'Net Features : payment processing

2Checkout Breaks out with Release of Direct Checkout

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:55:00 GMT

Online payment solutions provider 2Checkout today announced the release of Direct Checkout, a customizable, cloud-based online payment technology that provides digital enterprises the functionality they need to accept customer payments from their websites in an alternative way.

What makes Direct Checkout so interesting is that it works as an overlay that collects a limited amount of payment information - while allowing the user to remain on the page they were visiting during the checkout process.

A less bulky/cumbersome checkout process will be appealing to merchants seeming a more seamless buying experience. The product is offered in 15 different languages and supports 26 currencies and eight payment methods.

WorldPay Integration Extends Intershop's Payment Processing Options

Michael Garrity — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Payment processing solution provider WorldPay and e-commerce solution provider Intershop have joined forces to offer a robust e-commerce platform with more extensive payment processing capabilities, global customer reach and greater risk functionality. In other words, they may have just found the solution that many online merchants have been looking for.

Both WorldPay’s payment gateway and its RiskGuardian risk management service are now going to be integrated into the Intershop 7 e-commerce platform, meaning they’ll be available for all Intershop customers. This integration is supposed to help merchants maximize their transaction success and implement “cross-border strategies” that give their customers access to locally preferred payment methods through WorldPay’s over 200 alternative payment types.

According to the Global Online Shopper Report from WorldPay, 61 percent of online shoppers have “greater confidence” in a website if it offers a choice of payment methods.

“Following WorldPay’s integration with Intershop’s platform, merchants can now benefit from a comprehensive e-commerce solution that delivers unrivalled payment processing, risk and alternative payment capabilities,” said the Chief Commercial Officer of WorldPay’s E-Commerce Division, Shane Happach. “This integration places emphasis on the importance of the availability of preferred payment types to enable merchants to operate e-commerce globally through a single interface.”

In addition to adding a wide array of payment processing options and risk management services to the Intershop platform, this partnership also allows Intershop merchants to optimize their revenue streams by capturing payments from various touch points, such as online, mobile and MOTO channels.

PayPal Comes to Mojaba Mobile Sites

Allison Howen — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:45:00 GMT

Web workers building a mobile website with Mojaba can now accept PayPal payments thanks to a new integration between the companies.

The PayPal integration enables Mojaba users to add the PayPal element to a panel. Then, users simply need to configure the PayPal account information, pricing options and successful purchase message so that consumers can make secure purchases with their smartphones. Moreover, customers have the option to log in to PayPal or pay with a debit or credit card. After customers place their order and confirm the purchase, they are returned back to the mobile website and all payments are processed on PayPal’s website.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Torsion Mobile as they expand their mobile website software, Mojaba,” said Eddie Davis, Senior Director of Sales at PayPal. ”Businesses that Torsion Mobile serves don’t want to miss sales opportunities because they can’t accept the payment type their customers may use. They want quick access to their money, a reliable card reader, and one transparent, low fee to process these payments. Mojaba for PayPal brings all of these features together into a product that’s simple to use.”

It is important to note that in order to leverage this functionality, users must have a Mojaba website with an annual subscription as well as a PayPal account.

Helium Lifts Shopping Cart Woes

Allison Howen — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:24:00 GMT

A new shopping cart solution is taking the transaction process to new heights.

Helium, which was just launched by e-commerce analytics provider Freshplum, is a shopping cart that is built for small businesses. By using the Stripe Connect platform, websites can perform direct transactions without waiting for approval by a payments processor.

While an online store traditionally requires a website, shopping cart, gateway, merchant account, an SSL certificate, and an understanding of PCI compliance and Web development, Helium enables site owners to start collecting online payments with only a website and a Stripe account. In an effort to simplify the process further, Helium handles credit card transactions, file hosting, order management and can be leveraged to sell a variety of digital and physical goods – all with no programming experience or server-side code required.

