Worried about how you'll process payments on your WebSite? There are many different routes that are possible. You can get a merchant account via your local bank or some of the Internet Merchant Services. This isn't always the easiest route for a new business and they tend to collect a larger percentage of each transaction. We are happy to explore the best option for your shopping cart.

      Below is a list of online merchant services that we recommend:

• PayPal
• ProPay
• 2 Check Out

      Ecommerce enterprises have a habit of becoming successes, and some of becoming outstanding successes, and that can be a problem. Just like a mom and pop company that outgrows its premises, ecommerce websites that make it big have a habit of outgrowing their ecommerce infrastructure. And then customers can’t access the site, card payments slow down, inventories become clogged, orders get delayed, customers lose faith, the business begins to falter and… well the problems are obvious.

      There is a real temptation to choose an ecommerce solution that suits your needs in the short-term and only worry about the future when it comes. Which is fine if you have limited ambitions and never expect to expand. Scalability is not only about size, it’s about speed, customer satisfaction and customer retention. Some shopping systems actually limit the number of items that can be bought at one time, so your revenue is bottlenecked before you even start.

      So consider the number of products you can offer, now and when your business grows, make sure that the available bandwidth matches the traffic you expect to generate, make certain that your expansion plans won’t be limited by the software or the Internet Service Provider (ISP) you choose and check that your webmaster has experience in building and running adaptable systems.

      Above all, plan for the future, scalability means just that, starting small and growing as your business increases. This is a far better policy than a meager start, and then being forced to spend time and money to upgrade.

      You’ve attracted your customer, you’ve made the sale, all that’s left is to accept a credit card and collect the online payment, but how? There are online payment solutions available to suit every need, from merchant accounts at large clearing banks to the email equivalent of accepting credit cards over the phone. Each online payment solution has advantages, and each disadvantages, and, in truth, the final choice is often just a matter of convenience.

Whichever online payment solution is suitable however there are fundamental business criteria that must be considered:

      We’ve all done it, got within a click of an on-line purchase, and then pulled out at the last minute, just because there was another form to fill in, another hurdle to jump. Making certain that you can accept and process payments easily and smoothly is crucial.

      The danger of credit-card fraud on the net may be exaggerated, but that does not stop security from being a real issue. Current protocols such as SSL are exceptionally robust, and many millions of online payments are carried out every day without mishap. However, it as just as important that your customers feel secure, or they simply won’t make that final click.

      And we do mean speed of payment, cashflow is a critical in your shopping cart as it is in any other form of business, and there is little in the world more frustrating than waiting for a payment to clear, especially if you are loosing customers.

      The cost of accepting payment varies widely, and high costs will make serious in-roads into any profit margin. It’s worth investigating and asking questions about what is best for your orders.