D. Operating Systems & ERP/TMS Landscape

Most-used systems: SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Oracle JD Edwards.
Decision criteria prioritized: Integration compatibility, vendor support, and reporting features.
Frustration themes: Scalability, performance lags, and difficult third-party integration.

E. Bulk Payments: Modernization in Progress

74% used some form of bulk payment.
Most common methods: Online banking platforms and BACS bureau.
38% planned a provider/method change within 12 months.
Desired improvements: Monitoring, error handling, and turnaround time.

F. AISPs & Financial Data Use Cases

Leading AISP brands: Plaid, Tink, Equifax, TrueLayer.
Active use cases:
- Identity verification
- Spend insights
- Affordability scoring
Top barriers for non-users: Legacy system constraints, ROI concerns, and regulatory uncertainty.

Advanced Analytics Used

Strategic Recommendations

1. Go-to-Market Positioning

Position API aggregators as simplifiers of integration complexity, especially for SMB and mid-market finance teams.
Use education-led content (e.g., comparison guides, ROI calculators) to overcome awareness and ROI barriers.

2. Partner Alliances

Integrators offering ERP-native connectors (e.g., SAP, Microsoft Dynamics) should be prioritized for channel partnerships.
Consider co-marketing with core OS providers.

3. Product Development

For integrators: Focus on usability, security compliance, and real-time monitoring modules.
For aggregators: Emphasize data normalization value and flexibility across banking rails.

4. Customer Journey Optimization

Map high-friction conversion zones (e.g., documentation gaps, deployment complexity) and deliver tailored onboarding.
Align pricing models with usage patterns (e.g., subscription tiers for number of APIs integrated).

Impact

This research enabled the fintech platform to:

Refine its product roadmap to align with market needs across multiple finance roles.
Position its offerings more competitively in the UK financial software landscape.
Shape onboarding and content strategies to address integration challenges, security expectations, and feature prioritization.

The journey map helped connect technical use cases to emotional buying drivers- ultimately creating a narrative around efficiency, control, and trust in enterprise financial API integration.

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