Paze and Zelle’s Andrea Gilman on the future of digital payments

Summary

The Current Podcast: Paze and Zelle’s Andrea Gilman on the Future of Digital Payments

Release Date: March 31, 2025
Hosts: Pat Vesse and Ilyce Lefring
Guest: Andrea Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer of Hayes and Zelle

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Introduction

In this enlightening episode of The Current Podcast, hosts Pat Vesse and Ilyce Lefring welcome Andrea Gilman, the Chief Marketing Officer of Hayes and Zelle. Celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s Month, this conversation delves into Andrea’s impactful career in the digital payments industry, her strategies behind launching Pays, and her perspectives on innovation and leadership.

Andrea Gilman's Background

Andrea Gilman brings a wealth of experience from her tenure at MasterCard and various fintech companies. Nearly two years prior to this episode, she joined Early Warning Services, where she significantly contributed to making Zelle a ubiquitous digital payment solution. Building on this success, Andrea is now spearheading the launch of Pays, a new digital wallet aimed at enhancing online checkout experiences.

Launching Pays: Strategy and Campaigns

At [02:49], Andrea Gilman explains, “Pays is really to facilitate online checkout for consumers… combining convenience and security.” This dual focus sets Pays apart from Zelle. The launch strategy for Pays hinged on three main levers:

1. Brand Campaign: Partnering with the agency Spaceship, the team developed humorous and relatable vignettes to engage consumers. Andrea emphasizes, “[03:06]... when people see a campaign and it's something that they relate to, they trust the brand more.”

2. Bank Channel Marketing: Leveraging the trust consumers have in their banks, Pays utilized bank emails and other channels to promote the service. Andrea notes, “[03:06] People really pay attention to marketing that comes from your banks. Bank emails are opened at twice the rate of other merchants and other providers.”

3. Merchant Centric Campaign: Collaborating closely with merchant partners, Pays created tailored campaigns around key events. A notable example is the Valentine’s Day campaign with 1-800-Flowers, which Andrea describes at [04:49]: “We talked about what different colors of flowers mean about your relationship with the loved one… bringing in humor to make it something people want to see and think about.”

Infusing Joy and Humor into Customer Experience

Andrea Gilman highlights the importance of making online checkout a joyful experience. At [05:49], she shares, “The idea of Pays is to make online checkout seamless and a joyful part of the whole shopping experience.” The brand campaign features relatable scenarios, such as a young dad juggling two babies while ordering dinner ([07:09]) and a mom playing hide and seek with her kids while shopping ([07:09]). These vignettes aim to resonate with consumers’ everyday experiences, adding a touch of humor to the transactional process.

Adoption and Consumer Feedback

Since its launch in September, Pays has achieved significant milestones. Andrea proudly states at [07:50], “We have over 150 million cards added to the Pays wallet solution,” reflecting the collaborative efforts across numerous banks and merchant partnerships. Consumer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly among a group Andrea refers to as “protectionists.” At [08:50], she explains, “Consumers value and trust products and services that come from their banks… this value proposition resonates.”

Marketing Strategy and Insights

Andrea Gilman sheds light on the effectiveness of their multi-faceted marketing approach. By the end of last year, Pays reached 22% aided awareness within their target demographic ([12:30]). This success is attributed to the strategic use of brand campaigns, bank channels, and merchant collaborations. Additionally, Pays has attracted thousands of merchants, including major names like United Airlines and Sephora, enhancing the network's growth and consumer reach.

Future Trends in Digital Payments

Looking ahead, Andrea emphasizes the critical balance between security and convenience in digital payments. At [14:40], she states, “Whoever really gets this combination of security and convenience is going to be the winner… in today’s world, people are leery about giving their information.” This focus is pivotal for the continued evolution and acceptance of online payment solutions.

Innovations and Growth Opportunities

Andrea Gilman is optimistic about the future of digital payments, highlighting the power of collaboration between merchants and banks. At [15:29], she shares, “How a community of merchants, a community of banks can come together to mutually benefit and help consumers get the products and services they want.” This synergy is seen as a fertile ground for innovation and growth over the next five years.

