From Features to Outcomes: Rethinking UX as a Strategic Growth Lever in B2B Payments
In B2B payments, the experience often falls into the shadows of features and functionalities. Product teams push out new capabilities to keep up with the competition, ticking off boxes and chasing feature parity.
The focus on features can easily lead to bloated products and missed opportunities to create real value.
For decision-makers in B2B payments—whether at a bank, a fintech, or a payment solution provider—rethinking UX from a strategic angle can be transformative. When user experience (UX) aligns directly with desired business outcomes, it becomes a genuine growth lever, impacting everything from client satisfaction to key metrics like customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLV), and average order value (AOV).
And this shift in perspective can be the game-changer for an industry that has historically lagged in delivering digital-first, seamless experiences.
Why B2B Payments Need to Shift From Features to Outcomes
In B2B payments, the experience needs to keep pace with an increasingly digital ecosystem. As customer expectations rise, users no longer compare experiences solely within the B2B payments space. They’re measuring them against any seamless, intuitive digital experience they’ve had, whether in B2B or B2C contexts.
However, many product teams are still caught up in the “feature-first” mindset. They’re focused on building for the roadmap—adding new functionalities as quickly as possible.
This approach makes sense in highly competitive markets, but it often leads to surface-level upgrades that miss the deeper pain points that users face every day.
Take, for example, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) using cross-border payment tools. SMBs often need reliable and easy payment solutions for transactions across currencies, but their real, ongoing pain points frequently go unaddressed.
A core issue is that SMBs want full visibility over the timing and amount of payments: they need to know exactly when funds will reach their accounts and how much they'll actually receive after foreign exchange (FX) conversions. Yet, product updates often focus on adding flashy new features, such as additional payment tracking filters or detailed reporting functionalities.
While these updates seem helpful, they don’t solve the fundamental challenges these businesses face.
For SMBs, receiving payment reliably and transparently is critical for cash flow and financial planning. A feature-first approach might prioritize new capabilities for customizing transaction views or generating reports, but it often overlooks core needs.
The result? SMBs are left wondering exactly how much money will hit their accounts after currency conversions and at what point it will arrive, which affects their cash flow forecasts and ability to plan operational expenses accurately.
Without directly addressing these deeper pain points—timely payment tracking, transparent FX rates, and predictable transaction times—product teams risk adding features that look impressive but ultimately don’t resolve SMBs’ most pressing concerns.
For these businesses, solutions designed with their key challenges in mind would be far more valuable than an abundance of new features that only scratch the surface.
An outcome-driven approach, on the other hand, asks a different question:
What should this feature help our customers accomplish?
An outcome-driven UX mindset goes beyond features and taps into the heart of user needs. When UX is tied to outcomes, it naturally aligns with business metrics and growth. Let’s explore some of these key business metrics to understand why this approach matters.
“How do we create an experience that makes our clients’ lives easier and more profitable?”
WDIR specializes in creating seamless payment experiences for cross-border payment solutions. We've partnered with leading Financial institutions like American Express and innovative fintechs like Alviere to create intuitve, international payment experiences. Get in touch today!
Key Business Metrics Directly Impacted by UX in B2B Payments
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Think about onboarding, a critical first impression for any B2B payments solution. If this process is intuitive and user-friendly, prospective clients are more likely to convert, which reduces the resources spent on acquiring each customer. In other words, better UX means lower CAC.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
When users find value in a payment platform, they stick around. High-quality UX that addresses pain points and creates a seamless experience leads to longer customer relationships, which directly boosts CLV.
Average Order Value (AOV)
If your platform is intuitive and provides a streamlined process for additional services or upsells, customers will be more inclined to purchase higher-tier services. For example, fintechs that simplify multi-currency support or provide real-time reporting can drive clients toward higher-value offerings.
Client Satisfaction and Relationship Quality
Beyond the measurable metrics, solid UX impacts the less tangible, like client relationships. For banks and traditional players, this is especially important.
A good UX builds trust and ease of use, leading clients to feel positive about their interactions and return for more. Payment leaders who emphasize UX see stronger client relationships that create a sustainable competitive advantage.
By understanding these metrics, it becomes clear that focusing on outcomes over features allows product teams to hone in on what will drive growth. As B2B payments increasingly go digital, the companies that prioritize these business-oriented UX strategies will stand out.
Underserved Markets in B2B Payments
To make things even more interesting, certain markets in B2B payments have been vastly underserved, like small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Many SMBs are navigating complex international transactions, tight cash flow needs, and limited resources. Traditional B2B payment solutions were often built for large corporations and missed the nuances of these smaller players.
