It is always good to accept payments in a way that your customers are most comfortable with. As we start heading into the future and more people become reliant on the internet for day-to-day transactions, you’ll want to make sure that you offer your clients the opportunity to pay with their preferred method.
Accepting online payments can be scary if you have little experience with online transactions, but there are many ways in which you can do so in 2022. Read this article for some of our best suggestions on how to accept online payment and make them an integral part of your business.
Why Should You Accept Online Payments In 2022?
Accepting online payments is now easier than ever. There are many reasons why you should start accepting them in your business today. One of the most obvious reasons, especially if you have a website, is your potential customers. If they don’t see an option for payment online on your website, it will be harder to pursue these leads even further. Offering this payment option on your site will give them the convenience of paying without having to leave the comfort of their homes.
People are becoming more and more dependent on their mobile devices, which is why it is incredibly important to have an option to accept payments via these devices as well. Mobile payment apps will allow you to accept online payments through the power of the buyer’s smartphone anywhere you happen to be. This makes it even easier to bump up your sales without visiting the bank or waiting for the mail.
Top Ways To Accept Payments Online
The following are our top ways for accepting online payments in 2022:
Accept Credit And Debit Cards Online
Since they were first introduced, credit and debit cards are maybe the best way to accept payments online. They are super convenient, since you can use them virtually anywhere with relative ease. If most of your sales are online, you will want to make sure that you accept these types of payments as well.
This payment process uses an ACH and transfers money from a customer’s bank account to a merchant bank account. Usually, ACH transfers don’t require a payment gateway.
Accept Online Payments With eChecks And ACH
Even if your clientele doesn’t prefer online payments, it is still important to offer this option for them as well. Some customers prefer the ease of paying by check rather than directly from their bank accounts or credit cards. In addition, eChecks are a great way to accept electronic payments. During this transaction, money withdraws from the customer’s checking account, sent via the ACH network to the merchant’s bank, and finally deposited into the customer’s account. Usually, it takes 24 to 48 hours for the funds to be verified and for a transaction to the merchant’s account to be initiated.
Use Mobile Payments
With more and more people relying on mobile devices, accepting mobile payments is crucial to your business growing in the years to come. It is important for you to ensure that you are offering this payment option to your customers easily and effortlessly.
Payment Gateway Plug-Ins
While eChecks and ACH are great, they aren’t usually fast enough when you need to verify your payments. An additional option that will meet the speed standards is to use payment gateway plug-ins. This plug-in authorizes a card or direct payment processing for eCommerce businesses, online retailers, or other stores that provide online sales. Adding such a payment gateway plug-in to your website will help you procced payments directly in your store.
Add Click-To-Pay Email Invoicing
Email invoicing is a great way for businesses to send online payment requests to their consumers. Simply click the button, and payers will open an invoice inside the email, choose a preferred payment method and pay the bill instantly. Companies can also use this method as a reminder for recurring payments for related customers.
Schedule Recurring Billing
Many businesses offer recurring billing, and it is especially important to do so if you are in an online business. Allowing your clients to pay on a schedule they pick will reduce their stress in making sure they pay at the right time. This auto-pay method can be made securely with a card. At the same time, such a method allows preventing late fees and other unexpected charges.
SMS Text Payment Requests
These payments can help various businesses request prices for goods or services with the help of a simple text message sent to a smartphone. As an answer, customers send a text message to pay for a service or goods. It is an easy way to make payments directly from the smartphone.
The Bottom Line
Start accepting online payments as soon as possible in your business. In addition to making it easier for you and your customers, this will also help boost your sales. Accepting payments on all these platforms will help to save you the most time and money while also providing you with a great user experience that will keep your leads coming in. Regardless of how much money or time you spend on these options, they ultimately are worth it. Just remember that if no one has ever done it, there is a lot of learning before this process can be fully mastered.
