Ecommerce Shopping Cart Blog by InstanteStore » Paypal shopping cart software

Online Shopping Cart Checkout Website Design Alternative

desmond — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:16:18 +0000

As you would expect from a top shopping cart provider, InstanteStore offers a wide array of online shopping cart checkout website design payment methods for merchants to choose from. Stores usually have more than 1 shopping cart payment method in order to be more accessible to a wider market in terms of payment acceptance.

Google Checkout is an alternative to the popular PayPal shopping cart software payment method. But as with all online shopping cart checkout website design payment methods, none are perfect; which is why it is better to have a variety available at your store, requirements and cost permitting. Before you decide to offer Google Checkout as a payment method at your store, read on to find out the pros and the cons.

First, let’s begin with the advantages of Google Checkout. For shoppers, Google Checkout promises convenience, speed and security. Buyers who have a Google Checkout account can use their Google Checkout account to log in and make payments for their purchases at stores that support Google Checkout, without having to create separate accounts at the individual stores. Google Checkout also provides the option of keeping buyer email addresses hidden from the stores that buyers purchase from. Using Google Checkout gives buyers the option of trusting Google with their purchase history and payment information, versus individual stores or payment processors.

Stores that offer a Google Checkout payment option will have a Google Checkout badge next to their name when they appear in Google’s search results page. This tells customers right away that the store accepts payment via Google Checkout. Google Checkout also allows customers to track their orders and view their purchase history.

Now here are the drawbacks. Only merchants with a United States or UK address and bank account can use Google Checkout to process transactions. Also, Google Checkout is not considered a proper payment gateway; it is not a regulated financial institution and thus not FDIC insured.

It also takes about 5 business days to transfer funds to a bank account and this must be done upon request by the merchant. In addition, there may be a monthly payout limit. There is no customer support service like email or live chat if anything goes wrong.

Although Google Checkout allows you the to sell items without a shopping cart, you can only sell one item at a time with the Buy Now button. In order to sell more than a single item at a time, you would need to have a shopping cart with Google Checkout integration, like we fortunately have. However, you will not be able to customize the checkout process because your customers are redirected to Google Checkout to complete payment.

It’s usually a good idea to offer a few different payment options (as long as the costs and requirements make sense of course). This gives customers flexibility in how they can pay you for their orders. Study the pros and cons of each payment method and select the ones that best suit your store’s needs.Recent Posts:

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Why More Customers Are Using PayPal

desmond — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:41:32 +0000

After just 100 months in the payments platform business, PayPal had already amassed 133 million users and more merchants than Visa, MasterCard and American Express put together (according to Chris Skinner, CEO of Balatro and chairman of the Financial Services Club). This was way back in 2007. Some stats have shown that PayPal is the preferred mode of payment boasting figures anywhere from 5% to 23% of the total number of online shoppers polled. The figures are impressive indeed.

In this article, we will look at why a growing horde of online shoppers choose PayPal and why merchants insist on PayPal shopping cart software integration in their ecommerce solution.

Most paid ecommerce solutions currently come ready with PayPal shopping cart software integration. It can be said that Pay Pal shopping cart software integration is now a standard option in such solutions and the reasons are obvious. The PayPal brand has grown by leaps and bound over the years and even people who do not use it know what it is. This has even prompted new solutions to aggressively promote their Pay Pal shopping cart features.

For shoppers, PayPal offers features that blend the convenience of credit cards with added assurance in terms of security and other useful functions. Below are 3 reasons why shoppers are increasingly warming up to PayPal:

Security

The sharing of bank or credit card information is a sensitive issue when it comes to online shopping even with all the security measures that are in place. This is where PayPal differs from other online payment methods like credit cards. When a shopper uses PayPal, he or she does not need to divulge bank or credit card information to retail sites. Together with the latest anti-fraud technology, PayPal offers a very secure way to financially transact over the Internet.

Gain Credit Card Points

Reward points are a big deal to credit card users especially those who frequently travel around the globe garnering frequent flier miles along the way. Shoppers need not worry about reward points when paying with their credit cards via PayPal. Shoppers can be assured that they will still be entitled to points, cash back promotions as well as flier miles.

Multiple Uses

Having a PayPal account means more than just a convenient way to pay for online shopping. It is also a fantastic means to receive payments and transfer funds. In fact, users can transfer funds via a very common communication tool – email. Sending money to kids at college abroad or payment for services or even making online donations has never been easier.

PayPal is more than just a payment method, it is also a convenient alternative for transferring funds safely and quickly over the Internet. For merchants, having the PayPal shopping cart software feature available at their stores is practically a must.Recent Posts:

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A Brief Insight Into Payment Gateways

desmond — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:52:34 +0000

If your store is doing really well and getting orders day and night, there’s no way that you’re going to able to stay awake perpetually to process orders even if you’re an insomniac. Thankfully, there is a solution that enables payment to be processed 24/7 while allowing e-store owners around the world to get a good night’s rest. Needless to say, our solution has this good free shopping cart software feature.

Enter Payment Gateways. A payment gateway is like a point-of-sale terminal at conventional retail outlets. It processes credit card orders and authorizes payments in real-time while keeping all transaction information safe and secure. Payment gateway integration is one of the first shopping cart features merchants usually look for and, as mentioned before, this good free shopping cart software feature is available (for major gateways) at InstanteStore. There are actually two main types of payment gateway, as we’ve mentioned in a previous article. In this article we will go a bit deeper and explore the differences between the two, and how particular aspects of each might affect merchants.

There are basically 2 types of payment gateways: one that requires a merchant account and one that doesn’t.

First, let’s take a look at payment gateways that require a merchant account. To utilize the services of this type of gateway, a merchant must first open a merchant account via merchant service providers (MSPs) such as bank or independent service organizations (ISOs). This could take a few days to a few weeks as MSPs and ISOs need to assess the risk of granting a merchant account to an applicant. Naturally there are also costs involved in setting up such an account. However, you save by enjoying better rates (commission per transaction) at payment gateways that require merchant accounts.

In terms of billing, the merchant’s on-site or company name (subject to length limitations) will be displayed on customers’ credit card bills. This is something that can potentially drastically reduce the occurrence of customer charge disputes (since customers will be more likely to recognize the name of your store when looking at their bills versus some possibly cryptic payment gateway letters and numbers). Less disputes means less hassle, and potentially less expensive chargebacks.

Next, let’s look at payment gateways that do not require merchant accounts. Since these gateways do not require merchant accounts, merchants need not go through the hassle of applying for merchant accounts and having to be subjected to credit rating evaluations. A major drawback of this is that merchants will have to pay high commission rates (6-15%) for every item sold plus a fixed amount per transaction.

Merchants also run the risk of chargebacks due to credit card disputes because their store names do not appear on credit card bills. Of course, you can remedy this situation by informing customers beforehand of what to expect. A simple note during the checkout process may save you a lot of hassle and money later on.

Drawbacks aside, both types of payment gateway offer customers the convenience of paying online with ease and security at any time of the day. This convenience also means that stores can do business around the clock and accept orders from practically anywhere in the world. Even with all the costs involved, successfully leveraging on the global market will most likely result in a very cost-effective way to run a store. So it would be a good idea to try to work different payment gateway costs into your business start up cost list and make full use of this free shopping cart software feature integration where available.Recent Posts:

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