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list-of-payment-processors
list-of-payment-processors

Picking a Payment Processor for Your WooCommerce Store

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Now that you've got your WordPress site set up and WooCommerce installed so that you can collect payments, you will need to select a processor for these electronic payments. Any payment processor or gateway will require you to set up an account, and all will charge fees. The payment companies establish these charges, not WooCommerce or WordPress. There are lots of options out there, and you'll need to consider which is best suited for your growing site and store.

Payment Processor for Your WooCommerce Store

Cost:

Cost is a consideration, of course. You may have to purchase software for your gateway. You may also have to pay setup fees for your account and monthly or yearly subscription costs. The processor will also collect fees on each transaction. Evaluate all the transaction costs, which can include authorization, address verification, and more, and they can stack up on each transaction. Look out for hidden fees, too, as they may apply to any transaction that is not a domestic, non-business, non-reward card. Currency conversion fees can also be quite costly.

Do You Have International Customers?

Make sure that all of your customers can pay you. Some processors or gateways only accept U.S.-based cards or accounts. This restriction can deter international users, and you never want to turn away someone who wants to pay! WooCommerce allows you to filter payment processing options by country. Check to see where your customers live and be sure that you can take their payments. You should, at the very least, be able to accept payments from three of the largest card issuers, debit cards, and PayPal.

Do You Have an SSL?

You will also want to make sure, both for your sake and that of your customers, that your payment processing is secure, which requires an SSL certificate and compliance with PCI-DSS standards. Most reputable payment gateways can help you set these up. If you plan to offer subscriptions or other recurring payment schemes, choose a payment gateway that can handle that.

Choosing a Processor

Go with a payment processor that promises uptime, support, and speed. Support is crucial since you will want to resolve any issues as quickly as possible. If your payment page is down, you won't be making any money. You will also have to choose between on-site and off-site processing. Off-site processing sends your clients to the processor's site to make payment; when customers are forced to click away from your site, they may just decide to stay away, and that's not what anyone wants.

It's usually wise to have more than one option for payment available, but too many will make your checkout page cluttered and confusing. Choose options that are most likely to appeal to your customers. The WooCommerce plugin offers both free Core Payment Gateways and premium (paid) upgrades.

Different Payment Options:

  • Amazon Payment
  • Apple Payments
  • Google Checkout
  • Paypal Checkout
  • Authorized.net
  • Payfast
  • First Data
  • World Pay
  • Sage Pay

See all payments

If you are new at this, it might be easiest and cheapest to go with a full-service processor such as PayPal, Stripe, Google Payments, Amazon Checkout, or Braintree. These require little money or effort to set up, and you can be ready to go in minutes. They are generally considered trustworthy, which can be an advantage for a business who has not yet established its reputation. The downside is that they require your customers to have accounts with them as well as with you. Most people do already have accounts with Google, Amazon, or eBay/PayPal, but it could be a deterrent to those who don't.

Everyone Knows Paypal. Is it the Best?

Of these turnkey processors, PayPal covers the most geographic territory by far. It also charges the highest fees for small transactions. As with everything else, there are tradeoffs, but you might feel that being able to accept payments from all over the world is worth it to you.

So when it comes to fees, they are not worthy of our recommendation. However, there is a lot of trust with consumers with their brand making it sometimes worth while.

Why we recommend Stripe

Stripe allows you to take payments directly on your site without a monthly fee and has excellent security. Amazon is probably the least expensive overall as well as one of the most trusted.

As your business grows and matures, you can move on to a merchant account of your own. If you are transacting a fair amount of business, the reduced costs of a merchant account can justify its administrative time and effort.

At Bright Vessel, we understand the decisions that go into optimizing a site and its revenue. Click here to contact us with questions, comments, or conversation.

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