When payment solutions cater to SMB-specific pain points—like fast onboarding, lower fees, comprehensive suite of services, and easier integration—they can capture a sizable market
Traditional players have a unique opportunity here, especially if they can leverage their brand and resources to adapt to SMB needs. But it requires a change in mindset: not “How do we add more features?” but “How do we create an experience that makes our clients’ lives easier and more profitable?”
How Traditional Players Can Start Thinking Differently
The “feature-first” mindset tends to dominate at traditional banks and payment providers. Many are constantly launching new features in a bid to outdo the competition or to "keep up with the fintechs", only to find that their customers remain lukewarm or even dissatisfied.
If traditional banks took the time to reorient their focus from features to customer outcomes, they’d quickly see an advantage that no amount of feature-chasing could provide.
Banks have several significant assets that they often overlook:
1) An abundance of data
2) Vast resources
3) A well-established reputation.
By using these assets to deliver digital-first, data-informed, and customer-centered experiences, banks could genuinely elevate the standard in B2B payments.
Instead of trying to outdo fintechs feature-for-feature, banks could leverage their strengths to craft a cohesive experience that doesn’t just serve but anticipates customer needs.
Here’s how a bank or traditional payment provider might start:
- Leverage Data for Personalization
Banks hold a wealth of data on their customers, which could be used to create personalized user journeys, simplified workflows, or predictive financial tools that make their platform indispensable. - Rethink Onboarding as a Key Conversion Point
If banks could streamline onboarding—reducing it from days to hours or even minutes—they’d see increased conversion rates. A frictionless onboarding experience allows customers to access services quickly, reducing potential drop-off points. - Prioritize Core User Needs Over Excessive Features
Instead of adding an endless array of functionalities, banks could focus on a few essential services that customers genuinely value. For example, simplifying B2B payments across currencies could be a priority for businesses engaged in international trade.
Fintechs Are Leading the Way—and Gaining Market Share
Fintechs have made great strides by adopting digital-first, user-centric approaches. They’ve shifted from the “feature-first” mentality, crafting experiences that are intuitive, flexible, and purpose-built for today’s B2B needs.
In doing so, they’ve quickly gained market share from traditional players, especially with younger, tech-savvy business clients who prioritize seamless digital experiences.
One of the most significant advantages fintechs have is agility. They can iterate and adapt quickly, testing and refining features based on user feedback. However, there’s room for improvement here too:
- Opportunity for Fintechs: Going Beyond Usability
Many fintechs focus on usability but haven’t yet fully optimized the end-to-end journey, especially as users scale their businesses. Fintechs could do well by improving how they handle complex payment workflows, data transparency, and reporting at scale. - Opportunity for Fintechs: Embedding UX Across the Product Lifecycle
A few fintechs integrate UX only at the beginning of the product cycle. There’s a substantial opportunity to ensure UX considerations shape the product at every stage, especially in creating more robust integrations with existing ERP and financial systems, which is a major need for enterprise clients.
Takeaways: Building Growth Through Outcome-Driven UX
To thrive in the B2B payments space, a shift from feature-first to outcome-driven UX is essential. Payment leaders can start by:
- Identifying Key Business Metrics
Determine which metrics—whether CAC, CLV, or client satisfaction—will drive growth. Focus UX initiatives around improving these outcomes rather than adding more features for the sake of it. - Aligning UX with Strategic Business Goals
Make UX a core part of your strategic vision. Involve UX considerations early in the planning process to ensure that every feature and experience drives real outcomes. - Serving Underserved Markets
Recognize underserved markets like SMBs and think deeply about what they need most. Tailoring solutions to their pain points can open new growth opportunities. - Leveraging Data and Established Resources Wisely
Traditional players, especially banks, should leverage their existing assets—data, brand, and resources—to deliver a customer experience that is intuitive and rooted in user needs.
In a world where digital experiences are a differentiator, the companies that focus on outcomes rather than features will be the ones that win. Great UX isn’t a nice-to-have anymore—it’s a strategic growth lever that can drive competitive advantage.
Call to Action: Partner with WDIR for Strategic UX that Drives Business Growth
If you’re ready to take your B2B payment solutions beyond the feature-first approach and create experiences that drive measurable outcomes, WDIR can help. With deep expertise in B2B payments and a track record of helping payment leaders design experiences that translate directly to business impact, WDIR is your partner for growth.
Reach out to learn how we can work together to leverage UX as a strategic business lever and set your company apart in an increasingly competitive space. Let’s start building better outcomes for your customers—and a stronger future for your business.
