MRG Helped Deluxe Pivot from Checks to Payments and Data Growth
MRG Helped Deluxe Pivot from Checks to Payments and Data Growth
MRG unlocked P&L flexibility, landed multimillion-dollar contracts, and activated shopper data monetization, enabling Deluxe to fund digital growth, reframe its brand, and scale payments into a $600M revenue engine.
Transformed Checks Into Digital Revenue
Unlocked P&L to Fund Huge Growth
Data + Payments Became the Engine
The Challenge
Deluxe was a 100-year-old check-printing giant facing digital irrelevance. Its P&L was locked in legacy cost structures, limiting its ability to invest in payments, data, or e-commerce monetization.
Deluxe was a 100-year-old check-printing giant facing digital irrelevance. Its P&L was locked in legacy cost structures, limiting its ability to invest in payments, data, or e-commerce monetization.
MRG’s Solution
MRG unlocked P&L flexibility, landed enterprise deals to self-fund transformation, and activated shopper data to power payments and e-commerce monetization.
MRG unlocked P&L flexibility, landed enterprise deals to self-fund transformation, and activated shopper data to power payments and e-commerce monetization.
The Shift
Deluxe wasn’t just selling checks anymore—but the market still saw them that way. Their biggest constraint wasn’t technology—it was financial framing.
MRG’s Moves
Unlocked Budget Flexibility
Recast “fixed print costs” into growth investments, giving leadership air cover to hire digital and payments talent.Landed Enterprise Deals
New multimillion-dollar contracts served as self-funding fuel for transformation.Monetized Shopper Data
Activated LiveRamp integrations to power audience onboarding, attribution, and e-commerce monetization.
By the numbers
Endurance scale & growth context: S-1 shows rapid revenue expansion into 2012–2013, underscoring the distribution base payments could monetize.
Ownership/sponsor context: Endurance was owned by Warburg Pincus and GS Capital Partners (Goldman Sachs PE) before its 2013 IPO and later sale to Clearlake (forming Newfold Digital with Web.com in 2021).
Processor scale: iPayment’s size and Paysafe’s 2018 deal (rebrand completed the same year) validate partner capability and stability.
In 2012–2013, Endurance International was big—but smaller than GoDaddy: ~3.4M subscribers and approximately 25k net new/month) and 9M+ domains under management; its e-commerce then was basic carts plus payments tools inside the hosting stack. After MRG’s 2012 payments push, Endurance’s SMB base gained integrated processing via iPayment (later Paysafe)—a partner that by 2017–2018 handled ~137k merchants and $25–$28B in volume—turning more hosted “sites” into transacting merchants, improving churn, increasing ARPU and lifting residual EBITDA.
What Followed
Barry McCarthy (ex-First Data) hired as CEO to go all-in on payments and data
$960M acquisition of First American Payment Systems, doubling Payments run rate to $600M
Deluxe’s story shifted from “check printer” to “trusted payments & data company”
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“MRG created revenue channels and margin where none existed. They turned cost centers into growth levers — and helped us generate millions straight to the bottom line.”
Damon Fieldgate
President & GM, Small Business Services
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“MRG created revenue channels and margin where none existed. They turned cost centers into growth levers — and helped us generate millions straight to the bottom line.”
Damon Fieldgate
President & GM, Small Business Services
"
“MRG created revenue channels and margin where none existed. They turned cost centers into growth levers — and helped us generate millions straight to the bottom line.”
Damon Fieldgate
President & GM, Small Business Services
CASE-STUDIES
See our partnership success stories
Every partnership tells a story. From Microsoft to Deluxe, Endurance, and beyond, Merchant Resource Group has helped leading companies unlock new revenue, scale faster, and capture greater enterprise value. Explore how our strategies, playbooks, and precision execution have turned complex challenges into measurable results across payments, and ecommerce.
CASE-STUDIES
See our partnership success stories
Every partnership tells a story. From Microsoft to Deluxe, Endurance, and beyond, Merchant Resource Group has helped leading companies unlock new revenue, scale faster, and capture greater enterprise value. Explore how our strategies, playbooks, and precision execution have turned complex challenges into measurable results across payments, and ecommerce.
CASE-STUDIES
See our partnership success stories
Every partnership tells a story. From Microsoft to Deluxe, Endurance, and beyond, Merchant Resource Group has helped leading companies unlock new revenue, scale faster, and capture greater enterprise value. Explore how our strategies, playbooks, and precision execution have turned complex challenges into measurable results across payments, and ecommerce.
Our Awesome Journey
Our Awesome Journey
Our Story
To date, we have sold over 50,000 merchant accounts and worked with some of the most credible brands.
1998
Founded on Microsoft Roots, Built for Small Business
Spawned from Peter's days at Microsoft, Merchant Resource Group (MRG) was founded on the simple principle that small businesses should be able to leverage tech without having to learn it.