Women in the Payments Industry

In the rapid-fire Q&A segment, Andrea discusses her experiences as a woman in the payments industry. Reflecting on moments of being the only woman in the room, she acknowledges the importance of diversity: “[16:27] I've been very fortunate to work for companies that really value the perspective that women bring to the table.” Andrea also highlights the significant role women play in online purchasing decisions, noting that “women constitute over 75% of online purchase decisions.”

Mentorship and Leadership

Andrea attributes much of her success to mentorship and advocates for women taking on challenging roles to foster growth. At [17:25], she advises, “Take on those hard assignments, stretch yourself… that's where the most growth comes from.” She also envisions a future where marketing leaders are seen as chief connecting officers, driving both business and product innovation.

Empowering the Next Generation

Andrea’s commitment to empowering young women is evident from her involvement with Girls Inc. Westchester. At [19:12], she praises the confidence and technical savvy of today’s girls: “Today's girls are so confident, they're so motivated, and they're also very technically savvy.” She underscores the importance of continuous support and mentorship to ensure the next generation of women becomes the leaders of tomorrow.

Conclusion

Pat Vesse and Ilyce Lefring conclude the episode by reflecting on the strides being made in digital payments and the empowerment of women in the industry. They commend Andrea Gilman’s efforts in creating seamless, secure, and joyful payment experiences while fostering an inclusive environment for future leaders. The conversation leaves listeners inspired by the progress in digital payments and the ongoing journey towards gender equality in leadership roles.

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This episode is a testament to the innovative spirit driving the digital payments industry and the vital role women play in shaping its future. Andrea Gilman’s insights provide valuable lessons on blending security with user experience, effective marketing strategies, and the importance of diversity and mentorship.

Transcript

[Pat Vesse]

I'm Pat Vesse.

[Ilyce Lefring]

And I'm Ilyce Lefring.

[Pat Vesse]

And welcome to this edition of the current podcast.

[Ilyce Lefring]

In honor of International Women's Day and Women's Month, we're celebrating women shaping the future of marketing and innovation at south by Southwest.

[Pat Vesse]

For this episode, we're joined by Andrea Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer of Hayes and Zelle, who's been a driving force in making digital payments seamless, trusted, and widely adopted.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Andrea has an impressive background in payments, having spent years at MasterCard and fintech companies before joining Early Warning Services nearly two years ago. Since then, she's played a pivotal role in making Zelle a household name and is now leading the charge with Pays, a new digital wallet solution.

[Pat Vesse]

We'll dive into the strategy behind launching Pays and how Andrea is bringing more joy and humor into the customer experience, something not often associated with financial services.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Plus, we'll discuss what's next in in the evolution of digital payments, the role of trust in financial marketing, and Andrea's perspective on supporting women in leadership. Let's get started.

[Pat Vesse]

Andrea, thank you so much for being here with us. We're so happy to have you here.

[Andrea Gilman]

Thank you for having me. I am thrilled to be here with both of you.

[Pat Vesse]

You have had an impressive career in the payments industry with your history at MasterCard and various fintech companies. Almost two years ago, as we mentioned, you joined Early Warning Services and helped turn Zelle into a household name. And now you're aiming to do the same thing with Pays. Can you tell us what differentiates the products?

[Andrea Gilman]

Absolutely. What a great way to start. So, yes, I joined Early Warning a couple years ago and everything that Early Warning does is in the service of banks and community banks and credit unions. So we launched zelle back in 2017, and I don't know if you saw, but recently, last year, we achieved 1 trillion in volume, and through that service, we serve over 2,000 banks and credit unions. We just launched PAYS late last year, and the idea of Pays is really to facilitate online checkout for consumers, but it's a product and service like Zelle offered from your bank and credit union. The real differentiator with Pays then is this idea of combining convenience and security. So it's a convenient online checkout, no new passwords to remember, and then it's also secure because the card numbers are tokenized through the magic of bank technology. But also card information is automatically updated. So if you have a new card or your card is lost and stolen, it's automatically updated and information is not shared with the merchant so it's really a wonderful proposition all around for banks, merchants and consumers.

