Which payment gateway should you choose for your website?

If you're selling through your website, you'll need to provide a fast and secure way for your customers to pay. We walk you through your options

15. jan. 2020 • 5 minutt lesetid

Zohaab I.

@zohaab85

Wicked Wordsmith ❗Business Analyst ❗ Researcher

The best options for providing a fast, secure way for your customers to pay

In today’s world, online payments have become the norm. If we go back a few decades, there wasn’t any fast, secure and reliable channel for transferring payments and buying things online. But with the integration of payment gateways on e-commerce platforms, financial transactions today have become faster and more secure.

But if you're an e-commerce store operator, how do you choose which payment gateway to use for your site? We'll walk you through the options.

PayPal

If you're considering incorporating a payment gateway on your website, PayPal might be the first option to spring to mind due to its flexibility, reliability and immense popularity all across the world. PayPal services can be integrated into both apps and stores, and as a buyer, you can freely use PayPal services wherever you want. Merchants, however, have to pay some transaction costs in order to use PayPal for Visa payments.

PayPal has been present in the e-commerce market since 1999. When using PayPal, consumers have the option of leaving the website for checkout and logging into their PayPal account, or they can also complete their transaction using a credit card without signing up for a PayPal account.

PayPal charges merchants 2.9% for every transaction, while it demands no monthly fees.

PayPal Pros

Best payment gateway option for merchants engaged in low volume transactions.

No monthly fee.

PayPal provides predictable and flat rate charges.

It's basically an all-in-one system of transaction.

PayPal Cons:

High fees per transaction.PayPal fees are significantly higher as compared to traditional payment methods. For example, Visa's wholesale rates range from 1.8–2.3%, while PayPal charges 2.9% for every transaction.

Transactions made through PayPal cannot be received in all countries.

PayPal policies for seller protection do not involve digital goods. Hence, there is a risk of scam, fraud or phishing.

Skrill

Skrill is another popular payment gateway company that is developed for both consumers and businesses. Based in the UK, the Skrill mobile application allows users to perform transactions internationally. You can pay for services and products wherever and whenever you want, effectively and efficiently.

With Skrill, you can connect globally with any bank account. It's also extremely secure. Skrill does not charge its customers when they create an account, but charges fees for sending or receiving funds. There's a 1.9% fee on every transaction, making Skrill a cheaper option than PayPal.

Skrill Pros

The major advantage of the Skrill payment gateway is that you can perform your transaction through its dedicated application easily and conveniently.

Third party shopping carts can also be integrated through Skrill, giving customers a more seamless shopping experience.

Skrill also provides a hosted payment page. This means that it provides a separate payment page outside the merchant's website.

Skrill Cons

Skrill charges expensive currency conversion fees of 3.99%.

Skrill has been known for account stability issues.

2CheckOut

If you're looking to perform some quick transactions, then believe me, there is no better option than 2CheckOut. This payment gateway comes with a full-featured solution for processing payments across the world. Based in the United States, 2CheckOut can help your business to transform into a worldwide moneymaker by processing 87 different currencies and 15 languages. The gateway charges 2.9% + $0.3 per for every domestic transaction.

2CheckOut employs a sandbox feature to engage your business with different marketplaces around the world. It modifies every single checkout detail on your website to provide the best transaction experience for international customers

2CheckOut can accept mobile and online payments from any location across the world. This payment gateway can also process a large variety of credit and debit cards, providing you an opportunity to expand your website’s payment methods. 2CheckOut can also be integrated into invoicing systems and cart.

2CheckOut Pros

2CheckOut provides accessible resources for documentation, making customization and installation easy.

For international merchants, 2CheckOut can be the best payment gateway platform. As it supports 87 different currencies and 15 languages.

Excellent for new e-commerce websites planning to advertise their products or services.

2CheckOut Cons

2CheckOut services are not suitable for merchants that involve card-present facilities.

Not suitable for merchants that conduct high risk transactions.

Stripe

Stripe was established in 2010 and has quickly grown into one of the major payment gateway companies across the world. This payment gateway is widely popular amongst e-commerce merchants. Stripe’s wide variety of development tools sets this payment gateway apart from its competitors. Stripe also provides adaptable and capable APIs for your websites, providing you an opportunity to customize the platform in accordance with your needs and requirements.

Stripe also provides several integrated applications. This basically means you don't need coding expertise to configure Stripe on your e-commerce platform.

Stripe can take up to 7 days to transfer your payment, and the processing fee is 2.9% + $0.3 for every domestic transaction.

Stripe Pros

Stripe allows the customers to remain on the same web page while performing a transaction, rather than directing them to another website.

Incorporates an easy and simple setup procedure, with instant usability.

Stripe does not take any refund fees from customers.

Incorporates a seamless reminder system for merchants.

Stripe Cons

No appropriate provision for customer service.

Not suitable for merchants that incorporate large business risks.

3 simple steps to configure a payment gateway on your website

The requirements to set up a payment gateway on your website may differ, depending on the nature of the service you provide to the customers. Here are three simple and generic steps that can help you in configuring any type of payment gateway for your website.

Step 1: Develop a web shop option

E-commerce merchants often use third-party software to set up their storefronts. This software is capable of controlling the orders and the codes required for sending the transaction to the payment gateway company. If you're not using an e-commerce platform, you may need a web developer to help integrate your payment gateway.

Step 2: Add methods of payment

Once the coding process is complete, the next important step is to add different payment methods on your website’s order page. This process may vary depending on the nature of the service. But for every payment method, you'll be required to enter the information of that specific gateway through which you intend to receive the payment. (for example MasterCard, Visa, etc.). The payment gateway you choose will determine the payment methods you can accept.

Step 3: Gateway testing

You will receive a Sandbox or Test account from the payment gateway company to test a fake transaction through your platform. This will basically allow you to determine whether or not the payment gateway service that you've chosen for your website is working properly.

Now that you know your payment gateway options, it's important to choose the one that best suits your business goals and objectives. The most important factor to consider is the needs of your customers. Choose the gateway that aligns closest with their shopping preferences, and you'll be setting yourself up for success.