An online store is one of the easiest ways to improve the profitability of your business. Typically, customers prefer online purchases since they do not have to leave the comfort of their homes and offices. A payment gateway provider is a critical aspect of your online store because it processes transactions as customers make purchases from your online store.
Choosing a payment gateway can be a complicated task for most business people. Nevertheless, this should not happen if you consider the insights outlined in this piece.
Fees and Terms
A challenge businesses experience is that customers expect affordable products when making an online purchase. Therefore, you must examine the costs imposed by your preferred payment gateway provider. Ask the company to send a quote detailing the set-up, monthly and transactional charges, and any additional costs you could incur.
Assess the projected volume of online sales to determine how these charges affect your profit margins. Do not shy away from negotiating these charges from the onset. It helps establish a long-term relationship with the payment gateway provider and keeps your business profitable.
You should also examine the conditions of engagement. For instance, does the payment gateway provider set a monthly transaction limit? What are the conditions of contract termination? Examine these conditions to ensure they suit your business operations.
Transaction Processing
What kind of payments does the payment gateway provider accept? As a rule of thumb, you should consider payment gateway providers that accept a wide range of cards. Mobile payments have become quite popular in recent years, so you should consider a payment gateway provider that incorporates various mobile payment solutions.
How long does the payment gateway provider take to process the various transactions? Online customers get anxious when transactions take too long to process. In many cases, they opt to purchase from another store. Therefore, your payment gateway should guarantee instant transaction processing regardless of the site traffic.
In most cases, payment service providers hold funds to ensure clients get a refund in case of a dispute. If this is the case, inquire how long it takes to receive funds. It helps you create a refund policy.
Interface
The payment gateway must have a user-friendly interface. Remember, your employees and finance department will access the gateway to track sales and generate financial reports. Therefore, consider gateways with straightforward operating mechanisms. For instance, a payment gateway should give real-time updates on the processed and pending orders.
Does the payment gateway provider redirect your users to third-party websites to key in their card information? This complicates the payment process, which could frustrate your customers. Moreover, you do not control the advertisements on third-party websites. Therefore, your customers could end up seeing ads for your competitors’ websites.
The payment gateway must have an easy and fast checkout process. This way, your clients do not second guess their purchase.
Security
How secure is the payment gateway provider? Most customers are concerned about their privacy and fraud when purchasing from e-commerce stores. Therefore, conduct due diligence on the reputation of the payment gateway provider. Excellent reviews go a long way in assuring you that the provider guarantees privacy.
Moreover, the payment gateway provider should have PCI DSS certification. The accreditation compels the payment gateway provider to secure confidential information clients use to make purchases.
You should now have an easy time vetting payment gateway providers as you set up an e-commerce store. At Tingg, we pride ourselves on being market leaders in the payment gateway provider market. Our customers enjoy reasonable charges, fast transactions, state-of-the-art security features, and a user-friendly interface. Contact us today for payment gateway services.