[Pat Vesse]

That number is mind blowing. But I'm not surprised at all because I use Zelle on a weekly basis same. So I, I can imagine just the amount of transactions I've had. Early warning services LaunchPay, as we've been discussing last September, what were some of the levers you pulled to bring this service to market?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, there's really three main levers that we pulled when we think about launching this campaign. They are the brand campaign that we developed in partnership with Spaceship, our agency. They are the bank channel marketing and then also what we're doing. The third lever is the merchant centric campaign. So I'll talk to you a little bit about each of those levers for the brand campaign. We really worked on developing a set of vignettes that are both humorous and relatable because we think that's a wonderful way to get people interested in the product. And then also when people see a campaign and it's something that they relate to, they trust the brand more. So that was really the focus of the brand campaign and that's showing up in all kinds of wonderful ways in media, at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, at all kinds of sports. Before you go to the movies, you might see the trailers. It's right there. Social, of course, is a big, big angle for us as well. With respect to the bank channel marketing. That's a really big lever. People really pay attention to marketing that comes from your banks. Just for instance, bank emails are opened at twice the rate of other merchants and other providers. So there's something really about establishing that relationship with the bank and consumers will look at those emails. And then what we've gotten into recently as we're marketing this online checkout solution, are working really closely with our merchant partners to create exciting campaigns all around them and their tent pole events that are really important to them. So for instance, we just did a really fun Valentine's day campaign with 1-800-Flowers.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Tell me more about that campaign.

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, so the idea really here with our merchants is to create relatable kinds of interesting opportunities for consumers to discover the checkout solution called pays and to transact with the merchants. If you put yourself into the position of the merchants, they're really looking to grow customers, they're looking to increase average value and more most importantly, also ensure that people go through and continue their checkout. So what we did with 1-800-Flowers is we did a bunch of social, different kind of influencer campaigns. My favorite was one that we developed where we talked about what different colors of flowers means about your relationship with the loved one. So just fun kinds of things. Again, really bringing in this humor kind of thing into it, but also making it something that people want to see and something that they think about. You think about when you're shopping for flowers, what does it mean? What color am I going to get? So it was just really a fun way to bring that to life.

[Pat Vesse]

So clever.

[Ilyce Lefring]

You mentioned wanting to bring more joy and humor to the customer experience. How have you done this with the product launch for pays?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yes. So when you think about online shopping, I don't know about you, but I love it. I love to sit on the couch with my favorite beverage of choice and to pick out the perfect item, whether it be a gift or a piece of clothing for myself or what have you. But the part that is not fun is checking out how many times do you have to get up and get your card. Or maybe some consumers also take a pause when they're shopping because they're not sure they want to give card information to that merchant. And so the whole idea of pays is to make online checkout seamless and a joyful part of the whole shopping experience. So as we brought that to life to consumers, our core brand campaign features a number of vignettes that show people in the funny ways that they shop. So, for instance, one of our most popular ones is a young dad who's juggling two babies while he's ordering food online for his family for dinner. My favorite, because we've all been there, is a young mom who's playing hide and seek with her kids. And while she's hiding, she's shopping.

[Pat Vesse]

Describing both of my life.

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, we can all relate, right? And then there's another one with a dad with two young girls, and they give him the teenage eye roll. You know, all these, like, really funny, relatable things that people do when they're shopping. And they're really trying to have a good, usually a good time when they shop, a good experience, and they want to check out quickly and easily. So that's really the whole idea behind the campaign.

[Pat Vesse]

I love that so much. And like I said, I was doing that before I left on Thursday, ordering an instacart order to my house so my husband could take care of our two boys while I'm out here. Let's dive into the results. How has adoption come along so far since launching in September?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yes. So we just launched in September. And, you know, as you as you can see we're building a two sided network. Right. So our focus initially and we're being very thoughtful and strategic about how we go about that. So the first set of initiatives that we've put into place, we're bringing the banks and the cards into the network. And so we're really happy and pleased to share that. To date we have over 150 million cards added to the payee's wallet solution. Yeah, I know, it's a big milestone, right. And it takes a lot of work across a number of different banks. And now we're also really bringing on merchants. We have thousands of merchants on the network and we've been signing some really big names. I mentioned 1-800-Flowers-Fanatics, United Airlines, Sephora. So these are all really important ways to grow the network and we're going to continue to build both sides of the network.