“Creating a simple way to collect payments is a step toward our larger vision of making it easier to sell things online,” said Freshplum CEO Sam Odio. “We’ve been working with larger merchants over the last year to help them learn from their data and optimize their sales process. We’ve found that with our smaller clients, the problem often lies in the simple mechanics of their shopping cart.”

Website owners without a dedicated programming staff will be happy to know that Helium can be integrated into a website by pasting a line of code, selecting the checkout options and adding a “Buy Now” button to transaction pages. Then, customers have the ability to purchase products without being redirected to another page. For these services, Helium charges a flat rate of 2 percent per transaction in addition to Stripe’s fees.

PayLane Payment Processing comes to Wordpress

Allison Howen — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:15:00 GMT

E-commerce merchants on a multitude of platforms can now leverage payment processing provider PayLane to accept payments from consumers all over the world.

PayLane enables merchants to accept payments in 160 different currencies from more than 50 countries, as well as process a variety of payment methods, including credit and debit cards, PayPal and Giropay. In addition to the company’s current plugins for Magento and osCommerce merchants, PayLane has released four new plugins – for Wordpress, OpenCart, Zen Cart and PrestaShop merchants.

The Wordpress extension differs from the other e-commerce platform plugins because it enables merchants to create an easy-to-use system that allows consumers to make payments for a fixed-price service, product, access to website content or to make a donation. For example, merchants can create custom buttons with call-to-action terms such as “Donate” or “Pay”.

The various payment processing plugins can be found on the company’s website – where merchants can download their platform-specific extension, extract and copy the files to the root folder and configure basic settings in the admin panel.

Merchants Get Real-Time Transaction View with Encore

Administrator — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:19:00 GMT

Payment processing solution Encore Payment systems has released a transaction-viewing feature which will likely be very well received by those in the fast-paced world of E-Commerce.

Encore is introducing Online Statements that include real-time transactions. The product, available through MyMerchantZone.com, provides retailers the ability to view transactions the moment a credit card is swiped for processing. Merchants will thus be able to review and track daily transactions instead of waiting for the monthly statement.

The service, which costs a paltry $5.00 per month, can be accessed from any electronic device including smartphones and tablets.

Check Out This Customized Checkout from 2Checkout

Allison Howen — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:30:00 GMT

Merchants can now create a customized checkout with a new feature from payment processing solution 2Checkout.

The Custom Checkout feature provides online retailers with the ability to tailor their checkout pages without giving up payment security. This can help merchants decrease cart abandonment rates, raise conversion rates and increase revenue because it creates a cohesive brand experience.

The feature also enables merchants to brand their checkout pages with desired colors, logo, font, custom background and contact information. This ensures that the checkout page matches the rest of the website, and also creates a more seamless buyer experience.

“Our customers have been asking for this feature and we are excited to provide the ability to extend their brand into their checkout page,” says Tom Dailey, CEO of 2Checkout. “This is the first of many improvements our customers will experience. We will continue to seek their feedback, uncover needs and prioritize our projects accordingly.”

PayAnywhere Adds Two SDKs for Android

Allison Howen — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:30:00 GMT

Mobile payment processing solution PayAnywhere has announced the addition of two Android software developer kits (SDKs) to its developer library, which will join the company’s current SDKs for iOS devices.

The new Android SDKs – Basic and Advanced – enable developers to embed credit card point-of-sale functionality into apps that run on any Android device, which makes it possible for those apps to accept and process Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit card purchases.

After being enabled by PayAnywhere APIs, mobile apps can accept swiped credit card transactions via the PayAnywhere credit card reader and payment processing service for smartphones and tablets, as well as accept keyed-in transactions when cards aren’t present.

In addition to credit card processing, the PayAnywhere SDKs offer a host of other features such as the ability to capture signatures, attach invoice numbers to transactions, print or email receipts, keep a record of transactions, view detailed transaction reports and more.

