customers that felt a long way from a brand they love now feel so much closer.