Taulia reports on payment trends

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Nearly 40% of companies are now using early payment to manage their working capital compared to only 19% in 2017 according to supply chain finance specialists, Taulia (www.taulia.com).

Over a five year period, Taulia analysed the data from nearly 80,000 survey respondents for its latest supplier sentiment survey to reveal that there has been growing interest from suppliers in regularly receiving early payment once an invoice is approved as an alternative source of finance.  In 2021, one-fifth (22%) of suppliers were interested in receiving early payment every time for every customer, compared to 15% in 2017.

Nearly 50% of those surveyed say that bridging the cashflow gap was the main reason for taking early payments, whilst 27% cites that the ability to predict collections and payments was their main reason.  The need to bolster working capital was cited by 21% of business respondents, and 7% say they use early payment to reduce Days Sales Outstanding (DSO).

“The financial health of suppliers is paramount to building robust supply chains.  These results speak for themselves when it comes to showing the progress being made around ensuring that suppliers get paid as they desire – early or on-time.  This year has seen significant disruption to supply chains due to a wide range of external factors, but adequate financing shouldn’t be a barrier,” says Cedric Bru, CEO, Taulia.

“By working together, those at every point along the supply chain can support the growth of their own business and that of others by offering choice, flexibility, and consistency when it comes to getting paid.  We hope to see continued progress with this for every size of business and know that by providing the best technology, we can actively help to make these choices available to as many businesses as possible.”

Taulia’s research also found a clear progression towards better behaviour from businesses with a welcome decrease in late payment, which fell from 45% in 2017 to 36% in 2021.  The reduction in late payments signifies improvements in automation and businesses’ desire to promote their suppliers’ financial health.

The full survey can be found at taulia.com/resources/supplier-survey-reports/supplier-survey-5-year-review/