The Impact of Payment Options on Business Growth: How Secure Payments and AI Integration Drive Efficiency and Reduce Uncertainty

For heads of payment, managing supplier relationships and cash flow efficiency are top concerns. Our latest findings show that more than 90% experienced frictions paying suppliers last year.

Why does this matter so much? High costs and inefficiencies in payment processes can strain vendor relationships and hinder growth. Secure and streamlined payment methods are crucial for reducing these frictions and enhancing operational efficiency.

As our research has found, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in payment processes significantly reduces uncertainty. Among firms using AI for at least half of their accounts payable (AP) processes, 86% report the payment methods at their disposal enable business growth. Conversely, firms with minimal AI use or experience are less likely to see their payment options having positive impact on business growth. Real-time cash flow monitoring and better vendor management are key benefits of AI. Middle-market firms with more AI integration in AP processes report higher operational efficiency and stability. All in all, these trends outline digital solutions’ vital role in reducing friction and driving business growth.

These are just some of the findings detailed in this report. For this edition of the PYMNTS Intelligence 2024 Certainty Project, we have partnered with Wex. Together, we have drawn on insights from a survey of 60 heads of payment from middle-market companies. The survey was conducted June 6 to June 14.

• Payment Options Impact Business Growth
• Preference for Faster Payments
• AI-Driven AP Processes Enhance Growth Potential
• Conclusion
• Methodology

Payment Options Impact Business Growth

Heads of payment in middle-market firms value secure and streamlined payment processes and flexible terms. High costs and approval bottlenecks often get in the way.

On average, firms use four payment methods to pay suppliers. Companies across revenue brackets and uncertainty levels turn to a similar number of methods. Not all these methods are traditional, either. For example, 18% of middle-market firms have used virtual cards in the past year, and 3.3% use this method most frequently. This illustrates the range of payment options available to middle-market firms and the growing adoption of digital solutions.

When choosing payment options, heads of payment prioritize secure, streamlined processes and flexible payment terms. Flexibility in payment terms matters most for 22% of respondents, data shows, while 20% prioritize simplified processes. For each of these two top features, another 32% of respondents identified them as valued, if not the most valued, meaning a majority of heads of payment have these in mind when choosing a payment option to pay suppliers.

The focus on flexibility and simplicity reflects these firms’ need for efficient and effective payment systems to manage supplier relationships and cash flow.

Frictions in Supplier Payments

Our findings highlight that adaptable, user-friendly payment solutions can be important to boosting operational efficiency. More than 90% of heads of payment experienced frictions when paying suppliers in the past year. As firms deal with uncertainty, choosing secure and streamlined payment methods to mitigate further uncertainty becomes crucial. Interchange fees, which are paid by the supplier, can limit the vendor pool, while approval bottlenecks can delay payments. Both can negatively impact buyer-supplier relationships.

The strong demand for flexibility and streamlined processes shows that firms want to reduce friction and improve efficiency in their payment operations. Digital and automated payment solutions can make a major impact for business growth and stability, as digital methods require less manual handling, are more easily integrated into the firm’s enterprise resource systems and make tracking and real-time cash flow management easier.

By adopting these solutions, firms can enhance operational efficiency, reduce payment-related frictions and foster better relationships with suppliers.

Preference for Faster Payments

Many firms rely on faster payments, such as real-time payments or same-day ACH. Most of these firms report that the options at their disposal to pay suppliers facilitate growth without gumming up their processes. PYMNTS Intelligence data shows that 88% of heads of payment using faster payments options say they enable growth.

No firms using faster payments said they hinder growth, while 36% of firms relying primarily on paper methods, such as checks or cash, find their options to be limiting. This stark contrast highlights the effectiveness of digital and automated payment solutions in driving business growth.

Digital and automated payment solutions, when used, can significantly impact business stability. Firms adopting faster payments experience fewer obstacles and greater growth, underscoring the importance of transitioning away from paper-based methods. Moreover, faster payments and AI-driven AP processes boost growth by improving cash flow forecasting and building trust with suppliers.

