Creating a human-focused payments system: key learnings from Stripe Sessions

The ongoing expansion of cashless payments is one of many ways businesses continue to evolve as the world changes around them. In its Payments 2025 & beyond report, PwC found that cashless payments are likely to more than double in volume by 2030. Creating systems that simplify that process for business owners and finance teams alike is key to this new, international infrastructure.?

That need is exactly why this year’s Stripe Sessions, Stripe’s annual conference, focused on the impact of digital payments in powering growth for the internet economy. Stripe is helping build what it calls “the GDP of the internet” by creating a frictionless experience and removing barriers for entrepreneurs everywhere to flourish. And they’re certainly not alone in this goal. It’s one their customers share, too, as more and more of us turn to cashless, flexible payments and shopping experiences that are personal, instant, and responsive.

Building better customer outcomes

During the opening keynote in San Francisco, Will Gaybrick, President of Product and Business at Stripe, emphasized to the crowd of thousands of customers and collaborators that they “create a better Stripe.” Patrick Collison, Stripe’s co-founder and CEO, added, “Our enthusiasm comes from our admiration of what you’re doing.” The distillery team has seen this mutual respect and passion first hand in the stories we’ve helped Stripe to tell. Companies like Inland Group and Payment Plugins shared with us how vital Stripe’s reliability and flexibility have been to their success.

The company’s value was echoed on stage during the keynote by Dave Nichols, Head of Payments, Business Development at Uber. Stripe continues to demonstrate its capabilities by expanding global partnerships with companies like Uber, which?is now using Stripe’s one-click pay option, Link. Link bypasses credit cards by allowing customers to pay directly from their bank account, allowing customers to instantly add bank accounts without leaving the Uber app.?

The power of personalizing payments

The Sessions also focused on removing barriers to innovation, simplifying customer experiences, and the role that AI could play in achieving economic growth, like Sigma’s AI chatbot tool that allows users who aren’t familiar with SQL to run reports. “The Sessions made it apparent how much Stripe is listening to their customer base. Their new products and innovations are catering to the specific needs of the new payments landscape,” said Rebecca Peterhansen , Global Group Account Director at distillery.

Guiding all of these new ideas forward is Stripe’s North Star metric: customer outcomes. More than two-thirds (69%) of consumers are excited to try new payment methods, and Stripe’s customers want to be prepared to meet those consumers where they are.?

Collison shared that most companies are projecting revenue increases of up to 25% with Stripe. Products from Tap to Pay to Sigma are giving teams with limited resources or limited technical knowledge easier access to payment options and solutions to manage their finances.

And that’s what Stripe Sessions are for: showing the value of creating a frictionless payment process for anyone, anywhere, at any time. “Stripe Sessions highlighted the ways that payments play into our daily lives and how frictionless payments can help connect the world,” said Natasha Senn , Account Director at distillery. “We’re excited to find innovative ways to keep telling that story.”