E-commerce: choosing the right online payment system
Today, setting up a reliable, high-performance online payment system is a must for many professionals, entrepreneurs, start-ups and retailers. To meet the challenges of payment management, remote transaction software, payment connectors and e-commerce solutions need to meet the expectations of both sellers and buyers.
This includes ease of remote payment, automated collection, subscription-based sales management, reduced fees, as well as e-commerce and online sales modules. These are all essential features and criteria to take into account when choosing your ideal online payment system.
3 key criteria for choosing your online payment system
Usage determines your needs and guides your choice: what are your business needs in terms of online payment? What criteria are essential for your merchant site and your business? What do you need from a software package to get started in e-commerce? How do you want to sell products and services online?
Simple remote payment management
An ideal online payment system should above all offer easy remote payment options that are secure and easy to set up. Whether you're making B-to-B payments, selling online or providing a service, you need to be able to receive money remotely as simply as possible and ensure a good customer experience.
By choosing the right tool for selling products and services, you can accept online payments by bank transfer, CB or SEPA bank card from your website, while keeping transaction costs to a minimum. You can also send a payment request by e-mail for fast, secure payment of your online invoices.
What's the difference with the PayPal payment system? You receive your customers' money directly into your bank account, you reduce transaction costs and your customers don't have to sign up to pay you. You have the option of integrating a payment connector from your web and sales management software, your merchant site and your CRM.
A turnkey e-commerce solution
A high-performance e-commerce solution is the key to successful online sales. So make sure you set up an online payment system and connector that offer integrated functionality designed for e-commerce, managing orders and shopping baskets via an online shop and accepting secure payments.
You need to be able to create personalised payment pages and marketing features, automate invoice payment and send notifications to your customers. Not to mention sales management for the different markets you are targeting.
A subscription sales option
Subscription sales are the Holy Grail for professionals, entrepreneurs and start-ups, because they generate regular income. But to meet the requirements of subscription sales, you need a suitable software tool for managing subscribers and recurring online payments.
Your remote payment solution must enable you to receive money on a recurring basis, customise the terms and conditions of your subscription offers, and set the dates on which payments are taken.
It must also give your users access to a private area where they can :
- update their bank and personal details
- download their invoices
- cancel their subscription with one click if you have not set up a commitment period.
An online sales solution that focuses on the seller and the buyer
An ideal remote payment solution should make life easier for the seller administrator and at the same time meet the expectations of buyer users, to ensure a good customer experience, whatever your business.
The needs of the seller
As a business or e-commerce player, you need secure payment management software that is :
- easy to learn, simple to use, self-contained and flexible ;
- automated, for invoicing, direct debits, reminders and notifications in the event of credit card expiry;
- cost-effective, with no transaction or maintenance costs and low commission charges;
- integrated, fully compatible with WordPress, Jimdo, Wix, etc.
The buyer's needs
Your buyers and customers expect a simple, reliable and efficient online payment solution:
- fast, with a payment link for one-click payments ;
- flexible, with the options of their choice via Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and SEPA direct debit mandates..;
- personalised, with offers targeted to their interests and needs;
- practical, with direct access to their history and personal data.
Useful and essential features for e-commerce
When it comes to managing remote online payments, few e-commerce players stand out on the market for their flexibility and agility. Payfacile, however, raises the overall bar: the solution straddles the line between online payment and e-commerce solution.
Unlike a payment gateway like PayPal, you don't require your customers to create an account on your merchant site, so you increase your chances of making a sale and achieving your marketing objectives. This is because it allows you to accept online payments from any website, social network or simple e-mail.
A "plug and play" payment software solution
One of the main advantages of the few players in this e-commerce category is that they require no technical knowledge to set up the payment system. So you don't need a computer expert to install it on your website or online shop.
They work as online payment system connectors with your CMS and CRM to enable you to sell products, online services or subscription offers from your website.
A fully automated remote payment system
The system of this type of user-oriented online payment software handles the automation of direct debits, invoicing, reminders and even bank card expiry management at the time of customer orders.
A subscription-based online sales module
As well as automating online transactions, few solutions of this kind offer comprehensive, easy-to-use management to meet the specific needs of subscription-based sales. Among other things, Payfacile provides your subscribers with a private area where they can manage their subscriptions themselves.
Subscription-based sales are becoming increasingly popular with consumers with the development of the usage economy: both B-to-C and B-to-B consumers are more and more inclined to subscribe to goods and services online.
Simple, comprehensive e-commerce solutions
Sales management software such as Payfacile has functions that enable you to develop a full-fledged e-commerce operation, including a product catalogue and even management of the purchase and sale of digital files.
Good to know: Payfacile was the brainchild of a former retailer who couldn't find what he was looking for in an online payment system, so it's a pragmatic way of meeting the needs of buyers and sellers.
A final word
To choose and implement your ideal online payment system, first take stock of your needs and those of your buyers and customers. In addition to security, ease of use and automation, think about the medium and long term from a marketing and customer experience point of view: are you planning subscription sales, online sales with an e-commerce solution on a merchant site? Choose a payment system that is easy to use, modular and integrated with a system connector, so that it can be easily upgraded as your business grows.
Article translated from French