Resources- Your
step-by-step guide to Ecommerce
 Step 1 || Step 2 || Step 3 || Step 4 || Step 5 || Step 6 || Step 7 || Step 8 || Step
9 || Step 10
Step #7 -- Take The Order And
Collect Payment
Payment processing is one area where you really need
to work with your web hosting service to decide on the
best payment options to offer your customers - and to
implement a secure, efficient payment processing system.
Payment
Options
The types of
payment options that are most suitable for your business
depend on a number of facts such as:
- The type
of product or service you're selling;
- How your
product is delivered;
- The
security needs of your customers; and
- The size
of your business and your payment processing
capabilities.
Here are
descriptions of the most common types of payment options
offered in Ecommerce today:
 Offline
- The consumer views your product online, but
orders by phone, fax or mail. This is a good option if:
- You
haven't yet set up your Internet merchant bank
account to accept payment online. You can set up
an online catalog, but then have consumers order
by traditional means - either by faxing out a
printable order form or by phone.
Online secure - The consumer orders online,
and you process their credit card information using a
secure server. This is a good option if: 
- You are a
small business processing a relatively small
number of orders. You will need:
- A
secure server - which is easy to get
through a web hosting service or Internet
Service Provider (ISP) for a minimal
additional fee.
- A
way to process credit card information
through the banking networks for
approval. Many companies use CardService
International for this purpose. Once you
receive approval, you can then ship the
merchandise.
- A
way to protect consumer credit card
numbers. You can either set up a secure
database or delete the credit card
information from your server once the
product is shipped.
 Online secure with
real-time processing - When the consumer orders
online through your secure server, you can offer online
confirmations and credit card approvals within 10 to 15
seconds. This is a good option if:
- You are a
medium to large size business in a field where
customers expect instant ordering. Or if you
offer an online product - such as software, video
clips, music, etc. - that can be immediately
downloaded. You will need:
- A
secure server with real-time processing
capabilities. Obviously, this is a more
expensive alternative, but can be well
worth the extra investment in terms of
customer satisfaction and ordering
efficiency.
- A
way to protect consumer credit card
numbers. You can either set up a secure
database or delete the credit card
information from your server once the
product is shipped.
Online
secure with real-time processing and pass-through of
credit card numbers - In this case, instead of
giving their credit card information to you, the consumer
uses wallet software - which communicates their
confidential information directly through to the banking
network - relieving you of the need to secure a database
of credit card numbers. This is a good option if:
Once
you decide on the way you wish to accept payment, you
will need to arrange credit card or other payment
processing with a bank.
|
Get
that order 
