eCommerce Payment Processing: A Comprehensive Guide for Merchants

As businesses strive to meet the ever-evolving demands of online consumers, the importance of robust eCommerce payment processing cannot be overstated

Whether you’re a seasoned retailer or a budding entrepreneur, understanding the intricacies of payments, from credit card payment processing to alternative payment methods, is crucial. But with a plethora of eCommerce payment processing companies vying for attention, how do you determine which is best for you? 

This guide sheds light on the key considerations that everyone from business owners to developers needs to know about online payment processing for eCommerce.

Key Considerations in Choosing a Payment Solution

Selecting the right payment solution for your eCommerce business is not just about processing transactions. It’s about creating a seamless experience for your customers while ensuring operational efficiency. Here are some factors to consider:

• Integrations: Your payment solution should effortlessly mesh with your existing infrastructure. Whether you’re using a popular eCommerce platform like WooCommerce or Shopify,  or a custom-built site, the integration process should be hassle-free. Make sure your eCommerce payment processor has:– Plugins for the platforms your business uses
  – A Developer Toolkit and API if you plan to customize
  – A hosted checkout page or no-code payment links if you want to get started fast.

• Global Payment Acceptance and APMs: With a global market at your fingertips accepting credit cards worldwide is table stakes. Your payment solution should cater to customers from every corner of the world by also offering the local and alternative payment methods they prefer, including popular eWallets, pay-by-bank and real-time payments. These methods increase your sales and offer many benefits to both buyers and sellers.

• Built-In Fraud Monitoring and Dispute Management: You should be able to think about growing your business, not protecting it from fraud. So having built-in tools designed to work seamlessly with your payments platform is essential. Dispute management can be particularly useful in addressing complaints before they become chargebacks.
  

• Global Compliance: PCI Compliance, SCA, 3DS. There are a lot of acronyms out there when it comes to payment processing compliance and risk. You shouldn’t have to be an expert. But your payment provider better be. Ensure your provider can safely and securely accept payments in every market where you want to grow.
  

• Uptime and Approval Rates: The difference between 99% and 99.99% uptime is 3.5 days every year. Downtime is a cardinal sin in eCommerce. Even when their network is up, not all eCommerce payment processors are equal. You could get different approval rates with various providers, especially for international transactions. So pick a vendor with high approval rates and uptime.
  

•  Pricing: In eCommerce payment processing, it’s not just about getting the best price. It’s about choosing the best pricing model. There are various models, but Interchange Plus stands out for its transparency. It combines the interchange fees and card network assessment fees that come with card payments with the payment processor’s fee, providing a clear breakdown of charges. One advantage of this model is that when interchange fees go down, your pricing goes down as well. On the other hand, Flat Rate and Tiered Pricing models, while seemingly straightforward, can often result in higher processing fees and a lack of transparency.

Considerations for Developers

In the world of eCommerce, website developers are the unsung heroes. When it comes to payment processing, developers should prioritize solutions that are both easy to integrate and adaptable to evolving business needs.

• Easy Integration: Time is money. Developers seek solutions that can be rapidly integrated into existing platforms without extensive modifications. Hosted checkout solutions and plugins are a boon in this regard. They provide a ready-made, secure payment gateway that can be quickly embedded into any website, ensuring that businesses can start accepting payments almost immediately.

• Adaptable Solutions: While hosted checkout is a great starting point, large eCommerce businesses often require more tailored solutions. This is where the power of APIs comes in. A solution like Rapyd’s API offers developers the flexibility to craft a bespoke payment experience, fine-tuned to the unique requirements of the business. Whether customizing checkout, integrating alternative payment methods (APMs), or creating embedded fintech applications, APIs empower developers to adapt and innovate.

• Progressive Transition: Many developers start with hosted checkout solutions, given their ease of setup. However, as the business grows and demands more nuanced payment experiences, they often transition to coding directly with robust APIs. This progression ensures that the payment solution scales in tandem with the business, always offering the best experience to merchants and consumers.