A payment gateway refers to the merchant service provided by an online market service provider that reads direct or credit card payments for online businesses or retailers. The payment gateways can either be provided by a bank to its customers or through a payment service provider for example exactly.com will offer you the benefit of streamline technologies interflowing with flexible management and reporting solutions.
Powercash21 – Payment gateway services provider ensures that users or customers get a simple, secure, and effective experience that will lead to the success of their e-commerce businesses. Powercash21 offers access to European-licensed acquiring services, over 100 global payment methods in e-commerce, and top-notch security management to protect against fraud.
There are several forms of payment gateways in e-commerce, including:
- Local bank integration
- Hosted payment gateways
- Pro/Self-hosted payment gateways
- Non-hosted payment gateways
- Direct payment gateways
Selecting a payment gateway service can be quite overwhelming, but this article is going to make it a walk in the park. Below are the major factors you should consider to help you choose the right gateway offering payment facilitation or payfac.
1. Cost
Just like any other service, choosing the appropriate payment flow for your e-commerce platform should be a top priority. It’s essential to first understand the service provider’s fee structure before you sign up for one. Different gateways charge different fees for different transactions. Also, ensure that the payment gateway offers support for both on-time payments and recurring payments.
2. Security
It’s important to choose a payment gateway that’s highly capable of protecting both your and your customer’s data, and at the same time, providing safe checkout experiences for your customers. Make sure the platform you’re considering provides a PCI-DSS certification like anti-fraud protection.
3. Payment Methods
Making sure your e-commerce website has a payment gateway that incorporates different payment methods will improve your sales. Most online shoppers prefer buying from platforms that offer multiple payment methods.
4. Website Integration
It’s important to consider how compatible the gateway you’ve chosen is with your website. If your gateway and website don’t incorporate smoothly, you’ll definitely lose customers. This is because everything becomes messy and customers end up with mismatched elements.
5. Payment Locations
While some gateways allow shoppers to complete their transactions with the website’s checkout process, others lead shoppers to a third-party site where they finish their transactions. Choose a gateway that will provide your shoppers with the best user experience.
6. Merchant Account
A merchant account is used by e-commerce owners when shoppers make an online payment transaction. Some payment gateways don’t require it, and they instead transfer money directly to the dealer’s account and are therefore likely to charge a higher processing fee.
7. The Gateway’s Design
An excellent gateway should allow for brand personalization. It should also be mobile-responsive and intuitive with regard to numbers, pages, and layouts.
8. Parting Shot
To choose the correct payment gateway for your website, you need to familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions of service, and also be quite comfortable doing business with the gateway service. Additionally, it’s important to note that not all payment gateways are going to be compatible with your choice of plugins.