[Pat Vesse]

So exciting. As you test this new product, what consumer feedback are you hearing in market?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, what we're really seeing is that there's a large group of consumers that really value and trust products and services that come from their banks. We've done a lot of research about these people. We tend to call them protectionists. They're people who are really careful with their payment information. And just like you saw the success of Zelle happen because people want these payment products from their bank and credit union, we're seeing that as we test the product, the construct and the campaign with consumers that this value proposition resonates. A really convenient, seamless payment experience offered from their trusted bank and credit union.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Now at that moment where, you know, shoppers have, you know, decided what they want and they're in the checkout, you say that moment should be for merchants to build those deeper connections with customers. Do you think you effectively got to that level with Pays and or Zell?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, absolutely. And maybe let's put ourselves in the shoes of a merchant marketing person. Right. You spend all day thinking about how am I going to get customers and consumers to come to my website to shop around and to buy something. So many consumers are doing that thanks to the hard work of these merchant marketers. Putting items in their cart and then abandoning their cart. And why are they abandoning their cart? Because they're concerned about giving card information away. Or maybe they had to go up and get their card, their wallet might be upstairs and it just, just stops the whole transaction. The idea with pays is to make it incredibly seamless so that a consumer feels very confident in continuing the checkout with that merchant because again, they don't have to give their card information away. And it's really seamless, quick, and easy.

[Pat Vesse]

And I mean, we've heard repeatedly this week talking to CMOs once they believe in their product so much that once they get their customers in the door, they don't want to leave and they become fans for life. That's been a common theme. And so you're taking the friction out of that for them, which I imagine many merchants are jumping at that opportunity to get more customers in the door at an easier clip.

[Andrea Gilman]

Absolutely. No more abandoned shopping carts. That's our motto. Besides the joy of shopping, were there.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Any key lessons that you learned from launching Pays that perhaps you could apply to future product launches in the payment space?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, there's been a number of different lessons. I think the one that we've been talking a lot about is this idea that consumers really do trust their bank and credit union. And so that's a very powerful way to bring new products to market. I think the other thing that has been really great to see also is how merchants and banks can work together to reach mutual goals. And so this idea of the bank channel, using the bank channel to market these merchants who are really looking to grow their customer base and grow their sales and all that kind of thing and extend their relationships, just as you said, and that's been a really powerful lesson in learning, is how banks and merchants can come together on the PAES network to do that. And then I think the other key lesson is really this idea of as we do the marketing, we are always continuously striving to make all of our marketing campaigns both relatable to consumers so they see themselves in it and. And humorous. So they can chuckle, they can say, I can totally relate. I get that. And that's really fun.

[Pat Vesse]

Sounds like things are going well. Any other KPIs that you're tracking or trying to hit with this campaign?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah. So we were so excited. We've been tracking, of course, aided awareness, and within just a few months, by the end of last year, we were already at 22% aided awareness with our target demo, which really just shows the power of all the different levers in marketing that we are pulling when we're launching a new product to market.

[Pat Vesse]

And who is the target demo? I don't know.

[Andrea Gilman]

So this is that group of consumers that we call the protectionists. These are people who shop online, tend to be banked, and really are looking for that unique combination of convenience and security from their bank.

[Pat Vesse]

Less of a generation, more of a.

[Andrea Gilman]

Profile of a shopper.

[Pat Vesse]

Mindset of a shopper.

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, mindset. I think the other thing that's really interesting, when we think about the campaigns that we've been running with the merchants, we're seeing some really nice early KPIs on that too. So definitely fewer abandoned shopping carts people are going through to purchase, but also new customers. And this is because the banks can help find the people that will resonate with the different merchants and even higher average order size, which is really a great result for the merchants. So again, that really speaks, speaks to the results that we can get when we partner together across merchants and banks.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Are you finding a certain age demographic is using it more so at this moment, as an early adopter, the segment.