“The handling of credit card transactions and moving money from consumer to merchant is quite an involved and complicated process,” says Gordon Rimac, chief technology officer at PayAnywhere. “That’s one reason many enterprises, even those with extensive developer resources, approach PayAnywhere about incorporating our transaction and payments processing solution into their apps. Handling payment processing is something PayAnywhere does exceptionally well, and through our SDKs, PayAnywhere is making it very easy to leverage our core business expertise while letting developers stay focused on theirs.”

While both SDKs allow developers to add credit card transaction capabilities into apps, the Advanced SDK enables merchants to fully brand their app so that consumers don’t know that PayAnywhere is handling the transactions. Developers can learn more about the PayAnywhere APIs here.

What a Process: Payment Platforms for Merchants

Allison Howen — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

There are a few necessities that e-commerce merchants need to set in place before they can run their stores, including a business plan, merchandise and, of course, a secure payment processing solution.

Companies are now bridging the payment gap between consumer and merchant by offering more versatile and innovative payment options such as mobile payment wallets. However, not all of these solutions are created the same. While some offer more features, others may offer lower rates -- which is why merchants should be fully aware of what they are committing to before making a decision.

Take a look at these innovative payment processing solutions below:

Square

Although Square isn’t the newest mobile payment processing solution, it doesn’t mean that it is outdated. This solution can be used to accept payments from mobile devices through a square-shaped reader. Retailers simply need to sign up for the free reader, which is compatible with iOS and Android devices, as well as install the free Square app in order to leverage this platform. Merchants are charged a rate of 2.75 percent per swipe for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and AmEx credit cards.

This solution can also be leveraged to create a loyalty program or even turn an iPad into a register, which enables merchants to add inventory, quickly process payments and wirelessly print receipts.

PayPal Here

Created by arguably the most popular online payment provider, PayPal Here uses a triangular card reader to accept credit card payments from mobile devices. And aside from accepting credit and debit cards, the platform can also be used to issue invoices, track cash payments, process checks and, of course, accept PayPal payments.

Processing checks and issuing invoices are free, but PayPal Here charges merchants a rate of 2.7 percent for card swipes. Merchants can download the app and apply to obtain the card reader for free, and also have the ability to access live customer support through the platform.

Intuit GoPayment

Similar to Square or PayPal Here, Intuit GoPayment enables merchants to accept payments from mobile devices. The solution’s app and credit card reader are free, with credit card transaction fees for Visa, Mastercard, Discover and AmEx charging merchants 2.7 percent.

This platform provides retailers with the ability to text or email receipts to consumers, sync GoPayment transactions with QuickBooks software and manage transactions from the Merchant Service Center.

PayAnywhere

The PayAnywhere payment processing solution can also turn mobile devices into credit card readers. Merchants must download the free app and sign up for the free card reader in order to start accepting credit cards on their iOS and Android devices.

PayAnywhere charges merchants a 2.69 percent fee for swiped credit cards, offers real-time and heat map reporting for credit card and cash transactions, as well as a free merchant portal for deeper consumer insights. Retailers can also earn money by referring PayAnywhere to other merchants.

VeriFone

VeriFone offers a couple of different payment processing options. The company's PAYware Connect platform is a hosted payment processing solution that is cloud-based, and enables merchants to conduct transactions on mobile devices and online.

However, merchants who are looking for a mobile payment solution more similar to Square can also choose to leverage the Sail platform that works on both iOS and Android devices. VeriFone offers a Sail Pro and Sail Go plan, both of which come with a free card reader. The Pro plan comes with a low swipe rate of 1.95 percent, as well as a monthly fee of $9.95, while the Go plan has no monthly fee but comes with a 2.7 swipe rate.

LevelUp

Retailers can use LevelUp to accept payments and set up a loyalty program through a mobile device. LevelUp is an app that works on both iOS and Android devices and enables consumers to link a credit or debit card to their account, in which they receive a unique QR code that can be used to make purchases.

