Global Payments and its Australian subsidiary Ezidebit has released new market research revealing the biggest payment challenges facing small and medium businesses (SMBs).
The 2025 Ezidebit Australian SMB Payment Pulse, based on in-depth market analysis and a survey of over 300 businesses across multiple industries, uncovered the material costs and scale of fragmented payment systems.
Payment Chaos Drains Small Business Resources
Study finds SMBs lose nearly a full day each week to payment administration while customers abandon purchases due to limited options
Small and medium businesses are hemorrhaging time and money due to increasingly complex payment systems, with new research revealing the staggering operational burden placed on companies struggling to manage fragmented financial processes.
The comprehensive study exposes a payment ecosystem in crisis, where business owners spend more than 22 hours weekly—nearly a full working day—on payment administrative tasks including system reconciliation, chasing overdue invoices, and dispute resolution.
Late payment problems continue to plague the sector, with one in six payments arriving behind schedule. More than half of all SMBs report facing regular delays or missing payments entirely, creating persistent cash flow challenges that threaten business stability.
Customer retention has emerged as an unexpected casualty of payment limitations. A quarter of businesses report losing customers due to “the payment gap”—their inability to accommodate diverse customer payment preferences in an increasingly digital marketplace.
The fragmentation problem runs deep across the small business landscape. Companies typically juggle an average of 3.5 different payment methods spread across 2.1 providers, with larger businesses managing up to 4.4 separate payment channels.
Security concerns compound these operational headaches, affecting more than one in four businesses. Seventeen percent identify payment security as a customer pain point that actively erodes trust and damages relationships.
Despite widespread recognition of these problems, consolidation remains elusive. Only one in five SMBs have streamlined their payment systems with a single provider, even though 93% of businesses using multiple providers express openness to consolidation.
Industry experts point to perceived barriers to change as the primary obstacle preventing businesses from simplifying their payment infrastructure.
Payment complexity incurred by SMBs – Summary
● 22+ hours per week lost to payment admin – 22.6 hours a week are lost to payment administrative tasks like reconciling across systems, chasing overdue payments and resolving disputes.
● One in six payments arrive late – Late payments persist and 54% of SMBs face regular late or missing payments, impacting cash flow.
● 25% lose customers due to payment option limitations – One in four businesses feel they’re losing customers due to ‘the payment gap’, that is, not being able to cater for their customers’ payment preferences.
● Most have multiple providers and methods – Fragmentation is common, with each SMB averaging 3.5 payment methods across 2.1 providers, rising to 4.4 methods for larger businesses.
● 27% cite security concerns around payment processes – Security is a top pain point, with 17% of SMBs list it as a raised customer pain point that erodes trust.
● Only 20% have consolidated payment providers – With 93% of businesses who use multiple payment providers open to consolidating, the perceived barriers of change hold back most SMBs
The findings highlight a critical disconnect between the payment industry’s rapid technological advancement and the practical needs of small businesses caught in an increasingly complex web of financial administration.
Masseh Haidary, CEO Payments Oceania at Global Payments, says its report uncovers the impacts of payment fragmentation on business growth, cash flow and customer loyalty.
“Australian SMBs are at a tipping point when it comes to payments, and our 2025 Payment Pulse shines a spotlight on the hidden costs they’re incurring when managing multiple systems to balance their books and meet customer expectations,” Masseh said.
“Our research tells us that SMBs who haven’t consolidated their payment platforms with one provider are losing nearly 24 hours a week in administration.
“Cashflow is the lifeblood of SMBs and when you’re busy chasing late or missing payments, you’re not focused on growth,”
“Critically, complexity from multiple systems and providers is also posing security concerns for businesses and their customers, further eroding trust and retention,”
“The combination of multiple providers and processes is causing significant lost time, lost revenue and security risks that’s holding business owners back from growing their business and customer base,”
“The easiest way to alleviate these business pressures is to shift to a proven all-in-one payments provider like Ezidebit that can accept all payment types – such as online, in-person, direct debit, PayTo, BPAY – in one secure platform.
“The case for SMBs unifying the back end of payments couldn’t be stronger and our 2025 Payment Pulse offers practical steps to navigate the perceived challenges to consolidation.” said Masseh
Serving a diverse range of industries including health, fitness, education, childcare and real estate, Ezidebit has delivered over 110 software integrations that enabled merchants to improve cash flow, reduce administration and deliver better customer experiences.
Headquartered in Georgia, and with a team of 27,000 members across 38 countries Global Payments is a Fortune 500® company and a member of the S&P 500
