Choosing an integration method for your eCommerce business is not always easy – sometimes you need a little bit of everything, sometimes one integration can get you what you need. We have compiled a list of three popular integration methods and the key benefits to each, to help you streamline this process and choose the best option for your company.
Note: We offer APIs, Hosted Checkout Pages and shopping cart plugins. The examples and benefits listed below pertain specifically to BlueSnap integration options.
Hosted Checkout Pages
Who would use them?
All merchants small to large could use them, in slightly different ways.
- This is the ideal solution for small merchants to use as their checkout solution who have little to no dev resources and who aren’t PCI compliant
- Medium to large merchants could also use this as their main checkout page, but often, they have already built their own checkout pages. Hosted checkout pages are a quick way to supplement a home grown solution and alternative payment methods. 59% of shoppers won’t check out if they can’t use their preferred payment type – this is particularly important in non-US countries where cards are not used as much
Merchant Benefits
- Easiest PCI compliance
o Merchants don’t store any sensitive card information - Instant global reach
o Reach shoppers in a multitude of countries
o Accept all major credit cards
o Offer localized payment methods - Easiest integration
o Pre-built payment pages ready to drop into your site with an iFrame, or use them as stand-alone or pop-up pages. - Optimized for desktop and mobile
- Value-added services available (depending on which processor you choose) such as subscription billing, fraud protection, upsells at checkout, product catalog and coupons
Benefits for shoppers
- Shoppers have more trust if they see their local currency and language
- Mobile optimized pages make it easy to complete a purchase on a mobile device
- The checkout page is branded with the merchant’s logo so the shopper feels like they never left your website
- Have the option to pay with popular alternative payment types such as PayPal, GiroPay, and Ukash
- Subscription billing has additional ways to pay other than cards, even wire transfer!
- Safe and secure checkout!
Screenshot
API
Who would use them?
This is the perfect solution for any merchant to use if they want full control over the user experience and design of their checkout pages.
Benefits for Merchants
- Payment API can be used as a simple API to process payments. Perfect for merchants wanting to sell to the US only and just need card processing
- Payment Plus API can be used for card processing as well as the value added services (product catalog, subscription billing, coupons, other payment types, currencies, etc)
- The XML based API is language agnostic
- Can be used to develop a native mobile checkout flow
- Has descriptive error codes for easier Q&A
- Client-side encryption is available for easier PCI compliance if you aren’t already level 1 PCI compliant
- Can design one-click purchase flows and use tokenization to make returning purchases w/out making shoppers re-enter their card information
Benefits for shoppers
- Shoppers never leave the site, and can be presented with a checkout form with minimal fields to fill out
- Returning shoppers (if merchant enables it) can complete a purchase w/out entering their card information
- Safe & secure checkout!
Screenshot
Shopping Cart
Who would use them?
For any merchant currently using any shopping cart, such as PrestaShop or Magento, eCommerce platform.
Benefits for Merchants
- Same as hosted pages, except even easier to set up and it’s a free module!
Benefits for shoppers
- Same as hosted pages
Choosing your integration method may be your first step into world eCommerce domination, but there are many other things you should think about to make sure that the payment processor you choose is the right fit. Can they grow with you? Do they have all the functionality you need for past, present, and future? We are here to help you think through these questions. Feel free to fill out the form below to talk to a payment conversion consultant and get you on the path to higher conversions today.