Most independent software vendors (ISVs) get the technology part right. They can code, integrate APIs, and make transactions flow smoothly. But too often, that’s where the progress stops. The payments move, yet the revenue doesn’t.
Over the past decade, I’ve seen this pattern repeat across multiple industries. SaaS companies build strong payment functionality, but it ends up operating like plumbing: invisible, functional, but financially flat. The reason isn’t bad code. It’s that payments were never tied to a business strategy.
Technology alone doesn’t drive revenue
A reliable API and good uptime are expected. But what separates an average platform from one that thrives is how it uses payments to create value for the business and for its customers.
The ISVs who succeed understand that payments aren’t just a technical feature. They’re a financial layer that can influence pricing, retention, and customer satisfaction.
When payments are treated purely as a feature, you end up with an integration that works, but doesn’t work for you. When they’re treated as a core part of the business model, they become a lever for growth.
At Aurora, we see this distinction every day. Two software platforms might use the same payment technology, but the one that invests time in building a strategy that gets traction with users will consistently outperform the one that just turns on payments.
Where most ISVs lose momentum
- No clear revenue strategy.
Many ISVs underestimate how much margin lives inside their payments flow. They launch without understanding interchange costs, pricing models, or potential revenue splits.
- Misalignment with customer experience.
Payments should feel native to your platform, not bolted on. If the experience isn’t smooth, users resist adoption.
- Lack of long-term ownership.
Once the integration is live, the payments often get forgotten. Reporting, analytics, and optimization take a backseat to new product features.
Those gaps are exactly where Aurora focuses its partnership work, helping ISVs move from functional integration to profitable integration.
The business model is the missing link
Before anyone writes a line of code, our team starts with three questions:
- How does your platform make money today?
- How do your customers pay, and what do they value most about your experience?
- What would success look like 12 months after payments launch?
The answers shape everything that follows. For some ISVs, that means setting up a transparent revenue share model with clear margins. For others, it means adding flexibility: options like ACH, subscription billing, or consumer financing that drive volume and retention. Almost universally, however, it means working with the ISV Partner to ensure their users are comfortable and confident using the payment-related features within their software.
Payments are a high-impact part of a product when they’re designed to fit the company’s long-term strategy. That’s why we work directly with founders, CTOs, and product leaders to tie the financial model to the product roadmap from day one.
Integration is just one stage of the journey
Building the API connection is only step three in what we consider a six-step lifecycle:
- Learn your business and goals.
- Strengthen your product with relevant payment tools.
- Model the economics.
- Guide integration and compliance.
- Build your go-to-market plan.
- Launch and track results.
A true payments partner should help you through all six. Too often, ISVs are handed documentation and told they’re live. At Aurora, we stay involved through launch, adoption, and optimization.
Where ISVs see the biggest gains
Our most successful partners share a few habits:
- They involve business and technical leaders early in the process.
- They view payments as a revenue function, not a technical chore.
- They focus on user traction
- They stay engaged after launch, tracking results and iterating.
When those pieces align, payments move from being a background service to a visible growth driver.
If you’ve already built payment functionality but aren’t seeing the return you expected, the issue isn’t your integration. It’s how that integration connects to your business.
