Whether your business is online, a store front, mobile or all of the above, there are multiple credit card processing options that as an entrepreneur, you want to offer your customers. Studies have found that providing three or more payment options, increases incremental spend and customer loyalty. In other words, customers who can pay the way they choose will spend more and shop more frequently at your business.
Credit and debit cards are the most popular way to pay for goods and services. TSYS conducted an online survey of 1,000 consumers who owned both a debit card and a credit card. The study found 43 percent of Americans chose debit cards compared with 35 percent who preferred credit cards and just 9 percent who preferred cash. The percentages increase further when online purchases are factored in.
To set up credit card processing, (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover), you need to get a merchant account. You can get a merchant account through a third party merchant account provider, such as ITS Merchant Services or most major banks.
The advantages of getting a merchant account through a third party merchant account provider like ITS Merchant Services are that most don't require any security deposits (unlike banks), are quickly set up, and often can be bundled with ecommerce service packages that include the Internet gateway you need for online credit card processing (Web point-of-sale) and a shopping cart.
Mobile Payment Processing
For many businesses — especially service providers and on-the-go merchants — the point of sale has moved far beyond a traditional brick-and-mortar retail location. Instead, they transact business at outdoor markets, sports venues, community and school functions, customers’ homes and more.
Mobile credit card processing harnesses the power of a smartphone or tablet and turns it into a handheld credit card reader that functions just like the countertop version.
Once you have a merchant processing account for mobile processing, you simply download a free Mobile app from the App Store or Google Play™ to your device and you’re ready to start accepting major credit cards and signature debit cards. Mobile processing offers portable credit and debit card payment acceptance with the iPad mini™ or Google Nexus 7™ tablets and iPhone® or Android smartphones. Insert the recommended credit card reader and you can swipe cards anywhere the sale arises, avoiding time-consuming and error-prone manual entry of data while simultaneously saving on processing fees.
Mobile credit card processing provides secure data transmission and fraud alerts as traditional processing options. Receipts are emailed to your customers, saving you the expense of a printer and paper rolls.
Virtual Terminal Payment Processing
A virtual terminal is the software merchants need to accept credit card and ACH payments online securely and efficiently from their own computer. A virtual terminal can be used to process credit card and ACH transactions from any computer with Internet access anywhere in the world, allowing you to securely and efficiently handle a series of additional tasks including the verification, reporting and processing of credit card and ACH payments.
How it Works
Using your computer’s web browser, an Internet connection and a USB credit card swipe reader to log into a secure website and perform a variety of functions, including:
- Process swiped retail credit card transactions
- Manually enter mail order/telephone order (MOTO) credit card transactions
- Manually enter ACH transactions using one of the following Standard Entry Class Codes: PPD, CCD, WEB or TEL
- Receive authorizations responses
- Generate receipts
- Issue refunds to a customer’s credit card or ACH Account
- Capture previously authorized transactions
- Store credit card or ACH payment information in a customer wallet for future billing
- Set up automatic customer billing for recurring charges
- Confirm transaction status
- Upload batch files
- Access, create and save a variety of standard and customizable report
Virtual shopping carts allow visitors to your website to choose items for immediate purchase or to be stored for later purchase. Virtual shopping carts facilitate the collection of billing address, shipping address and payment information to be processed,
Multi-merchant environments usually allow the grouping of related merchant accounts and access via a single login at no extra cost for merchants who have diversified their business, operate out of multiple locations or plan to expand their business. Seasonal merchants can usually place their account in an inactive state during the off-season to help reduce operating costs.
Wireless Payment Processing
Wireless credit card processing enables merchants and service providers to accept payment cards wherever they do business. If you sell (or want to) at outdoor venues, sporting events, kiosks, food carts, open markets, customers’ homes or any location where traditional connectivity is a problem, wireless has got you covered.
Wireless payment card processing advantages include:
- The same access to credit card authorization networks as a traditional retail businesses and the mobility to pursue sales wherever they may be.
- Wireless terminals are lightweight and compact, ready to slip into your pocket and go on a moment’s notice.
- Wireless processing enables you to accept credit and debit cards in locations where cash and checks used to be the only options.
More Payment Options, More Repeat and New Business
The success of your business, regardless of whether it is online, brick and mortar or mobile depends on sales. So why deliberately decrease your sales potential by limiting the ways potential customers can pay for your products and/or services? Make as many sales as you possibly can by offering as many payment options as possible!
