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Hands Up Web Design |  Payment Providers

Taking Payment.....the ins and outs

One of the main aspects of having an eCommerce website is being able to take customers from viewing your catalogue right through to paying for their order.
Of course, this means you need to provide them with a clear, safe and secure method of processing their payment and both Interspire and Actinic allow you to do this by offering integration with many payment service providers (PSPs).

If you're a new business, you may want to just offer the ability to pay by cheque or postal order. That's fine too! Interspire and Actinic allow a variety of payment methods from cash on delivery right through to instant card payments online.

Many small businesses use Paypal as a payment option and this too is fully integrated with both Actinic and Interspire.

However, the majority of serious eCommerce website owners will be wanting to enable online payment, allowing their customers to pay through a secure payment portal online, taking payment processing out of the hands of the order processors in your office.
Not only is this better for your business, as it cuts down considerably on administration time, but it is also better for your customers as they are assured that their card details are never divulged to anyone outside of the online payment processor.

There is an interim option too. By purchasing an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate, you can take customers' card details, securely, on your website for offline processing. This can work out cheaper than using a PSP to process the transactions however there are issues with security when storing customer card details and these must be addressed fully if this method is used.

PCI-DSS compliance is compulsory for ALL businesses trading online and must be researched fully before making your decision to download and process customer card details.


To PSP or not to PSP.....that is the question

So, you've decided you want to take credit and debit card payments, opening up worldwide sale opportunities, but which option should you go for?

An SSL certificate or a PSP?

Using an SSL Certificate

An SSL Certificate will cost anything from £100 per year and will enable you to securely take card details through your website.
But what then?
You will need a Merchant Account to process all card transactions. A merchant account service basically processes the card payment, usually by using an electronic terminal, and pays the transaction into your bank account.
This is often a cheaper option than using a PSP but you must ensure there is adequate security around received customer details and that ALL details are destroyed after payments are processed. This is an area of legislation that is becoming more and more strict as time passes but it can be a useful method for business who already have a merchant account for a bricks and mortar store or other outlet.
Do note, however, that most merchant account providers will wish you to process your online and offline orders separately and may charge you differently to do so.
Again, PCI-DSS compliance is essential when opting for this method and it is necessary to research fully before making a decision.

Using a Payment Service Provider (PSP)

A PSP basically offers to process your payments for you, taking the hassle out of your hands. PSPs offer a secure environment in which they take customer card details and check various credentials for fraud purposes (please note: this varies from one PSP to the other)
There are many PSPs that can be integrated with Interspire or Actinic and finding the best one for you really involves phoning around, giving estimates of turnover and comparing them against each other.
Along with a PSP you will also still need a merchant account. The PSP will process the transaction and pass it to the merchant provider who will, in turn, pay you.
This means, of course, that you will be paying 2 lots of charges, one to the PSP and one to your merchant account provider. You won't, however, need an SSL certificate as your PSP will provide the secure area for the customer to give their card details so you will save on this cost. This needs to be weighed up against the time and security issues involved with processing the transactions manually but many businesses decide that using a PSP provides a better environment for the shopper.
Since the introduction of PCI-DSS compliance for businesses trading on the internet, using a PSP has become the preferred option as your PSP should provide a secure environment for your customer details, taking the pressure off you and your business.


Actinic compatible PSPs.....the lowdown

Interspire compatible PSPs and payment methods.....the list

Merchant Accounts....some of what's available

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