Considering credit cards it has been the most increased and convenient mode of payment in today’s world. If you have your own website or thinking to build a website and not yet had fixed the option for accepting debit and credit cards then you should, because you can’t think how much sales you will be losing not keeping this option as most of the customers pay online and think this is a secured mode of payment to pay for goods and services.
Why to do it?
In today’s world credit card has become the reliable and trust-able mode of payment to pay for goods and services. The development of technology has drafted changes in the minds of customers as well as the vendors, as discussed earlier by fixing the option of accepting debit and credit cards online you will not lose the current customers as well as the upcoming/future customers.
Just in terms of websites, debit and credit cards allow the vendor to take care of three type of customers.
1. The general customer: This is the average customer who wants to shop online goods and services from his desktop. After all, why to stand in a long queue in a retail or mortar store when there is option to pay online itself.
2. Impulse buyers: After stumbling on the website the visitor finally decided to buy the product which are in front of him/her. The plastic card seals the deal of the purchase he/she will make.
3. International customers: The internet has brought the world closer as well as your customers at doors, even if your customer is overseas. Initially differences in currency was the major issue in the past, but now why to wait for a check being cleared from your customer side when there is an option of paying it online on your website. This helps in not losing the customer just because he/she is residing in abroad.
Opening your business to debit and credit card payments
There are two ways of accepting plastic money on your website.
Using the merchant account: The merchant account helps you to accept payments from your customers via debit or credit card. Whether you create your own merchant account or enter into an agreement with a payment processor, who in turn operates merchant account, but you still need to have a business bank account. However, you need to have your merchant ID. Actually it will become the portal which will allow you to accept or decline your customer credit card payment. In essence it will become your virtual vendor terminal.
Using payment gateways: There are various independent companies who will accept credit and debit card payments from your customers on your behalf but take a percentage or charge a fees. They are also called third party merchants.
Which is the best method for you?
The methods of accepting credit card payments is entirely up to you, because both the methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. The cost of setting up a merchant account with a credit card processing is much higher. In fact, to use their services as an added incentive most of the third party merchants don’t have a setup fees at all.However, the transaction fees is much higher in third party merchant than merchant account.
If you are not sure how much money you will make on website, then the best method is to choose third-party merchant account. To just “test the water” third-party merchant accounts is the great way to go. However, this method involve the merchant also as it will be a time saver. The involvement of the merchant will be at the end of each transaction just receiving the payment. These merchants include PayPal, Digital Rivers and others.
