Sales, sales, sales — as a small business or website owner, you’ve got them in your sights.
The payment gateway then processes the transaction and transfers the amount to the merchant account. An online casino payment gateway works on similar lines, albeit with some differences. First of all, gamers will use the payment gateway in order to deposit money in their own accounts. Best payment gateway providers for your business. In 2020, the total value of digital transactions may reach $4.406 billion.More and more people prefer shopping online, which means that making the process fast and reliable is one of the main tasks for any e-commerce business.
When $$$ is involved, you want your customers’ purchasing experience on your site to be as seamless and positive as possible — which includes, at its most essential, the checkout experience.
It’s a given that you’ve invested the time to build a beautiful website and purchase quality web hosting. But have you really thought through your checkout process? If it is simple and streamlined (not to mention, secure), you’ll be inviting customers to, well, show you the money.
Admit it: you thought we were going to Tom Cruise it up, didn’t you? #cliche
So what’s the key to a positive purchase experience? A solid payment gateway, a third-party application that provides an easy-to-use tool for processing payments from sales.
Let’s discuss: what exactly is a payment gateway? How does it work? How should you go about choosing one that’s best for your site? What options are out there? We’ll answer all those Qs (and more), so pull up a chair.
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Did you know? — 96% of Americans shop online (with a staggering 224 million digital shoppers in the U.S. predicted by 2019), so like you, they’re familiar with the basic steps of the e-commerce shopping experience.
It is second-nature, like signing your name or tying your shoes: browse, pick a product, add to cart, hit the checkout.
But what happens between your customers entering their credit card numbers and you getting paid? How do purchases get processed? Well, for that, you can credit (see what we did there?) payment gateways.
These gateways act as in-between services, processing inputted information provided during checkout and facilitating the authorization or fulfillment of payments made for e-businesses and online retailers. They’re used in brick-and-mortar establishments, too.
So why use a payment gateway?
Well, for starters, they take charge of purchasing’s tricky tasks: encrypting (i.e. securing) sensitive info — like credit card payments — and helping you meet certain standards for data security online, ensuring safe transactions between you and your customer.
Plus, gateways save you time and work, removing the need for you to manually input info received on your end. They also offer flexibility in the types of payments customers can use. And flexibility is good — it increases the likelihood of sales by widening accessibility for customers with a variety of different payment types.
True fact: customers are likely to abandon their carts due to lack of payment options.
With the right payment gateway, it’s a win, win, win.
But how do you know if you’ve found “the one?”
Well, when third-party tools are involved, you want to evaluate the individual features of each and make a choice based on the needs and capabilities of your online store. Here are five important factors you should consider:
It’s a no-brainer, but people are not going to just fork over sensitive financial information to an e-commerce store that looks shady. You want a payment gateway that’s reputable and provides safe checkout experiences for your customers.
And note: displaying security signage is powerful — more than 80% of consumersfeel safer seeing logos of trustworthy payment options on a website.
Above all, only use a payment gateway that handles your customers’ delicate data with care. If you do, they’re more likely to stick around.
Like with almost any service, there are fees associated using third-party tools like payment gateways. You’ll have to pay transaction fees for your business — so pay attention to your gateway’s costs and do your research before integrating it into your site so you’re not slammed with surprise fees.
These fees charged can include transaction, statement, chargeback, merchant account fees, and likely more — such as fees to customers for using a certain payment method. And not surprisingly, customers do NOT like hidden costs so read the fine print.
The reality is, the easier you make it for customers to make purchases, the more they’re likely to make. By outfitting your site with a payment gateway that incorporates a wide variety of payment methods, you’re widening your sales net — 50% of regular online shoppers say they’d jump ship on a purchase if they couldn’t use their preferred payment method.
Using your site’s analytics, observe what countries have shoppers visiting your e-commerce website — preferred payment methods may differ by country.
Plus, it’s also a matter of security: 40% of study participants said they would feel more comfortable shopping from a business that offers multiple payment methods. Chew on that.
Of course, an important consideration is how well your gateway will integrate with your current platform — both from a technical and design standpoint. If it takes an over-abundance of messy tricks to incorporate smoothly into your existing structure, you might want to rethink your choice.
Nobody got time for that.
And while many gateways (like Stripe, for example) can be customized to match your site’s feel, you want to make sure your gateway tool is compatible with your brand. Don’t make your customers’ purchasing experiences jarring with mismatched elements.
Some payment gateways allow customers to complete a transaction within the checkout processes of the website, while others lead users to another site to finish their purchases. Some gateways provide an API that incorporates directly into your site, others reroute visitors to third-party sites. Whatever you choose, consider what will provide the best user experience for your shoppers — if customers trust your site, they might not mind the extra diversion.
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Now to your big decision: choosing a payment gateway for your small biz. It’s a little scary: 46% of cart abandonments occur at the payment stage of checkout; if yours isn’t outfitted with a smart payment gateway, you could be looking at lost sales.
Don’t fret: we’ve compiled ten of the best gateway providers — and outlined all the key features — for you to browse.
Tag team with the e-commerce giant to provide your customers a trusted and familiar way to submit payments on your site.
Key Features:
Price: 2.9% + $0.30 per domestic transaction
WePay is a platform payments company that prides itself on conforming to the unique needs of your site or e-biz — and is free to set up.
Key Features:
Price:2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Well, you should easily recognize PayPal, which has e-commerce veteran status and is one of the most widely accepted digital payment methods for North American retailers.
Key Features:
Price:2.9% + $0.30 per domestic transaction
Designed for small-to-medium-sized businesses, the payment service at Authorize.net can help you grow your business with a host of flexible and trusted payment options.
