United States
Updated: March 27th, 2020
When you operate an e-commerce business, you need an easy, secure way for customers to purchase your products or services. Using a reliable payment gateway service — one that integrates with your site and offers a handful of different payment methods for your small business — can help.
After all, it doesn’t matter how many potential customers visit your site or pile products into their virtual carts; if your ecommerce payment gateway isn’t safe and straightforward, people won’t click “buy.” In fact, research from the Baymard Institute shows that the average shopping cart abandonment rate is nearly 70%. According to a 2018 survey from the same institute, 26% of respondents said they abandon their carts because the checkout process is too long or complicated.
That’s why streamlining checkout with a top online payment software company is crucial. A faster, smoother payment process won’t just improve your customer experience — it can also lead to higher conversion rates and turn one-time visitors into loyal shoppers.
Today, there are more ecommerce payment gateways than ever before, all of which promise speedy, secure, and accessible online payment options for your customers. Of course, the best payments solution for your business will depend on your needs and budget, but here are five of the most well-loved options beyond PayPal:
Stripe is an all-in-one payment method for your online business. The global service accepts all major debit and credit cards from every country, as well as digital wallet payments and popular local payment methods like ACH transfers. In addition to offering mobile and on-demand payment gateway services to facilitate checkout, Stripe also uses customers’ preferred currencies to display charges, which helps limit confusion and conversion costs.
As far as the backend goes, Stripe has flexible, scalable integrations to suit your small business’ payment processing needs. The service syncs your data with your accounting software and tags and records all transactions for easier reconciliation.
There are no setup or monthly fees. Instead, Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per card transaction.
Adyen offers a seamless payment experience for your customers. The company prides itself on accepting all popular payment methods across the globe, including major credit and debit cards, as well as transfers and digital wallets, like Apple Pay and Google Pay. To ensure customers have a fast, hassle-free checkout experience, they also offer in-app and mobile payments, as well as single-click and subscription payments.
Using Adyen as an online payment software also gives you access to all your data on one platform. Using their analytics features, you can track sales, reconcile transactions, review shopper insights, and reward loyal customers.
There’s no setup fee, but Adyen charges a processing fee and payment method fee per transaction.
2CheckOut offers simple global payment methods for your online business. Customers can select their preferred language and currency when paying, as well as choose from a variety of international and local payment options, including credit and debit cards, wallet payment options, and local transfers.
The ecommerce payment gateway is scalable, so you can adapt it to your business model and adjust it along the way. 2CheckOut also offers several different packages for businesses, including an all-in-one selling package, a package designed to help grow your business, and one designed to help you acquire new subscribers. If you opt for the latter, you’ll get subscription analytics and be able to manage renewals and upgrades from one place.
You can sign up for 2CheckOut for free. The most popular package charges 4.5% plus 45 cents per successful sale.
As one of the earliest online payment services, Authorize.net has earned a reputation for being easy and effective. Their goal is to help speed up your business transactions, increase sales, and minimize fraud.
The popular online payment software is available to businesses based in the United States, Canada, the UK, Europe, and Australia. They accept a handful of payments, including debit cards, credit cards, e-checks, and digital payment options like Apple Pay and Visa Checkout. To further facilitate the checkout process, Authorize.net also offers in-app payments, a one-time payment button, and a feature that saves customer billing and shipping information.
Their all-in-one package, which hooks you up with both a merchant account and payment gateway, costs $25 a month and 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction.
Braintree, a PayPal company, is a fantastic small business payment processing solution. Their mission is to help businesses increase conversions, in part by offering a multitude of different payment options, including PayPal, Venmo (in the U.S.), credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets. A feature that automatically updates account information, plus an option to set up recurring payments makes checkout easy for repeat customers.
On the business side, managing payments is painless thanks to integrations and thorough reporting and analytics updates. You can track your sales, easily search for transactions, and integrate with specialized fraud services for maximum protection. The best part: Braintree is scalable, so you can add or remove features as you go.
They charge 2.9% plus 30 cents for every transaction and have no hidden or monthly fees.
Building a successful business comes down to the details. The right payment system can help enhance your customer experience, boost revenue, and grow your business.
Paige Smith is a content marketing writer who specializes in writing about the intersection of business, finance, and tech. Paige regularly writes for a number of B2B industry leaders, including fintech companies, small business lenders, and business credit resource sites.
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