Lightspeed Commerce Inc.

01/27/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/27/2025 21:14

What Businesses Should Know Before Taking Payments Online

Businesses just like yours are taking the plunge into ecommerce every day by setting up simple online shops.

If you've decided to make a push into online retail too, then figuring out how best to take online paymentswill likely be a big piece of the puzzle.

Yes, taking a brick-and-mortar store onlinecan help you reach more customers, but you definitely won't be without lots of competition.

It's predicted that 21% of retail purchaseswill occur online in 2025-the highest to date- with this share expected to rise to 22.6% by the end of 2027. While in-person retail still remains strong, the growth of ecommerce is a sign to invest more in the online presence of your business and stay relevant in the current retail scene.

The good news is it's now much easier for businesses to begin selling products online than it was just a few years ago, thanks to simpler platforms, improved payment processingand lower operating costs.

In this article, we'll look at how:

Let's look at what each of these means for you as a business owner.

Find the best payment processing solution for your business

Start your research with our guide to choosing a payment processor.

1. Top ecommerce platforms can help you start

In the early days of ecommerce, small businesses had to invest heavily in expensive websites and complex development; luckily, this is no longer the case. Retailers can now set up shop quickly and simply with the help of ecommerce platforms and marketplaces.

While there are dedicated platforms to help you build an ecommerce site for your business, there are also omnichannel providers, like Lightspeed eCom, that can help power your business and allow you to take payments both online and in-store.

Having an omnichannel provider that can manage your payments across your digital and physical stores comes with several advantages. Namely, it's easy to control everything from a single platform with centralized inventory, order management, payments and pricing.

Plus, with the same provider powering your online and in-store payments, you can identify your top revenue streams with a full view of multilocation and multichannel sales. You'll also be empowered to personalize the customer experience using insights from payment data to continually optimize your payments and checkout experience.

2. Payment gateways let you accept credit cards

Your business will need a payment gatewayto accept credit cards and other online payments.

Simply put, a payment gateway is a type of technology that facilitates online transactions by securely transferring payment information between a customer, a retailer's website and the payment processor or bank.

Payment gateways are an essential component of ecommerce, ensuring transactions are secure and processed efficiently. They provide robust encryption and fraud detection measures, protecting sensitive customer data (like credit card details) and ensuring compliance with regulations like PCI DSS.

Payment gateways also enable retailers to offer various payment methods, including credit/debit cards, digital wallets (e.g., Apple Pay, PayPal), and even buy now, pay later(BNPL) services, catering to customer preferences.

Lightspeed Payments, for example, provides retailers with the ability to accept multiple different payment methods, both online and in-store.

"One of the biggest benefits [of Lightspeed Payments] is that we don't get penalized for accepting American Express anymore," explains Becky Boileau from clothing retailer The Plus Factor. "Previously, we used to tell customers we didn't accept it, but if they used it, we'd get hit with high fees."

 A good payment gateway ensures a smooth, fast and user-friendly checkout process, reducing cart abandonment rates. They can also handle increased transaction volumes without compromising security or performance, providing retailers with peace of mind as they scale and grow their online presence.

3. Payment gateways will charge you transaction fees

Different gateways will charge you different fees based on your sales volume.

Henry Abenaim, CEO of loan management solution Fundingo, recommends choosing a payment gateway that is secure and relatively inexpensive.

"Gateways incur fees based on location, payment method and transactions per month. A business can observe its customers' payment habits and determine a payment gateway based on those habits," he said.

Know your transaction volume

Gates Little, CEO of altLINE Sobanco, said small businesses must carefully assess providers' claims before signing up. "If a service offers a lower fee, but only after the first $100,000 of business, you need to evaluate if your SMB regularly reaches that threshold. If not, you may want to look at a different service," he said.

Assess fees against customer service

Payment processing fees may be worrisome, but it's essential to dig deep during your research.

Sometimes, rates may seem lower than competitors, but they could come with hidden fees that aren't clear until after you've signed on. Some gateway providers may also cut corners with customer service to be able to offer you lower fees.

Did you know? Lightspeed Payments offers free, 24/7 customer service. That includes onboarding, access to resources like webinars and demos, and unlimited support.

