Secure Strategies

Run Customer Experience, Payment Risk, and Growth with Operational Clarity

Strategic Consulting for E-Commerce Teams in the DACH Region — including U.S. growth

I help e-commerce, retail, and payment-adjacent teams increase conversion, reduce false declines, and control fraud losses. At the same time, I support DACH companies that want to grow in the U.S. or improve their U.S. operations. With 25 years in the U.S., 17 years in e-commerce, and 10 years as an e-commerce executive, I know how that market actually works.

25 years in the U.S. 17 years in e-commerce 10 years as an e-commerce executive Focused on DACH, checkout, and risk
Schedule a Free Consultation Calculate fraud and false-decline costs
Amazon Google Visa Merchant Risk Council

About

About Markus Bergthaler

Portrait photo of Markus Bergthaler, founder of Secure Strategies
Location Graz, Austria
Focus CX, payment risk, fraud prevention, U.S. growth
Approach Audit, advisory, implementation

I advise companies at the intersection of customer experience, payments, and fraud prevention, based in Graz, working across the DACH region, and with an additional focus on U.S. growth and U.S. operations.

My career has taken me from fraud investigations at Amazon to leading global programs at the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), to strategic advisory for Fortune 100 companies. Along the way, I've worked with companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Visa, and many others at the intersection of payment security and customer experience, led programs for 500+ companies worldwide, and spoke at international conferences. In fraud prevention, I've also collaborated with international law enforcement agencies including Interpol and the FBI on cross-border investigations.

The one insight that runs through my entire career: In the best e-commerce companies, customer experience and fraud prevention don't work against each other — they amplify each other. Too much security drives away real customers. Too little opens the door to fraudsters. I help businesses find the right balance.

"The best outcomes happen when teams stop optimizing CX, payments, and risk in isolation and start steering them against one commercial reality."
Amazon Google Apple Microsoft Meta Visa 25 years in the U.S. International conferences

DACH -> U.S.

U.S. market strategy and operations with someone who knows the market from the inside

Many DACH companies see the U.S. as their biggest growth opportunity while underestimating how different customer expectations, checkout, payments, service, returns, and operational management can be there. That is one of my strongest differentiators.

I lived in the U.S. for 25 years, spent 17 years in e-commerce, and 10 of those years as an e-commerce executive. I know the market not from decks or case studies, but from operational reality: how teams prioritize, what customers expect, which checkout standards matter, and what actually causes U.S. expansion efforts to fail.

Market entry U.S. operations Checkout & payments Service & returns
Explore U.S. market support

Where I help most

Prepare for U.S. market entry

When you want to do more than translate for the U.S. and instead build the operation properly from offer logic to checkout and service promise.

Improve existing U.S. operations

When your U.S. performance is below expectations and you need clarity on whether the issue is CX, payments, process design, risk, or operating model.

Align DACH and U.S. teams better

When European and U.S. requirements pull in different directions and you need someone who can translate both sides into a workable model.

Services

How I Support Teams

I work on a project or retainer basis, depending on whether you need a focused audit, senior sparring, or hands-on implementation support. Four focus areas, one shared goal: stronger performance with less unnecessary friction.

Customer Experience & Conversion

Less friction in the buying journey, more trust where it matters most.

I analyze your customer journey end-to-end, identifying where you're losing customers — whether through cumbersome checkout processes, lack of trust, or poor communication. Specifically: customer journey mapping, conversion optimization, CRM strategy, and service design. My approach is built on data and experience from working with hundreds of e-commerce companies worldwide.

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Fraud Prevention & Risk Strategy

Control fraud without slowing down good customers.

Fraud prevention isn't just a technical challenge — it's a strategic one. I help you build or optimize fraud systems that effectively prevent fraud while minimizing false positives. Because every falsely declined customer means lost revenue and damaged trust. My experience ranges from dismantling international fraud networks at Amazon to developing prevention strategies for businesses of all sizes.