Merchants can accept payments by downloading the LevelUp merchant app or obtaining the LevelUp dock for their counter, and are charged a 2-percent transaction fee per purchase. This solution can also be used to set up a loyalty program, view consumer purchasing analytics, send email receipts, obtain weekly reports and more.

Google Wallet

This mobile application can be used to accept payments at brick-and-mortar stores as well as online. Google Wallet enables consumers to store their credit card information inside their mobile devices and make payments by tapping their phones on readers at physical store locations or by clicking a button on participating sites while surfing the Web.

Merchants can make their businesses Google Wallet-ready by offering contactless payment terminals within brick-and-mortar stores or by adding the Google Wallet button to their websites. Retailers can also utilize this platform to drive traffic by pushing offers that customers can save and redeem with Google Wallet in-stores, or partner Google Wallet with an existing loyalty program to retain more customers.

Dwolla

This payment solution is a little different from those previously mentioned because the focus is on low cost and not mobile. With Dwolla, all transactions less than $10 are free, with all other transactions costing only 25 cents.

Dwolla users can make payments online or in brick-and-mortar locations by connecting their bank accounts to their Dwolla accounts. Merchants can leverage this platform by utilizing the company’s free online, mobile and social tools.

This platform basically cuts out the middle man (or becomes the middle man -- depending on how you look at it) by transferring a customer's money through the Dwolla network directly into the merchant's bank account, so that no plastic cards are required and therefore no credit card fees are charged.

Manage Payment Processing On The Go

Allison Howen — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Merchants who leverage 2Checkout to process online payments can now manage their accounts on the go.

Inexika recently launched the 2Checkout Vendor app for the iPhone and iPod touch, which is designed for vendors who would rather monitor their account from the palms of their hands instead of logging into their Web account on a browser.

The 2Checkout Vendor app is available in the iTunes App Store for $4.99. It enables merchants to view all purchases made by customers, sort specific groups of sales, search sales information and view details of selected orders – including customer information and invoice details. The app also allows merchants to issue refunds, as well as get in touch with customers by using the sales details.

The app uses 2Checkout's API and requires users to create a special API username. Merchants can create a 2Checkout API username by logging into their Web account, clicking on the account tab and user management sub-tab, and then choosing the create username link. Then, a new username must be created that has API Access and API Updating selected for the Access type.

PayPal Seeing Extensive Growth

Michael Garrity — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

PayPal, the world's most popular online payments platform, came out this weekend with new, impressive numbers about the amount of payments it processes daily.

According to the company, it saw about $3,650 in Total Payment Volume (TPV) every second during the second quarter of 2011. That totals approximately $315.3 million a day, with upwards of 5 million transactions taking place in a 24-hour span.

To say that PayPal has been doing well as of late is an understatement; in fact, this year also saw its first billion-dollar revenue quarter and the company's net TPV has increased by 34 percent from the same time last year.

PayPal has also seen vast increases in its mobile transactions, with roughly $10 million being processed daily on mobile devices. Mobile TPV is estimated to exceed $3 billion this year; it was just $750 million last year.

In 2010, PayPal's TPV accounted for almost 18 percent of all global e-commerce. One can only assume it's going to be even higher this year.

PayByCash Expands Direct Debit Payment Option

Administrator — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:55:00 GMT

PayByCash has rolled out a direct debit payment option for its online merchants and their customers in the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. PayByCash now allows European customers a way to pay for digital goods and services without a credit card by debiting checking accounts through Webbilling.com B.V., the leader in online direct debit billing in these countries.

"By accepting more than 70 payment methods, PayByCash allows online merchants to tap into the vast customer base that requires the ability to pay without a credit card," said Kevin Higgins, CEO of PayByCash. "Direct debit is so popular in Europe that we are very pleased to expand our merchant clients' pool of customers by adding this preferred payment method."