A shopper who reaches checkout has already decided to buy. The payment step is where you keep that sale or lose it, and the most common reason to lose it is simple: the method they wanted to use was not there.
Offer the methods your shoppers already use
There is no single best payment method; there is the one your shopper reaches for. A few rules of thumb:
- Cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) work in almost every country and are the default for shoppers abroad.
- PayPal reassures shoppers who would rather not type their card details into a store they do not know yet.
- QRIS, virtual accounts and e-wallets are how many shoppers in Indonesia pay every day, including people who have no credit card.
- Bank transfer costs you nothing per payment and suits large orders, business customers and made-to-order goods, at the price of a manual step.
Two or three methods usually cover nearly everyone. More choices than that rarely add sales and make checkout longer.
How online payments reach you
Cards, PayPal and local methods go through a payment provider, such as Stripe, PayPal or a local payment gateway. The shopper pays on the provider's secure page, the provider tells your store that the payment succeeded, and the money is paid out to your account with them, then to your bank.
Two things matter here. First, open the provider account in your own business's name, so the money is yours from the start and you deal with the provider directly. Second, use the provider's own payment page: card numbers then never pass through your store, which keeps you out of most of the security rules that apply to handling cards.
What it costs
Providers charge a fee per successful payment, usually a percentage plus a small fixed amount, and the rate differs by method and by country. Compare them on the methods your shoppers actually use, not on the headline rate. Bank transfers have no provider fee, but each one takes a minute of your time to check.
On top of that, some store platforms take a commission on every sale. Ours does not: you pay a monthly plan, and your payment provider's fees are the only cost per order.
Selling in more than one currency
If you sell abroad, let shoppers see prices in their own currency. Where the provider can charge in that currency, the shopper sees no surprise conversion on their statement. Methods that only work in one currency, such as bank transfers to a local account, are best offered only to orders in that currency.
Refunds
Decide in advance how you refund. Card and PayPal payments can usually be refunded through the provider, back to the same card or account. For bank transfers and some local methods, you send the money back yourself; keep a record of each refund with the order, and tell the customer when it is done.
A checklist before you open
- Open accounts with the providers you chose, in your business's name.
- Connect them to your store and run a test payment with each method.
- Check that a paid order is marked paid on its own, and that you and the shopper both get the confirmation.
- Refund a test payment, so you know how it works before a customer asks.
- Write your bank details and payment instructions clearly, if you take transfers.
See which methods stores on our platform can take on the payments page, or open your store and connect your own accounts.