Managing an ecommerce business is an exciting endeavor, but it also comes with a lot of important decisions to make. One of the most crucial decisions you’ll make is choosing the right payment processor for your online business.
What Is a Payment Processor?
A payment processor is a service provider that handles the financial transactions between your business and your customer and is a vital part of any ecommerce operation.
There are many different payment processors to choose from, so it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is the best fit for your business.
Here are some things to consider when choosing a payment processor for your ecommerce business:
Payment Options
While credit and debit are standard with any merchant account, what additional options do they offer?
Popular features include:
- Mobile Payments
- Digital Wallets
- Text-To-Pay
- ACH
- Paypal
- Zelle
- Google Pay
Rates & Fees
Pricing can vary between providers; In addition to processing fees, there can also be additional monthly and other ancillary fees.
- Monthly Flat Fees
- PCI Fee: Charged in reference to the required security measures used to protect customer data
- Batch Fee: Fee for collecting your transactions in a batch for a deposit
- Merchant Account Fee: General fee for utilizing an operational third-party merchant account
- Payment Gateway Fee: If you use a third-party gateway, you’ll usually pay this as a separate fee.
- Processing Fees
- Flat Fee: A percentage of every sale, charged on each purchase
- Interchange-Plus Fee: This is the interchange rate established by the card networks, in addition to a markup fee
- Transaction Fee: Sometimes added to a flat rate or interchange plus rate, typically ranging between .05 to .35 cents.
- Situational Fees
- PCI Compliance Fee: Incurred monthly fine based on failed implementation of security requirements
- Chargeback Fee: A fee incurred following a refund of your product or service
- Non Sufficient Funds Fee: Charged if the bank account does not maintain sufficient funds to pay required fees to the card processor.
Security
Verify the processor is PCI compliant, which means they meet the standards set by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This is a requirement by the card networks.
Look for payment processors that use encryption to secure transactions, and offer fraud detection and prevention tools.
Integration With Your Ecommerce Platform
Integration with your ecommerce platform is an absolute must. If you’re using a popular platform like Shopify or WooCommerce, you’ll likely have a number of providers to choose from that are already integrated with the platform.
If you have a custom platform, ensure the processor can provide either a direct connection or connect via a gateway. This will make it easier to set up and manage the payment process.
Customer Service
Choose a company with a track record of great customer service. Look for providers that offer high quality support through multiple channels, such as phone, email, and live chat, and consider their availability and response times.
Recurring Payments
Does your business offer subscriptions or other products that require recurring payments?
Look for a processor that can handle these types of transactions with features such as automatic billing and the ability to manage recurring payments.
International Payments
When a merchant decides to expand their brand to other markets around the globe, one must consider a provider’s ability to handle international transactions. Some companies may have additional fees for international transactions, or may not support certain currencies. One should also consider whether they are able to handle different languages and currencies, as this can make it easier for international customers to make purchases from your site.
Revitpay is an all-in-one payment processing solution that solves the roadblocks mentioned above & can help your ecommerce business run both smoothly and efficiently.
If you’re looking for a merchant provider that offers:
- A range of payment options
- Competitive fee offers
- Strong end-to-end security measures
- Expert one-on-one customer service
Contact our team at Revitpay today.