[Andrea Gilman]

That we think that we can get go after, when we think about protectionists, they tend to be a little bit more mature than your average American or maybe your young consumer. And they tend to not use wallets that often. So we're really going after a segment of people who tend to do manual card entry. And there's a large group of these people who really don't want to give their financial information to a technology player or a third party provider.

[Pat Vesse]

Let's zoom out a bit and talk more about the big picture around your marketing strategy as a whole. With more consumers adopting digital wallets, what trends do you see shaping the future of contactless and online payments?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, I think we're really onto something here. I really do think when you think about digital payments and online payments, whoever really gets this really this combination of security and convenience. Right. Is going to be the winner. Right. We're really seeing that people want their lives to be made easier. But in today's world, it can be scary at times. People are leery about giving their information and their payment information, especially away. So really honing in on that unique combination I think is going to be very, very important for the future of online payments.

[Ilyce Lefring]

What would you say are the innovations in payments that excite you the most? And where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth in the next five years?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, I mean, first of all, I think you can tell I'm a big optimist. And I am also a big believer in the power of people working together to achieve a win win situation. And so the things that I'm really most excited about is how a community of merchants, a community of banks can come together to mutually benefit and help consumers get the products and services they want. And I think that's really just creating a lovely scenario for everybody involved.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Let's go into our rapid Fire Q and A section now. And these are female focused questions because we're here for International Women's Day after all. Curious. Because you have a long standing career and over 20 years in payments, I'm sure you felt like the only woman in the room many a time, as probably were, probably all of us. Can you recall a time that made you pause and go, something needs to change?

[Andrea Gilman]

You know, I've definitely been in those rooms when I've been the only woman walking in. But I've also been very fortunate to work for companies that really value the perspective that women bring to the table and that diversity of thought, that creativity, that innovation. And that's been really, really important. The other thing I would say, and this is really important as we think about payments and shopping. Do you know that women constitute over 75% of online purchase decisions? We need women in the payments industry. Absolutely.

[Pat Vesse]

And they're holding more of the purchasing power these days. Absolutely.

[Andrea Gilman]

So a pretty fundamental fact to consider when you're thinking about payments especially.

[Pat Vesse]

Yeah, you need people at the table to get into the mind of how women are thinking about these purchase decisions. Have you had any female mentors or role models who shaped your career and if so, what's the best advice they gave you?

[Andrea Gilman]

Yeah, I've had the pleasure of having so many amazing mentors, sponsors, advocates, many women, men too. And I think, you know, the career advice that tends to come forward the most often is this idea of really going forward, taking on those hard assignments, stretching yourself, doing things that you didn't think you could maybe do a year ago, because that's where the most growth comes from. And when you look back over your career, that's where you'll be the most satisfied with what you've done. It also builds a lot of confidence. And I think all that, the success, the confidence starts to build this virtuous cycle for women in their careers. I think that's really, really important.

[Ilyce Lefring]

How do you see the role of women evolving in the marketing industry? Are we making any progress at all in leadership representation?

[Andrea Gilman]

Absolutely. And I think the thing that I'm most excited about in my career, I didn't just do marketing roles. I also did product management and product development roles. And so when I think about marketing, I think there's this rise in marketing leaders who are also business leaders and coming to the table. We always think of marketing or often think of marketing as not just a chief marketing officer, but chief connecting officer. And having that perspective of my key partners who are driving and building these products and solutions is absolutely critical. So we come to the table as an equal partner to our business partners, and I think that's really, really exciting.

[Pat Vesse]

You spent five years on the board of Girls Inc. Westchester, a nonprofit that works to educate girls ages 5 through 18 and gives them access to resources that help them be more confident and empowered. What's your biggest takeaway from today's girls?

[Andrea Gilman]

So, first of all, I love that you mentioned Girls Inc. Westchester. The mission of Girls Inc. Is so incredible, as you just described, and what I've seen in working with these girls. Today's girls are so confident, they're so motivated, and they're also very technically savvy. So I think the future is super exciting for young women today, and I can't wait to see them all come to their fullest extent of themselves.

