Why your payments function is undervalued - and what to do about it

Here's a question most CFOs can't answer: how much revenue are you losing to suboptimal payment performance? Not fraud, not chargebacks - just the everyday inefficiencies that come from treating payments as invisible infrastructure rather than a strategic function.

For most companies, the answer will be significant. Yet in most organisations, payments is still primarily seen as a cost centre rather than a profit driver.

We spoke to payments leaders at Spotify, Blink Pet Foods, Finisterre, and several other high-growth e-commerce businesses to understand how they transformed their payments function from a cost centre into a profit centre.

The biggest factor wasn't technology, or even strategy. It was internal positioning.

Active C-suite participation - not just buy-in and reporting, but genuine involvement - fundamentally changes how payments are perceived internally. When payments has a seat at the table, resources follow. So does the ability to drive meaningful change.

Of course, securing C-suite participation requires demonstrating value first. That's where quick wins come in.

Blink Pet Foods switched to a higher-volume contract with their payments aggregator and immediately saved 12% on fees. A travel business implemented partnerships with multiple processors and acquirers, giving them leverage in fee negotiations while expanding their payment method coverage.

These aren't complex transformations requiring months of implementation. They're strategic changes that deliver immediate, measurable impact - and build the credibility needed for larger initiatives with the C-suite.

The payments leaders we interviewed identified a clear path forward:

The result: a payments function that drives profitability, enhances customer experience, and positions your business for the next wave of e-commerce transformation.