Don’t stress getting paid online
Selling products online is more than just putting up a website and raking in the profit. You’re going to need a system that allows you to get paid without the worry of hiring an accountant expert to make sure all of the tedious money details are covered. Take the stress out of getting paid by using the best payment-processing tool for small companies. Here are a few things to consider when choosing which one is best for you.
The Checkout process online
When your customers purchase an item or a service, your site ideally walks them through a checkout process. This payment process is not the beginning of the payment process. It begins long before your customer arrives at the screen asking for them to enter credit card information. It starts from the moment your customer considers adding an item to a digital shopping cart. Many online shoppers add merchandise to their cart only to end up abandoning the cart. Since about $70 worth of items are typically abandoned in digital carts, cart abandonment online may be a major reason you are having trouble completing sales. Most shoppers get through all of the payment screens with no issue until they come to the shipping cost or tax rate. Others don’t like the idea of being required to create an account before they can do business with you. That’s when they jump ship.
Welcome worldwide buyers
Your local business is no longer limited to locals only. Once you take your business online, you open up the potential for globally, limitless sales. Your checkout and payment processing needs to take this into account from the start. You will need to make sure you have a payment calculator and translator to account for different international currencies, taxes, and shipping. You will also want to offer payment methods that target their country as well. For instance, Americans are familiar with PayPal, but other countries are more familiar with other payment sites.
Prevent fraud
Anywhere there is money, there is the potential for theft or fraud. Online business probably provides more potential risk and vulnerability. Don’t let this worry you. Instead make sure your payment processing system is able to identify and block fraudulent payments. Most e-commerce merchants have a system in place to alert or block specific suspicious transactions or high-risk countries.
Followup provides a sense of security
Once the payment has been made, don’t stop there! This is the start of the follow-up process to make sure you satisfy the customer. After the transaction, immediately send the customer a confirmation email and tracking for the shipments to reassure them that it was legitimate and that their purchase is on the way. Choose a payment processing system that gives you options to automate these steps. The more of these tedious, yet reassuring, steps you are able to automate, the more streamlined and efficient your business will run. The end result is happy customers who will return to do business with you again.