Online Payment Options: The More the Merrier

E-commerce sites are continually growing as the number of consumers find Internet shopping a preferred way of comparing and purchasing goods. With round-the-clock access and the availability of multiple products and services at their fingertips, consumers are opting to stay home and shop.

Business owners know that they must have an e-commerce site that is accessible to their current and potential clients. They realize that without a presence on the Internet, their business could suffer dramatic losses in revenue. Business owners also understand that they must provide clients with safe and secure payment processing options for their purchases or risk losing the sale.

To remain competitive on the Internet, an e-commerce site must provide their customers with the following experiences:

Creating A Secured Shopping Experience

Your client needs to “feel good” about making a purchase on your site. With all the information circulating on the news and Internet about identity and information theft, consumers will avoid making a purchase from a site that they do not believe is secure. The business owner must include e-payment solutions that will actively display the padlock in the navigation bar showing that the site is secured. Consumers will also check for icons placed on the site that show the consumer that the site has protection in place for their transactions. Sites that display the https symbol will actively conduct more sales than ones not offering a secured site.

Consumers that do not believe that their information is safe will simply move on to another site to make their purchase. At that point you not only lose a sale, but the site will lose any future sales associated with that customer. This is why it is so important to provide the consumers with a safe place to shop.

Multiple Payment Methods

The Internet now includes many more options for payments than just the use of a credit card. Paypal, Google Wallet is just two Internet based payment options that have gained popularity with consumers. Paypal for example, will process purchases through their system by paying the merchant directly and then debiting the consumers credit card or bank account. The consumer never has to enter their personal card information or bank account numbers on the site where they are making a purchase.

Google Wallet is very similar to Paypal, but has taken the process one step further. Google wallet will make payments on behalf of the consumer just like Paypal, but they will also allow you to do this from any mobile device. By offering your clients the ability to pay with either of these methods, ones that make them feel safe, will increase the potential of landing a sale. The more electronic payment systems you offer, the more clients you will appease.

Offer a Shopping Cart

Although many business owners do not see the use of a shopping cart, it is one of the most important tools to employ on your site. Allowing consumers to browse through your site and add things to your cart will result in larger sales. Consumers will review what they added to their cart prior to check out, but mist will make the impulse purchase to buy everything they placed in the cart.

This will also increase the number of users that register for access to your site. The shopping cart function will help establish accounts, provide consumers with traceable order information, and generate receipts for them that will boost their confidence about the entire shopping experience.