E-Commerce Seller Financing   •   February 15, 2021

E-commerce companies frequently underestimate the importance of making the payment process of their store smooth, easy, and straightforward. In fact, issues with payment process are so critical that they can affect a buyer’s decision to finalize the payment or abandon their cart.

As a result, improving your e-commerce store’s payment process can lead to a higher conversion rate and more successfully completed purchases. Let’s review a few ways in which you can do that.

6 Ways to Improve Your Payment Process

1. Offer Multiple Payment Options

As a small business owner, you are likely going to use a third-party payment processor. It’s convenient to set up without needing to have a merchant account. There are various payment processors available and you can choose the ones that best meet your business’ needs.

Every buyer’s preferences are different. Some prefer to pay using their card, others do not like using their credit card and choose PayPal instead. However, not everyone may have a PayPal account. Moreover, eWallets are steadily gaining popularity, especially outside the US.

Therefore, it is beneficial for your e-commerce business to offer multiple payment options to satisfy different preferences.

2. Ask Only for the Most Important Details

While a shipping address is necessary if your online store offers physical products, if you only sell digital products, it may not be necessary.

When it comes to online forms, less is always more. Buyers are becoming more aware of online security issues are often hesitant to share personal details. So, they can abandon their carts if you ask for too much information from them.

If you require any additional information such as their phone number, add a disclosure note stating why that is necessary. For instance, a phone number may be needed for security purposes or to facilitate product delivery.

Online shoppers highly value transparency and authenticity. So, a disclosure statement that’s actually accurate can improve your payment process experience and decrease the chance of your customers abandoning their carts.

3. Let Buyers Check Our as Guests

Getting a customer’s e-mail increases your chances of retaining them as a customer and having them purchase from you again. You likely already know that you need to have an account to be able to shop with marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.

However, these are large businesses with an established reputation. When it comes to small e-commerce stores that may not have yet acquired enough trust, requiring a potential customer to set up an account can actually ruin the entire experience.

So, to improve your payment process, it would be beneficial for you to offer both options – setting up an account and checking out as guest. To incentivize potential buyers to create an account, you can offer special discounts, perks, loyalty programs, or other benefits.

Be sure to make a note that lets shoppers know about the benefits that may be missing out on if they do not set up an account.

4. Add Security Badges

Credit card fraud is rather common, and not all buyers are comfortable with handing their financial details to a website they have never heard of or used before.

To demonstrate to your customers that your store is secure and improve the payment process, display security badges such as a secure payment gateway badge, endorsements from third-party services like Norton Secured or McAffee Secure badge, money-back guarantee badge, and free returns badge.

Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and PayPal badges can also increase the sense of security, as long as, of course, you accept these payment methods.

5. Consider Adding Subscription Model Payments

If your products are something that buyers may need to buy again and again, consider adding a subscription option that facilitates recurring payments.

While such an option is more common with services such as Netflix, you can also have that for products. Swiffer’s cleaner refills are a great example of that. You can select how often and how many refills you would like to receive and never worry about forgetting to order them in time.

This way your buyers won’t need to complete a new purchase every time they want to buy again. Instead, they will be charged and will receive their products automatically.

6. Avoid Any Unnecessary Distractions

It’s common for e-commerce stores that have their own websites to use features such as popups. If you use them make sure that none of such distractions appears on your checkout. Its sole purpose should be getting your customers to complete their purchase.

Avoid other distractions such as your social icons or opt-in forms to subscribe to your e-mail list. While they are beneficial and should absolutely be on your site, your checkout isn’t the place to showcase them. You will improve your store’s payment process by removing or disabling those.

Conclusion

The goal of any e-commerce business is to get potential customers to buy from it. Having a streamlined payment process is essential to ensure that buyers face as few obstacles as possible to complete their purchase. Integrate various forms of payment options, display security badges, and don’t require any unnecessary information.

Are you actively working to grow your e-commerce business? E-commerce Seller Financing assists small business owners like you with additional funding that you can use to add new products, improve your marketing efforts, and more. Our terms are straightforward, fees are fixed, and approval times short. Learn more here.