How to choose an online payment provider?
Accepting bank cards in the webshop.

2011.10.06

Local bank vs Cross-border payment solution

When starting to operate on the web, think twice what your goals are and who your target audience is. Webstores are the same like ordinary businesses. Pretty simple, customers come in, shop around, put some products into the basket and pay. Just like offline stores, you can pay by different means and get receipts online. I guess the question with the well-known bored intonation is familiar to all of us: Cash or credit? Different payment methods are available online too. Some of web businesses offer shipping service or collect-on-delivery for shipments and different payment methods like bank transfer, pay by phone or even credit/debit card. Now, allow me a short, comparative discussion of online credit/debit card payment opportunities with domestic banks and online payment providers in focus.

How to find an online bank card payment solution to implement in the online store?

Online payment solutions are provided today by some local banks and especially by payment gateways. At Escalion, we provide online payment services, online fraud and data management, and handle payment transactions securely. Questions could be raised in many forms: Is it really worth to accept credit/debit card transactions online? – Furthermore, how to get a company that suits your demands? Are local banks or a payment gateway better to realize this plan? It’s not so tough as it seems to be. Online payment solution is only a tool to meet goals – boost traffic and profit in the target market. Clear goals should determine tools. This is absolutely and positively true at this juncture.

Local bank vs Payment Service Provider

Services of local banks are concentrated in a restricted area, so it could be a good solution when handling online transactions in the regional market, however their focus is spread across a lot of functions and financial services a bank usually provides. The main difference is that unlike payment service providers where skillful specialists can concentrate all efforts strictly and solely on making online payment and all the things around easy and safe, banks have highly focused and developed services in the range, while other functions are less developed.

Technical support

Domestic banks provide API, however, in most cases, they do not give enough hints to see through procedures and apply the system. Recognizing the continuous need for help both in business and technical questions, a payment gateway assists clients on the implementation and testing process and offer solutions tailored to specific requirements.

Contract

Online businesses are required to complete forms and do some paperwork in the course of the agreement with a bank. A payment gateway builds relationship with all potential clients and gives close assistance throughout the entire process.

Multilingulal support - Markets without borders

A central bank provides a payment page and normally deals with local currency only. As a payment service provider, we believe that online market should be a great opportunity to take your business across borders therefore Escalion’s payment system is available in multiple languages and is able to handle multiple currencies.

Multilingual Customer Support

Multilingual and multi-channel customer support forms an essential part of most payment gateway’s service. Contrarily, front line personnel of a local bank can hardly give you detailed information about transactions.

Fraud Prevention

Local banks generally provide the basic, passive forms (automatic filters, data checking systems) of fraud prevention. Security systems of a Payment Service Provider protect both the merchant and the customer from data abuse by using advanced instruments like monitoring systems (with manual control) or active and sophisticated anti-fraud methods tailored to specific profiles and needs.

Diagrams and Statistics

Local banks usually send you daily summaries. A payment gateway you with real time data about transactions so you may check them, group them or even create stats to increase your sales volume. Particular statements can be made also by the payment provider to help online merchants to devise optimized sales strategies. Merchant Admin is available on the web so merchants can access it and follow up business activities, customize settings and construct diagrams as they like any minute of any day. Whether how successful a product was? And what about conversion?

How much does it cost?

Experts put real cost of handling cash at between 5 and 25 percent and the worst thing is the items of cash-handling expenses never show up on the statement. Dealing with payment card transactions costs maximum 2-4%. In addition, most cases, payments can be made weekly or even daily allowing traders to get incomes under strict control.

All the above indicate that for those who operate in the local market and do not except considerable fraud or complaints, the online payment solution of a local bank can be convenient. However, for all online merchants looking forward to

• receive purchases from other countries

• accept multiple currencies,

• resolve inbound customer issues

• face data-abuse and fraud activity

furthermore, do not plan on developing an admin system of their own, but paying close attention to business, the best thing to do is go for it and find a payment gateway to make a partnership with.