Description
This guide will explain to you in detail about online payment acceptance methods, advantages, components and installation methods. Please read it patiently.
Summary
Choosing the right online payment acceptance method is the first step toward success. Then apply for a merchant account, integrate a payment gateway or processor to test transactions, and finally publish it.
It sounds simple, and it is very simple. Before setting up online payment acceptance, you need to prepare a series of information:
- Company name
- Tax ID
- Contact information
- Bank card
If you want to make it simpler, online payment service providers can help you handle all of the above, and you only need to pay a fee. If you want to save this fee and install it yourself, keep reading. This guide will give you a detailed introduction to online payment acceptance methods and choose the online payment method that suits you.
Introduction
As a merchant, choosing a fast and secure online payment method can provide users with a safe and smooth payment experience, which will undoubtedly have a huge impact on increasing sales.
According to the latest report on global online digital payments released by Statista in March:
The total transaction volume of the digital payment market is expected to reach US$11.53 trillion in 2024, and the total volume is expected to reach US$16.59 trillion by 2028, with a four-year growth rate of 9.52%.
This is undoubtedly great news for merchants. More and more consumers are choosing online payment. If your website has not installed the online payment function, please install it as soon as possible. The first installation may make you feel overwhelmed but don’t worry. Follow the following method and it will be completed in a dozen minutes without professional skills.
Benefits of Accepting Online Payments
The advantages of accepting online payments are obvious to the naked eye. I will simply categorize them into the following categories:
Increased Sales
Users can choose their preferred online payment method, and improved payment efficiency drives sales growth.
Reduce Transaction Costs
Compared with traditional methods such as cash and checks, online payment collection saves labor costs.
Covering Global Users:
According to Shopify data, approximately 2.71 billion consumers will shop online in 2024. Online payment helps you reach a wider user base.
Improved Conversion Rate
Users can add products to the shopping cart and pay directly without having to ask for your bank transfer number, which greatly increases the conversion rate.
Improve User Experience:
Quick and secure payment reduces the number of processes users have to handle when purchasing services, and increases users’ favorability and credibility towards the website.
Safe Payment
Online payment acceptance apps automatically process and store user payment information to avoid fraud risks.
No Overdue Bills
You can get all payments from users immediately, and you don’t have to spend time tracking overdue issues. Online payment will automatically handle these troubles.
6 Ways to Accept Payments Online
1. Credit/Debit Cards
From 2022 to 2023, the number of credit and debit cards in circulation worldwide increased by nearly 1 billion, and they are widely accepted for their convenience, wide audience and security. This cashless payment method provides users with a safe and smooth experience. You only need to enter the card information, but you must also ensure that the payment environment is safe to prevent information theft.
If online websites choose this online payment method, they must add UnionPay, Visa and MasterCard, because they are the top three credit and debit card issuers in the world.
2. Mobile Payments
Mobile payment is currently the most popular payment method for users around the world, accounting for half of the global online payment. Mobile payment simplifies the payment process and improves the delivery speed. Users only need to enter the transaction password, and merchants can get the payment as quickly as possible. At the same time, it also has a super high-security mechanism.
The largest user group of mobile payment is in Asia, and Apple Pay, PayPal, Alipay and WeChat are digital payment methods that people often use. In the United States and Europe, due to the early development and maturity of traditional financial payments, mobile payment has a smaller impact。
3. Bank Transfers
A Bank transfer is a direct transfer from the customer’s bank account to the company’s bank account. Compared with other online payment methods, this method is slower and requires the other party’s bank card information to be filled in. If there is a network fluctuation, users need to go to an offline bank to transfer money, which is a poor experience. The advantage is that the service fee generated by the transaction is lower.
4. Invoicing and Billing
Invoices and bills have good flexibility, allowing users to complete payments within a certain period. The transaction records generated by the bills paid are easy to track and manage. If the user pays overdue, he needs to pay a certain amount of interest.
For small online shopping malls, this method will aggravate the lack of capital chain.
5. Cryptocurrencies
As a new type of online payment method, the biggest advantage of cryptocurrency is that it is not controlled by any government or financial institution, resists censorship and fraud, and has high security and privacy, making it an excellent choice for cross-border transactions and small payments.
In addition, the cryptocurrency service fee is also very low, with a service fee of $0.02 for $10,000. The disadvantage is that the proportion of people using cryptocurrency for payment is small.
6. Online Payment Service Provider
Online payment service providers can help you choose the appropriate online payment method based on the user group profile of the company. You don’t have to compare each payment method yourself, and leave the whole process to them, but you need to pay a service fee, which is suitable for some companies that cannot spare time or are worried about installation problems.
Components of Accepting Payments Online
1. Payment Gateway
The payment gateway is a platform that links corporate websites and payment processors. It encrypts the payment request information received from users and submits it to the payment processing system for processing, thus completing online transactions between buyers and sellers.