1998
Founded on Microsoft Roots, Built for Small Business
Spawned from Peter's days at Microsoft, Merchant Resource Group (MRG) was founded on the simple principle that small businesses should be able to leverage tech without having to learn it.
1998
Co-Founder, Cardservice NetCommerce (Acquired 2002)
Co-Founded Cardservice international NetCommerce, acquired by iPayment in 2002.
1998
Co-Founder, Cardservice NetCommerce (Acquired 2002)
Co-Founded Cardservice international NetCommerce, acquired by iPayment in 2002.
1999
Co-Founder, AmeriMerchant (Acquired by Capify, 2003)
Co-Founded AmeriMerchant, the larget cash adcancec payments company lending over $1B to small business since its inception. Acquired by Capify in 2003.
1999
Co-Founder, AmeriMerchant (Acquired by Capify, 2003)
Co-Founded AmeriMerchant, the larget cash adcancec payments company lending over $1B to small business since its inception. Acquired by Capify in 2003.
2004
Founder, InternetMerchant.com (Acquired by PowerPay/EVO, 2009)
Founded InternetMerchant.com, acquired by PowerPay/EVO in 2009
2004
Founder, InternetMerchant.com (Acquired by PowerPay/EVO, 2009)
Founded InternetMerchant.com, acquired by PowerPay/EVO in 2009
2007
Founded iPayment USA, acquired by PaySafe
Founded iPayment USA, acquired by PaySafe
2007
Founded iPayment USA, acquired by PaySafe
Founded iPayment USA, acquired by PaySafe
2018
Joint Venture with Deluxe Corporation
Joint venture with Deluxe Corporation building a $10M+ book of business within 2 years
2018
Joint Venture with Deluxe Corporation
Joint venture with Deluxe Corporation building a $10M+ book of business within 2 years
2020
MRG Launches Persistent.ID
MRG acquires PersonLink and launches Persistent.ID to address digital marketing that our merchants need to succeed, increasing sales and average ticket per sale with email marketing.
2020
MRG Launches Persistent.ID
MRG acquires PersonLink and launches Persistent.ID to address digital marketing that our merchants need to succeed, increasing sales and average ticket per sale with email marketing.
2021
MRG Invests in Convesio & Klickly
MRG strategically invested in Convesio and Klickly to fuel a dynamic, high-performing martech ecosystem with advanced auto-scaling infrastructure and AI-driven commerce solutions
2021
MRG Invests in Convesio & Klickly
MRG strategically invested in Convesio and Klickly to fuel a dynamic, high-performing martech ecosystem with advanced auto-scaling infrastructure and AI-driven commerce solutions
2024
Developed & Optimizing IntentWave Platform
Developed and actively optimizing Intentwave, our all-in-one SaaS MarTech platform to integrate full-funnel sales and marketing tools. We provide top-tier automation, real-time insights, and a revenue-driven ecosystem, driving conversions and scaling with precision.
2024
Developed & Optimizing IntentWave Platform
Developed and actively optimizing Intentwave, our all-in-one SaaS MarTech platform to integrate full-funnel sales and marketing tools. We provide top-tier automation, real-time insights, and a revenue-driven ecosystem, driving conversions and scaling with precision.
Our Awesome Journey
Our Story
To date, we have sold over 50,000 merchant accounts and worked with some of the most credible brands.
1998
Founded on Microsoft Roots, Built for Small Business
Spawned from Peter's days at Microsoft, Merchant Resource Group (MRG) was founded on the simple principle that small businesses should be able to leverage tech without having to learn it.
1998
Co-Founder, Cardservice NetCommerce (Acquired 2002)
Co-Founded Cardservice international NetCommerce, acquired by iPayment in 2002.
1999
Co-Founder, AmeriMerchant (Acquired by Capify, 2003)
Co-Founded AmeriMerchant, the larget cash adcancec payments company lending over $1B to small business since its inception. Acquired by Capify in 2003.
2004
Founder, InternetMerchant.com (Acquired by PowerPay/EVO, 2009)
Founded InternetMerchant.com, acquired by PowerPay/EVO in 2009
2007
Founded iPayment USA, acquired by PaySafe
Founded iPayment USA, acquired by PaySafe
2018
Joint Venture with Deluxe Corporation
Joint venture with Deluxe Corporation building a $10M+ book of business within 2 years
2020
MRG Launches Persistent.ID
MRG acquires PersonLink and launches Persistent.ID to address digital marketing that our merchants need to succeed, increasing sales and average ticket per sale with email marketing.
2021
MRG Invests in Convesio & Klickly
MRG strategically invested in Convesio and Klickly to fuel a dynamic, high-performing martech ecosystem with advanced auto-scaling infrastructure and AI-driven commerce solutions
2024
Developed & Optimizing IntentWave Platform
Developed and actively optimizing Intentwave, our all-in-one SaaS MarTech platform to integrate full-funnel sales and marketing tools. We provide top-tier automation, real-time insights, and a revenue-driven ecosystem, driving conversions and scaling with precision.