Those of you who are creating an internet store, please accept my congrats. Your website’s design, feel, and messaging, as well as how you’ll present your goods and services, are probably all that you have on your mind.(ecommerce payment solution)

As you proceed, keep the following very important factor in mind: how will you set up your eCommerce website so that you may accept payments online?

Making a selection about online payment methods can seem a little overwhelming because there are so many options available. You could be wondering what a merchant account is, what the best eCommerce payment gateway is, or whether you should provide your customers the option to pay with Google Wallet or PayPal Express instead. You may learn more about all of the aforementioned topics and others in this post.

Let’s get going so you can return to concentrating on what’s crucial – opening your new store!

Online Payments 101: Payment Gateways & Merchant Accounts(ecommerce payment solution)

Priorities come first. You will want both a merchant account and a payment gateway if you plan to accept payments online. Payment gateways and merchant accounts collaborate.

After a transaction is successfully completed, money is deposited into a merchant account, where it is kept in escrow until it is transferred to the bank account of the business.

An organisation can handle credit cards, debit cards, and other alternative payment methods online thanks to a payment gateway. The funds for the purchase are placed into the company’s merchant account if the transaction is accepted.

Make sure to factor this into your project timeline because there are many merchant accounts to select from and it can take some time to get accepted once you choose one (often up to 3–4 weeks). It’s useful to be aware that many contemporary payment gateways, like PayPal or Stripe, offer merchant accounts. If you choose this course of action, you will have one less decision to make and one less step to complete in order to open your store.

What to Look for in a Payment Gateway for eCommerce(ecommerce payment solution)

“Classic” against “Modern”

A “modern” payment gateway won’t require you to set up a merchant account, which is the primary distinction between it and a “traditional” payment gateway (as mentioned above). Even though modern payment gateways normally need less setup time, they frequently have greater per-transaction costs. This could be a problem for a store with large sales volume because the fees and transactions would mount up quickly. PayPal is a prime illustration of a contemporary payment gateway. A nice illustration of a traditional payment gateway is Authorize.net. (Both are among the most reputable and well-known payment gateways for online retailers.)

Costs and Fees

The price structures for each payment gateway might vary, making it challenging to determine which one will be the least expensive for your company. For instance, although some gateways impose an initial enrollment cost, others do not. Others impose no monthly fee but a higher per-transaction fee, while some levy a monthly fee with a lower per-transaction price. Before making a decision, it’s critical to comprehend how the prices with the payment gateway you select split down. Total costs, which include setup/signup prices, transaction fees, and monthly fees, should be considered most carefully (if any). Before enrolling, you should also inquire about any additional fees that might apply, including as cancellation fees, annual fees, statement fees, monthly minimum fees, and customer service/support fees.

Accepted Card Types, eCommerce Payment Options, and Currencies

Knowing which credit or debit card types your payment gateway accepts is also crucial. More card kinds are accepted by some payment gateways than others. You might also want to think about what additional payment options the payment gateway you select accepts. The majority of your consumers will probably pay with a credit or debit card, but some of them would prefer to see more options, such PayPal Express Checkout, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, and Visa Checkout. They anticipated that these other online payment methods are about to grow in popularity in 2018, it makes sense to seriously explore providing your clients with these options.

Last but not least, make sure to verify that your payment gateway can enable this if you plan to accept foreign payments (now or in the future), as not all can.

Do you host?

A hosted payment gateway is one that briefly re-routes a customer from your website to another one where they can finish their transaction. The Payments Standard option on PayPal, which refers customers to PayPal to complete their transactions, is a nice illustration. A non-hosted gateway, on the other hand, is one that is integrated into your website directly, meaning your customer never leaves while checking out.

To keep the checkout experience as easy as feasible, Vital generally advises that our eCommerce clients select an on-site solution. However, there are several circumstances in which a hosted payment gateway can be useful. For instance, a hosted payment gateway like PayPal Payments Standard can be the ideal answer if a nonprofit has to set up a “Donate” website fast and affordably.

Billing Cycles

You have the option to arrange for a payment to recur over a predetermined length of time using recurring billing (monthly, annually, etc.). Not all businesses will need to be concerned about this, but if you plan to offer subscriptions or have another requirement to accept recurring payments (such as from loyal customers or donations), you should make sure that your payment gateway supports them.

Security

Last but not least, security is undoubtedly a major issue when handling transactions. All payment processors will tout their top-notch security. So how can you tell if the solution you’re choosing is reliable and secure? Look for a Level 1 PCI DSS compliant payment gateway. Ask the provider about their encryption and CVV2 verification standards as well. One encryption method called tokenization, for instance, eliminates card data and replaces it with a string of random digits.

Popular payment gateways for e-commerce

After discussing some of the essential qualities to look for in a payment gateway, let’s examine some of the best eCommerce payment processing solutions available.

PayPal

One of the most extensively utilised payment gateways available is PayPal, which is well-liked by the clients we work with at Vital. One less thing to worry about thanks to PayPal Payments Pro’s free setup costs and merchant account! (If you already have one, you may use it.) They accept all significant debit and credit cards, and recurring billing and on-site checkout are both possible. Even if you don’t utilise PayPal as your main payment gateway, its Express Checkout option is an excellent alternative to offer on your website.

Authorize.net

Authorize.net has a long history in the industry (since 1994). Although it isn’t the most affordable choice and doesn’t give consumers a merchant account, it have features and well-known in the business. It provides recurring billing and on-site checkout. Authorize.net accept every major debit and credit card, and clients can also use PayPal and Apple Pay to complete their transactions.

Stripe

Because it provides on-site checkout without any monthly fees, unlike Authorize.net or PayPal, Stripe has gained a lot of popularity. Stripe takes all popular debit and credit cards and manages recurring payments. Similar to PayPal, Stripe gives users a merchant account.

BlueSnap

Customers can obtain a merchant account with BlueSnap, and the company also offers a platform that enables “frictionless” payments across 180 nations, 100 local currencies, and 29 languages. Along with the standard online checkout, it also enables subscription billing, phone and email orders, invoice payments, and multi-vendor business models. You can create your perfect checkout process on your website using BlueSnap, or you can include a ready-made hosted checkout option. It provides cutting-edge fraud protection technology. Additionally, you may readily evaluate patterns and trends in your transaction history thanks to its rich reporting tools.

2Checkout

In order to facilitate international payment acceptance, 2Checkout provides 15 languages and 87 different currencies for use throughout the checkout process. However, there is a 1% transaction fee plus a cost for currency conversion for payments made by consumers outside of the United States. With 2Checkout, you can decide whether to let clients conclude their purchases on your property or on 2Checkout’s website. It supports recurring billing, accepts PayPal as well as all of the popular debit and credit cards. Customers may also open a merchant account with 2Checkout.

Final Reflections: Implementing Your eCommerce Strategy

Just a portion of the alternatives are represented by this list of the best online payment processors. Don’t let choosing an eCommerce payment solution be a barrier to opening your new online store; it can feel difficult.

You should now have a better understanding of the online payment processing landscape, some of the most crucial factors to take into consideration, and some of the key players offering solutions to help your business thrive, whether you’re handling your eCommerce build independently or working with an agency skilled in eCommerce web development and strategy.

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