By the numbers
Payment optimization by the numbers
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Published research shows most merchants under-invest in payment optimization even though acceptance and cost improvements are worth millions at scale. These are the figures enterprise teams cite when building the case for enterprise payment routing.
How much is payment optimization worth to a large merchant?
A lot: a 3% uplift in acceptance rate is worth roughly $30 million for every $1 billion in processing volume. On the cost side, every 0.25 percentage point saved on $100 million of card volume is $250,000 a year. Avendo targets the cost side by routing each transaction to the best available rate.
- $30M
per $1 billion in processing volume is roughly what a 3% uplift in acceptance rate is worth.
Source: Our audit - 70%
of retailers say payments optimization is important, yet only 25% treat it as a board-level priority.
Source: Our audit - 37%
of retailers directly measure the revenue uplift optimization generates, while 60% still track processing cost reductions.
Source: Our audit - 30%
of retailers believe they are at or above benchmark on payments performance.
Source: Our audit - 41%
of B2B payments were ACH in 2024, up from 25% in 2015, as checks fell from 32% to 13% of the number of B2B payments.
Source: Our audit - ~30%
of B2B payments by number were made by credit card in 2024, a share that barely changed since 2015.
Source: Our audit
What the numbers mean for routing
The gap between saying payments matter (70%) and making them a board priority (25%) is where processing cost quietly erodes margin. Most teams measure cost reductions, but few revisit pricing once a processor is chosen.
Transaction-level routing turns pricing from an occasional project into a continuous process. Avendo keeps eligible processors competing on every e-commerce transaction and shows the result in one dashboard, which gives finance teams the per-transaction measurement most retailers lack.
B2B payment methods show steady movement toward electronic payments, with card payments holding a stable share near 30% of B2B payments by number.
Common questions
See all 45 answers in the FAQ- Is acceptance rate worth as much as fee rate?
- It can be worth more. ACI Worldwide writes that a 3 percent uplift in acceptance rate is worth roughly $30 million for every $1 billion in processing volume. Enterprise teams should track both approval rates and effective fee rates when judging any routing setup.
- How can I estimate what routing could save?
- Multiply annual card volume by the rate reduction you want to test. At $10,000,000 in annual card volume, every 0.25 percentage point equals $25,000 a year. The calculator on this guide does that math. It is an estimate only; real savings depend on your card mix and the offers processors make.
- Why would a CFO or M&A advisor care about payment routing?
- Processing cost flows straight into operating profit. A sustained expense reduction, at a 5 times EBITDA multiple, can raise business value by five times the annual saving. The review is designed for owners, CFOs, controllers, CPAs, M&A advisors, buyers and private equity professionals.
- How much does credit card processing cost?
- Credit card processing cost is the sum of card network interchange and assessments plus the processor markup, and it varies by card type, transaction size and pricing model. A quick way to find your own cost is total monthly processing fees divided by monthly card sales, which gives your effective rate.
- Which routing number do I use for ACH?
- Use the routing number your bank lists for ACH or electronic payments, which is usually the number printed on your checks. Some banks list a separate number for wire transfers, so do not assume they match. Confirm in online banking or with your bank before setting up deposits.
See what routing could save on your card processing fees
Talk to the Avendo team about your checkout, volume and current rate. Avendo never bills merchants, and there is no obligation to switch.