2. Payment Processor
The payment processing system will verify the user payment information collected by the payment gateway and transmit it to online payment service providers such as PayPal or Apple Pay for authorization to complete the transaction.
3. Merchant Account
A merchant account is a bank account where a company receives payments from users. It is also called an e-wallet. Companies must open a merchant account with a merchant acquiring bank, which processes user payment information and transfers the money to the merchant account.
4. Acquiring Bank
Merchant-acquiring banks provide businesses with merchant accounts, receive online payments from users and process refunds.
5. Security Mechanism
Online payment processing systems have a variety of security measures, such as SSL, TLS encryption, two-factor authentication, PCI DSS, and fraud prevention tools such as AVS and CVV, to enhance the payment environment for businesses and users and avoid potentially fraudulent transactions.
Decide Which Way to Accept Payments Online Is Best for You
Choosing the right online payment method for users determines the growth of corporate performance. We analyze the online payment methods used by people in different countries:
- Credit/debit cards: North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Singapore
- Mobile payments: China, India, South Korea, Sweden, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom
- Bank transfers: Europe, North America, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, South Africa
- Invoices and bills: Northern Europe, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Canada, Singapore
- Cryptocurrency: Switzerland, Estonia, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Singapore, Germany
Traditional online payments are common in developed countries, thanks to a sound financial system. The largest market for mobile payments is in Asia, and China’s digital payments are expected to reach $374.4 billion in 2024.
Things to Prepare before Setting Up
First, you need to prepare important information such as business name, tax ID, employer identification number, bank card and contact information, and prepare for the following accounts and security protocols that will be used.
How to Accept Online Payments
1. Choose a Payment Processor or Gateway
For example, Stripe, PayPal, and Square, the following factors should be considered when choosing a suitable payment processor or payment gateway:
- Fee structure: Different payment processors have different transaction rates, monthly fees, and refund fees. Choose the one with the best cost-effectiveness;
- Payment methods: Include all the online payment methods you want, such as credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments;
- Security and compliance: Generally speaking, both are highly secure and meet regulatory requirements;
- User experience: Strong compatibility to meet the payment needs of different users;
- After-sales service: Timely and effective after-sales service can solve problems in the first place;
- Settlement cycle: Choose a payment processor or gateway that meets your own fund settlement time and settlement frequency according to your business situation;
- Personalization: Customize a personalized payment processor according to the development process of the enterprise to meet the ever-changing business needs;
2. Creating a Merchant Account
Create a merchant account with the acquiring bank with your prepared company name, tax number and contact information, and wait for the application to be approved.
The acquiring bank acts as an intermediary between you and the user to receive the user’s payment. The choice of acquiring a bank depends on your situation.
3. Integrate a Payment Gateway or Processor
Integrate the payment gateway or processor into the website or APP. It is usually composed of a string of code. You just need to install it into the specified file code according to the guidelines provided by the payment gateway service provider.
4. Test Transactions and Launch
After the integration is completed, use the sandbox account to simulate and test various online payment methods to ensure that the payment gateway receives the user’s payment information and the page can automatically jump to the correct page after the payment is successful, and then publish it.
The main transaction processing time, error reporting, and currency are required during the test. These factors will determine whether the payment gateway is successfully integrated.
5. Optimize and Monitor
Successfully accepting payments online does not mean you can sit back and relax. Companies also need to monitor user transaction records in real-time. If anything unusual is found, they should make timely optimizations to reduce unnecessary losses.
Here are the issues that most businesses will run into when accepting payments online:
- Slow transaction speed
- Too much information to fill in the form
- Slow loading speed of the website payment page
- Technical failure or interruption of the payment system
Conclusion
Today, as the market share of online payment acceptance grows, if you haven’t enabled online payment acceptance for your users, please act now. This will bring great changes to your business development!
At the same time, according to the company’s own situation, choose the appropriate online payment acceptance method and check whether they comply with local laws and regulations to avoid user payment failures.
FAQ
How Can I Accept Payments Online for Free?
Services like Apple Pay and Google Pay don’t charge any extra fees on top of credit card processing fees, so the cost is the same as accepting card payments directly.
How Can I Accept Payment Online without a Merchant Account?
Currently, only payment service providers can do this. Through them, you can save the time of setting up a merchant account and bring a good online payment experience to users.
What Is the Most Secure Online Payment Method?
Online payment methods such as PayPal, credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, digital wallets and cryptocurrencies are all very safe and reliable.
How Do I Accept Ach Payments?
- Open a merchant account;
- Choose a provider and enable ACH payments for your point of sale (POS);
- Request customer authorization;
- If your customer will be initiating payments, send them your routing and account numbers;
- If you are initiating payments, collect your customer’s bank information;
How Do I Accept Card Payments Online?
Choose a merchant service or credit card processing provider. If your payment processor does not include merchant account functionality, you will also need to open a merchant account to accept credit card payments.