4. Shoppers want a range of online payment options

Customers want to pay and get on their way as quickly as possible. For this reason, you need to accept their favorite payment methods. That means cash, credit and debit cards, and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

According to Statista, these were five of the most common online payment methods in the US in 2024:

  • Debit cards (57%)
  • Credit cards (43%)
  • Online payment services, e.g. Paypal, Google Pay, Klarna (39%)
  • Direct debit (25%)

Adding buy now, pay latermethods like Affirm or Sezzle could make it easy for customers to buy, according to Kate Hoots, a payment processing specialist at Merchant Maverick. She said small businesses might pay a higher percentage in processing fees for BNPL transactions.

There is no harm in letting customers know your payment method preferences, too, according to Ruben Gamez, founder of SignWell, an e-signature app.

"If you prefer them to pay by debit, add a note at checkout. While a polite ask is completely acceptable, keep it light so customers trying to use credit and other payment methods won't feel alienated."

5. Help is at hand to keep customer data safe

Online payments come with a little bit of risk. Unfortunately, retail fraud and card theft remain a blight on hard-working businesses every year.

You can avoid fraud-and decrease your gateway fees-by using an address verification service and other anti-fraud protections, according to Fernando Lopez, marketing director at Circuit, which provides software for deliveries.

"Gateways charge more to high-risk merchants, so moving your business into the low-risk territory can significantly decrease your fees," he said.

  • But the good news is card issuers, payment processors, and banks continue to bolster their defenses.
  • You can check whether potential providers meet the highest security standards by asking if they follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
  • These standards ensure payment providers use the latest technology to verify shopper identities and protect their private data from cyber fraudsters.

6. Avoid sending shoppers off your site with embedded payments

The more you explore taking online payments for your business, the more likely you are to come across something called embedded payments.

Embedded payments are similar to integrated payments-where a payment processor integrates directly with a point-of-sale system to take payments. However, embedded payments take things one step further, where the payment processor is embedded directly into the POS platform.

Embedded payment platforms, like Lightspeed Payments, allow businesses to offer the same payment methods across their brick-and-mortar store and online shop and avoid having to key in payment amounts manually. They help shoppers check out more quickly on your website because they no longer have to visit a third-party site or app to complete their payment.

Reduce abandoned carts

"As an online business seller, my number one tip is to avoid redirecting your customers to another site to complete their purchase," said Jason Vishnefske, maître chocolatier and founder of the Santa Barbara Chocolate Company.

"This creates an unnecessary barrier that can lead to abandoned carts and frustrated customers. If you're selling on multiple online platforms, make sure that each one has a seamless checkout process that doesn't require customers to leave the site to complete their purchase."

Avoid costly outages

Worse still, third-party payment sites can also wholly limit your ability to accept online payments if something goes wrong. Evan McCarthy, the owner of Sporting Smiles, had this very experience.

"Years ago we were using a [third party] for our credit card payments, and there was a known exploit that hackers were using just to verify credit cards were active. They froze our ability to take payments, and our company was basically shut down while the [third party] worked to fix this issue," said McCarthy.

"After that experience, I now have two credit card payment methods available. I only have one active, but if something happens with our current processor, I could switch it over and have the website back up and able to take payments in minutes," he said.

Take the first step toward online success

Embracing online payments is a vital step for businesses looking to thrive in today's competitive retail landscape. By choosing the right ecommerce platform, offering flexible payment options, and ensuring secure transactions, you can provide a seamless shopping experience that meets customer expectations.

Remember, setting up an online store doesn't have to be daunting. With modern tools and payment solutions, businesses can launch and scale their ecommerce presence more easily than ever.

Start exploring your options today; discover the power of embedded payment processing with Lightspeed Payments. Talk to one of our experts today.

Editor's note: Nothing in this blog post should be construed as advice of any kind. Any legal, financial or tax-related content is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified legal or accounting professional. Where available, we've included primary sources. While we work hard to publish accurate content, we cannot be held responsible for any actions or omissions based on that content. Lightspeed does not undertake to complete further verifications or keep this blog post updated over time.