How to begin your search:
Giving people a safe and easy way to pay is an essential part of your eCommerce site or app. So you’ll need secure, third-party payment software.
Here are some things to remember:
Payment methods
There are many ways your customer might want to pay. They may prefer credit or a debit card. They might use a virtual wallet like Apple Pay, Google Wallet or PayPal. To cater to this, you should always check your software offers a good range of options.
Security
You need to keep your customers' details protected. To do this, make sure your selected method is safe. Look for safety features. These can be things like data encryption, 3D Secure authentication and other securities. You also need to make sure you meet GDPR and PCI expectations.
Ease of use
Simple is always best. Select a platform that is easy to use for both you and your customer.
When looking at easier to use options, you should also check you can scale and change them. This is important to make sure that as your business grows, your platform can too. Even if you don’t use all features at first, it's good to know you can.
Cost
One thing you’ll need to balance is impact and cost. It may be difficult to get all of what you want. So, you need to ask yourself what drives the most impact for less. Put simply, make sure you’re getting value for your money.
The best way to do this is through researching the cost and features of various tools. You can then use this to narrow down your options based on the impact they’ll have on your customer. Also look at what best achieves the goals you have for your business.
Reputation
Check and make sure the provider has a good reputation. You can do this by looking at reviews. You may also want to speak to other business owners to see what they think.
By doing these checks, you can narrow down the chance that you won’t like the option you select. You need to make sure you get a good service and product.
International payments
If you are taking international payments, there may be some extra things your need to think about. You can find out more about international payments here. You also need to consider this when selecting a platform.
Your user’s location might change the way they can pay you. So, you may need to think about, for example, the ability to use International Bank Account Numbers to pay
Making your choice
No matter what features you want, you should do your research. You need to select a platform that's right for your business.
Some of the things you can do are compare fees, demo products and check what other services come with it. Also check how it protects your customers’ data.