The Problem We Were Actually Solving
When our platform began to gain traction with African creators, we encountered an unexpected problem. Many users were unable to receive payments through traditional platforms due to restricted market access and geographic limitations. This led to user churn and frustrated customers. The more we dug, the more we realized that traditional payment platforms were not designed with the nuances of emerging markets in mind.
What We Tried First (And Why It Failed)
Initially, we attempted to bypass these limitations by implementing multiple payment gateways (MPGs) on our platform. We integrated with every available payment method in the hopes that someone, somehow, would magically be able to receive payments. However, this approach ultimately led to a cluttered user experience, increased complexity, and even more user churn. MPGs required endless configuration, debugging, and maintenance, not to mention the hefty fees associated with each individual gateway.
The Architecture Decision