Leveraging AI for AP processes is linked to improved operational certainty and growth. Among firms using AI for at least half of their AP processes, 86% report payment options enable growth. Just 62% of those using minimal AI say the same. This highlights how AI can lead to reduced uncertainty, helping to less manual handling and errors while enabling real-time cash flow monitoring and vendor management. Additionally, firms leveraging AI are better positioned to choose the optimal payment option for the occasion and get faster approvals, making their operations more efficient and stable.

What Heads of Payment Are Looking For

Around 1 in 5 heads of payment highlight payment method flexibility as a key facilitator of business growth. This flexibility allows firms to adapt quickly to changing supplier needs and payment conditions. Additionally, 16% emphasize the importance of speed and timeliness in their payment options. This focus on rapid transactions can improve supplier relationships and secure better deals and discounts.

Leveraging payment options in ways that enable business growth is more than focusing on cost savings. PYMNTS Intelligence data shows that payment options enable growth by improving operational efficiency and keeping suppliers happy.

AI-Driven AP Processes Enhance Growth Potential

Firms using AI for AP processes report real benefits — better growth, improved cash flow forecasting and stronger buyer-supplier trust. One-third of firms surveyed leverage AI for more than half of their AP processes, and these firms are 47% less likely than their counterparts that use AI less to report operating in high uncertainty.

However, most middle-market firms only use AI for less than half of their AP processes (57%) or not at all (8%). These firms are more likely to deal with high uncertainty; 36% report this issue. In contrast, only 19% of firms with more AI-driven AP processes report high uncertainty.

When it comes to reducing frictions and boosting efficiency, 71% of heads of payment with more AI-driven AP processes find AI very or extremely effective in reducing payment frictions. This is a much higher share than the corresponding 38% of firms with less automated AP processes.

Overall, 35% of middle-market firms use AI for at least half of their AP tasks. While 57% use some AI, they have not fully automated their processes. Taken together, these numbers illustrate that greater AI integration in AP can help reduce uncertainty and improve efficiency.

AI and Operational Efficiency

AI’s role in AP processes can go beyond just managing cash flow. It can also boost security and transparency through tasks like identity verification and reporting. Firms using AI report higher efficiency and fewer frictions.

Real-time analysis of payment data for cash flow management is the most common way firms use AI in AP processes. Our data finds that 42% of firms use AI in this way, and 24% find it to be the most essential use of AI. After all, this type of AI usage helps keep financial records accurate and up to date, helping to predict cash flow gaps and enable better decision-making. Additionally, 35% of firms use AI for identity verification, which facilitates vendor management and approvals while reducing risk.

AI also aids in supplier relationship management and dynamic discounting, with 33% and 9% of firms, respectively, reporting they use AI this way. Reporting and invoice automation further improve efficiency, with 35% of firms utilizing AI for these tasks. AI-driven anomaly detection helps 31% of firms spot irregularities quickly, such as invoice-order mismatches, minimizing potential issues.

These various applications show how AI in AP processes can drive growth, enhance security and reduce operational frictions. Overall, using AI in AP makes firms more efficient and stable, creating a stronger business environment.

Conclusion

Payment options and AI integration significantly influence business growth and operational certainty for middle-market firms.

Firms using faster payment methods, such as same-day ACH or real-time payments, report smoother operations and recognize payment methods’ potential to enable stronger growth. Heads of payment prioritize secure, streamlined processes and flexible terms to manage supplier relationships effectively. Those relying on AI for AP processes see higher growth and reduced uncertainty thanks to real-time cash flow monitoring and improved vendor management.

Looking ahead, adopting digital and automated payment solutions can help firms navigate uncertainty better and drive stability.

Methodology

The “2024 Certainty Project: The Impact of Payment Options on Business Growth” is the latest edition of the PYMNTS Intelligence Certainty Project. This edition was conducted in collaboration with Wex. We drew on insights from a survey of 60 heads of payment from middle-market companies conducted from June 6 to June 14. Ninety-seven percent of the businesses have operated for 10 years or more, with 7% in operation for between five and 10 years. This monthly project monitors trends across operational areas of companies generating $100 million to $1 billion in revenue. It rotates through CFOs, heads of payment and heads of product to capture uncertainty’s sources and costs as well as the strategies executives use to navigate complex business environments.

Read more from the “2024 Certainty Project.”