[Pat Vesse]

I am so glad to hear that, truly, that there's a the next generation is coming, or even like several generations down are coming in with more confidence and more energy around their pursuits, because I feel like that is the most important key that a lot of us are still trying to figure out and still trying to truly bring to the table. So that's amazing that it's just now.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Innate and that they have the mentors there for them to support them.

[Andrea Gilman]

Absolutely. And we have to keep all supporting each other and our mentors and mentoring and supporting, sponsoring and all kinds of different ways up, down and across.

[Pat Vesse]

Absolutely. Well, here's to that. Thank you so much for joining us. This has been an amazing conversation.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Yes. Thank you so much.

[Andrea Gilman]

Thank you for having me. Really appreciate it.

[Pat Vesse]

Andrew Gilman Hayes and Zell's chief marketing officer did not disappoint as our final interview this weekend.

[Ilyce Lefring]

What did you think, Kat?

[Pat Vesse]

I loved just the notion of creating a more frictionless experience in payments. I am an avid online shopper, as my family will attest by the number of boxes that show up on our front step. And I certainly it sounds like a service that I will look for and try to use. I love that they're taking a focus on aligning with merchants and creating this win win environment for everyone. As I mentioned in the conversation and as we've heard all week, that customer acquisition piece is so important for so many brands. And the easier it sounds like they're so focused on making it as easy as possible and as safe as possible because the target that they're going for is someone who's maybe a little trepidatious about giving their information.

[Ilyce Lefring]

That's what I was gonna say. Like, that's really interesting that they Have a particular customer in mind for this. Yeah. And Zelle now has trillion payments on it.

[Pat Vesse]

Yeah. That was wild to hear.

[Ilyce Lefring]

That's a lot.

[Pat Vesse]

I mean, I imagine that I can appreciate that they're going after a target demo for their launch, but I imagine that it will exceed far further beyond that trepidatious consumer. Although, shout out to my mom and dad, because I think they are definitely a customer that would feel safer knowing that Haze was encrypted and had all the levels of security in putting in their payment information.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Same with my parents. I liked how she talked about bringing joy and humor to the customer experience, too, because this is such, like, a transactional type of, you know, situation. And it could. And there. It really shows that they're thinking about that underlying, like, reason why people want to shop, and it brings joy to their life for many people.

[Pat Vesse]

And the end user. I mean, the two vignettes that she described, I need to go back and watch them now literally describe daily scenes within my household. So I love that they really. It sounds like spaceship. Nailed it. On their customer research.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Yes.

[Pat Vesse]

On finding those moments that resonate with their customers. You know, in all these conversations, I think it's been really nice to hear about all the progress we're making.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Yes.

[Pat Vesse]

As women, we are also doing these interviews from the Female Quotient Lounge, which we'd be remiss to say their entire focus is on closing the pay gap for women. So I think just walking away from this weekend, I'm especially inspired that it sounds like we're making a lot of progress.

[Ilyce Lefring]

Yes. And that as she was talking about future generations of girls growing up in a world with, like, mentors and whatnot, it's nice to know that they will have the confidence and be empowered to become their own leaders in marketing someday.

[Pat Vesse]

You know, I think so many women in every industry struggle with confidence. And I was really heartened to hear that so many of these girls from girls in Westchester, ages 5 through 18, through the program of mentorship and guidance, are just bursting with an empowerment and confidence in themselves. They're betting on themselves. They know exactly what they want, the goals that they want, and they're feeling inspired and empowered to go get them. And that's a spirit that I hope continues and I hope we can foster and that they don't lose in the ebbs and flows of life. Because I know so many women just struggle with that feeling of doubt or self doubt or like we talked about earlier in the week, telling yourself a story. Hopefully we've completely removed that from our next generation of girls. Well, Elise, great week.

[Ilyce Lefring]

It was a great week.

[Pat Vesse]

I've had so much fun with it.

[Ilyce Lefring]

I'm so glad we were co hosts.

[Pat Vesse]

I know. Me too. And that's it for this edition of the current podcast. Be sure to tune in this whole month as we release all the recordings from south by Southwest. See you next time.