The Unified Payments Trend at Events and Markets — Why It Matters 

By Craig Attiwill, Founder & CEO, Peloton Technologies

Across North America, markets and seasonal events are evolving—not just in scale, but in how they sustain themselves financially. Increasingly, organizers are moving away from flat vendor fees and toward revenue models that a small percentage of vendor sales. It’s a structure that lowers the barrier to entry for vendors, drives larger crowds, and aligns everyone’s success around a great customer experience. 

But this model only works if sales can be tracked accurately. And that’s where unified payments come in. 

Rather than allowing 150 different vendors to use 150 different payment setups, markets are increasingly standardizing the hardware and software used on‑site. As the payments partner for BC’s largest Christmas Market  – The Shipyards, which kicked off this weekend, we’ve seen firsthand how foundational unified payments are to making these modern market models work. 

Why unified payments are essential to today’s market revenue models 

When a portion of vendor fees is based on a percentage of sales, organizers need consistent, reliable transaction data. Without it, reconciling sales across tens of thousands of transactions becomes slow, confusing, and prone to dispute. 

Unified payments solve this by creating one shared payments environment – one set of rules, one reporting format, and one source of truth. And the larger the market, the more essential this becomes. 

Why market and event organizers choose unified payments 

At the Shipyards Christmas Market alone, more than 150 vendors will serve over 300,000 attendees this season. If every vendor used their own POS system, here’s what it would look like:  

• Vendors using different terminals report sales differently. Timing, voids, refunds, tips, and discounts would be handled inconsistently. Reconciling hundreds of reports each day would be complex and ripe for error. 

• Payment disputes are inevitable. Ambiguity around what counts as “sales” could create conflicts between vendors and organizers, delaying payouts and damaging trust. 

• Support overload. When everyone uses different devices, every failure – dead batteries, offline transactions, printer errors – require individual troubleshooting. 
   

Unified payments equipment instead ensures consistent data, predictable commissions, fewer disputes, and faster support. Organizers gain operational control without micromanaging vendors, and can provide a reliable, seamless experience for an infinite number of attendees. 
 

What about vendors? What’s in it for them? 

Some vendors understandably prefer to use their own terminals. They already pay for them, they use them daily, and they know how they work. But for the duration of a market or event, especially one tied to a percentage‑of‑sales revenue model, there are clear advantages to the unified approach. 

Here are the most important ones: 

1. Lower upfront participation costs   

Because organizers can reliably track sales, they can shift away from high flat booth fees. That makes markets more accessible, fills more booths, and brings more shoppers through the doors, benefiting vendors directly. 

2. Faster, smoother transactions   

Standardized devices are pre‑configured for the location. Connectivity, speed, and reliability are tested long before the event begins. That means shorter lines, fewer declines, and fewer missed sales during the busiest shopping weeks of the year. 

3. Immediate onsite support   

When every vendor uses the same system, onsite teams can fix problems quickly, often in minutes. Hardware can be instantly replaced if there is an issue. No calling a provider. No waiting on hold. No customer left waiting as a line forms behind them.  

4. Transparent, predictable reporting   

Unified systems ensure all vendors are treated equally. Sales are calculated the same way, revenue shares are consistent, and end‑of‑market reconciliation is fast and transparent. We actually do this in real-time so that funds can be settled to the vendors daily, something we know they appreciate at such a busy time of year. 

5. No new hardware costs   

Seasonal vendors can avoid buying or shipping their own devices. They simply show up, plug in, and go—while still accepting modern payment methods like tap and digital currencies. 

 
Unified payments aren’t about control. They’re about creating the conditions for modern markets to thrive. For organizers, they provide clarity, efficiency, and trust in a revenue‑share model.  For vendors, they offer smoother transactions, lower costs of entry, better onsite support, and clear, fair reporting.   

And for shoppers, they make the entire experience faster, easier, and more enjoyable. 

As markets evolve unified payments will continue to be a key part of what keeps these events vibrant, accessible, and successful for everyone involved.