Every business accepts payments. Few treat it as a growth strategy. Drawing on Stripe's global data across millions of businesses, Mitchell Hilder reveals what high-growth Australian companies are doing differently — and why the gap between optimised and unoptimised businesses is widening.

This session covers three areas where SMB and mid-market leaders are leaving revenue on the table:

First, checkout and conversion. Stripe's data shows that businesses using an optimised checkout recover an average 12% revenue uplift through smarter payment method presentation, real-time validation, and reducing false declines. Mitchell explains what this looks like in practice — and why most businesses don't know they have a problem.

Second, going global from Australia. Cross-border commerce is no longer an enterprise play. Mitchell shares how Australian businesses are using adaptive pricing,  local payment methods and merchant of record technologies to unlock international customers without building local infrastructure.

Third, preparing for AI-powered commerce. Agent-referred traffic to Australian businesses on Stripe has grown 226% year-on-year, and those visitors convert at 4x the rate of traditional search. Mitchell explains what agentic commerce means for SMBs and the practical steps to prepare — whether you're a retailer, a SaaS platform, or a services business.

Walk away with a practical framework for auditing your own payments stack and a clear view of where the market is heading.