Key Features:
Price: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
With customizable options for both freshman and senior businesses, 2Checkout’s services include heavily customizable hosted (in-site) checkouts and simple site integration, leaving your checkout experience seamlessly on brand.
Key Features:
Price: 2.9% + $0.30 per domestic transaction
Consider it the Tesla of payment gateways. Meet the newest service provider (and disruptor) in payment gateway technology: money-mover tool Dwolla. As a bank transfer solution, merchants within Dwolla can accept bank payments simply — with additional e-business-minded features like shopping cart plugins and website integration. It is already used by investment company Wunder and sneaker-selling app Goat.
Key Features:
Price: Contact Platform for Info
Tailored exclusively for e-commerce, Stripe provides extensive functionality regardless of what your business sells and has a resume loaded with high-level customers like Pinterest, Lyft, Slack, and OpenTable.
Key Features:
Price: 2.9% + $0.30 per domestic transaction
Worldpay is a comprehensive, UK-based (but global) service that offers omnichannel payment solutions for businesses of all sizes. Plus, you can pay as you go or choose a monthly payment option.
Key Features:
Price:2.75% + £0.20
Merchant e-Solutions is a unified platform that provides a no-fuss solution for online, mobile, or brick-and-mortar payment solutions.
Key Features:
Price: Fees Vary — See Pricing Chart
“Keep it simple, stupid” applies to many things — payment gateways included. Simplify Commerce, a MasterCard entity, aims to make it easy for your business to receive payments. With online, in-app, and in-person options, you can get your business’s e-commerce tasks up and running easily and outfitted to your unique specifications.
Key Features:
Price: Fees for Merchants Vary — See Payment Options
Now that you’ve seen a host of options, you need to compare. Want to see the gateways side-by-side or analyze other potential drawbacks? Wish granted!
Payment Gateways, Compared (1-5) | |||||
Amazon Payments | WePay | PayPal | Authorize.Net | 2Checkout | |
Transaction Fees | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
Cross-Border Fees | 3.9% + $0.30 | N/A | 4.4% + fixed fee | Extra 1.5% | Extra 1.5% |
Monthly Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $25 | $0 |
Chargeback Fee | $20 | $15 | $20 | $25 | $20 |
Setup Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $49 | $0 |
Card + Accepted Payment Types | All Major Types | All Major Types | All Major Types | All Major Types | All Major Types |
Currencies | 100+ | N/A | 25 | N/A | 87 |
Payment Gateways, Compared (6-10) | |||||
Dwolla | Stripe | Worldpay | Merchant e-Solutions | Simplify Commerce | |
Transaction Fees | Contact Dwolla | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.75% + £0.20 | Varies | 2.75% + $0.30 |
Cross-Border Fees | N/A | Extra 1% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Monthly Fee | N/A | $0 | £19.95 | $29 | N/A |
Chargeback Fee | N/A | $15 | £15 | $20 | N/A |
Setup Fee | N/A | $0 | $0 | $99 | $0 |
Card + Accepted Payment Types | ACH Payments | All Major Types | All Major Types | All Major Types | All Major Types |
Currencies | N/A | 135+ | 135+ | 150+ | N/A |
Ready to accept payments and watch the $$$ roll in? Simply put, good shopping experiences make for good sales — and more of ‘em. By choosing the proper payment gateway service for your site, you enhance user experience in your e-shop and invite customers to make purchases.
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Register NowYour online casino relies heavily on its payment gateway. Without the perfect link between you and the players’ funds, your online casino would fail. The majority of online casino patrons rely on credit cards, e-wallets and other electronic funds to play at your casino. It is your duty to ensure that their experience with sending money your way is effortless. With that in mind, picking an online payment processor that will ensure this happens is of utmost importance.
Let’s have a look at some of the things you should keep an eye open for when searching for the perfect merchant account provider.
Currency acceptance: The payment processors you use should be able to process all currencies. Online casinos need to be accessible to players in as many countries as possible without currency issues. Accepting payments for your online casino in any currency from customers in any part of the world is hugely important to the future of your business.
Security: Your merchant account provider should provide several layers of security to protect the payment details and the identification of users. The global online gambling market is anticipated to be valued at more than 92.9 billion US dollars in 2023. This volume of money attracts fraudsters from all corners of the world, and being prepared has never been more important.
Legality: Try not to be roped in by merchant account providers offering the moon and the stars. Many fly-by-night companies are hoping to get in on the action and are not aware of all the legal implications payment processing gateways need to adhere to. Your payment gateway needs to be reputable, especially seeing as online casinos walk the legal line, so to speak. Your payment processor has to be totally up to date on the bylaws and various regulations of the industry. Seeking a high-risk merchant account provider skilled specifically in online gaming such as Octapay is a good way to ensure this.
Customer care services: You might think that this is not important, but customer service is probably at the top of the list as far as merchant account provider necessities are concerned. You need to feel that your processor is your partner, and all communication should be easy, quick, and around-the-clock. You should never have problems that can’t be solved, and you should never feel like you are second best. Good customer relations will ensure this. Look for a service provider that gives you a dedicated account manager.
Ease of use: Remembering that the players are the ones that use the payment gateway to put payments forth is important. Being able to navigate the payment gateway smoothly and easily is central to ensuring players don’t get frustrated and take their money elsewhere.
Educating yourself on the importance of the right high-risk merchant account processor is the first step to becoming a profitable industry. Octapay are the experts in online casino merchant accounts and they can help you open an account today. You could be accepting payments from players within as little as 24 hours. Call them today to find out more about your options. They are also quite happy to have a chat to discuss your company’s specific options going forward whether it be with them, or not. Highly recommended.