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Where CX Meets Risk

The point where conversion, payments, and risk come together.

This is my unique advantage. Most consultants understand either CX or fraud — rarely both. I evaluate your processes holistically: Where are your security measures costing you real customers? Where do gaps in your CX process create vulnerabilities for fraudsters? The result: A strategy that delights your customers and minimizes your losses. This integrated approach has saved companies millions throughout my career — while simultaneously increasing customer satisfaction.

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U.S. Market Entry & Operations

For DACH companies that want to grow in the U.S. or strengthen existing U.S. operations.

I help companies build a stronger U.S. market setup or improve existing U.S. operations. That includes go-to-market choices, checkout and payment logic, service and returns design, local customer expectations, and the practical alignment between European and U.S. teams. My advantage: I know the market first-hand from 25 years in the U.S., 17 years in e-commerce, and 10 years as an e-commerce executive.

Learn More Go to the U.S. page

Framework

The Operating Model Behind My Work

The biggest levers rarely sit inside one tool. They sit in how customer experience, payment decisions, and risk governance connect.

01

Make the losses visible

Where do customers drop off? Which declines matter commercially? Which processes create unnecessary friction?

02

Evaluate the interactions properly

I evaluate CX, payments, and fraud prevention together instead of in silos, with a focus on conversion, authorization, and loss rate.

03

Deliver a roadmap teams can execute

The result is a prioritized roadmap that business teams, payments, operations, and leadership can actually execute.

More legitimate transactions through less unnecessary friction
Cleaner risk governance through better decisions instead of harsher rules
Clear priorities for teams that need outcomes instead of activity

Entry Offer

CX & Risk Audit

Not sure where to start? My CX & Risk Audit gives you a clear picture in 2–4 weeks of where you're losing customers, where fraud risks exist, and where the biggest improvement levers are. You get a concrete report with prioritized actions — not 100 pages of theory, but actionable next steps.

Customer Journey Analysis

I identify where trust breaks down, processes become unnecessarily complex, or conversion drops in the checkout flow.

Fraud & Risk Assessment

I review decision logic, risk thresholds, escalation paths, and the likely cost of fraud, chargebacks, and false declines.

Prioritized Roadmap

You receive a clear prioritization of immediate actions, mid-term levers, and the metrics that let you track progress properly.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Results

Selected Results

Drawn from more than 15 years of work across customer experience, e-commerce, payments, and fraud prevention.

0 Companies supported
0 annual savings at Amazon
0 revenue growth at GDC
0 loss-rate reduction

Example 01

Operational excellence with measurable business impact

$2M in annual savings through process optimization at Amazon, 100% revenue growth at Global Data Consortium, and an 80% loss-rate reduction at Breuninger within one year.

US$ 2 Mio. annual savings at Amazon
100 % revenue growth at GDC
80 % loss-rate reduction

Example 02

International programs, local execution

At the Merchant Risk Council, I helped shape and run global programs for more than 500 companies, from fast-growing online retailers to Fortune 100 enterprises, across Europe, North America, and APAC.

  • Leadership-ready prioritization instead of theoretical roadmaps
  • Experience across international platforms, payment environments, and marketplaces
  • Translation of complex risk topics into executable decisions

Resources

Free Resources

If you want to get a first picture on your own, these resources offer a practical starting point with immediate value.

Fraud and False Decline Cost Calculator

Estimate the potential impact of direct fraud losses and false declines on your business in just a few minutes.

Calculate Now

CX & Risk Scorecard

10 questions to assess how well customer experience, payment processes, and risk management work together in your organization.

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Featured in

Washington Post • The Paypers • BIIA • International Conferences

Contact

Let's Talk

Whether you want to improve customer satisfaction, reduce fraud losses, or tackle both at once — the initial consultation is free and non-binding. In 30 minutes, we'll discuss your current situation and whether working together makes sense.

I typically respond within 24 hours.

+43 677 61651821

info@securestrategies.at

Graz, Austria

linkedin.com/in/markusbergthaler