Advantage and Disadvantage Offline & Online Payment Processing

Most of us clearly understand the difference between the two payment methods that we have. As simple as it sounds, the offline method uses cash money or other valuable items to make a payment/transaction. On the other hand, the online method does not involve any physical money while making a payment.

But the thing is that many of us do not know how these payment methods are different in terms of advantages and disadvantages. In the next section of the article “Offline vs Online Payment Processing”, we will discuss a detailed difference between the both.

Advantages of Offline Payment Processing

There is a reason why most people around the globe still prefer to use cash for their daily money transaction. Some advantages of the offline method of payment are given below:

• The offline transactions are transparent. This means both the lender and receiver are sure about the transaction at the moment of the deal.
• Offline mode of payment is direct and do not depend on any other source. For example, the Internet or payment gateways.
• Easy to use and understand. Many people face difficulty with the online mode of payment.
• Being a traditional method of payment makes it more trusted. People still trust the bank checks and drafts and use them for payments.

Advantages of Online Payment Processing

In the war of Offline vs Online Payment Processing, the online method is winning so far. This is due to some advantages of this mode of payment.

• Speaking of frauds, the online methods are safer as the online payment gateway takes the responsibility for the money during the transactions.
• Online method is quick and easy. You can transfer a big chunk of money with just a swipe of your finger.
• You have the record of all the payments. This helps in reducing the payment frauds.
• Worldwide acceptance and 24*7 availability.
• You can make a transaction in any part of the world without facing the issue of currency difference.

Disadvantages of Offline Payment Processing

It’s not safe at all. The party on the receiving end will have to check and recheck the received payment.

The offline method is limited by many factors by distance and acceptance of another party.

Not recommended for the transaction of a large amount.

Disadvantages of Online Payment Processing

• Card frauds – All of us heard about the credit card and debit card fraud reports.
• Identity theft can cause the loss of money and data of an individual.
• The online method requires the person’s identity in order to make the transactions.

But the good news is these issues can be dealt with. You just need to reach the Merchant Stronghold for more information.

Accept Multiple Currency with an Online Merchant Account

Multi-Currency Merchant Account 

Having a multi-currency merchant account can be a very easy way to increase the sales for a business from the international buyers. The Multiple Currency Merchant Account or Multi-Currency Merchant Account allows a merchant to display the prices of products and services in a different currency. This means the buyers can choose the product from the list and make the payment as per their currency. This also helps Merchants to increase revenue.

It is very much required to have a multi-currency merchant account to accept the payment as the world is becoming a single marketplace. In order to sell products and services to global buyers, US sites are on the top till now. We at Merchant Stronghold offers the Merchant Accounts for your businesses as well as the 24/7 services. In case of any issues or queries related to the account setup or another technical glitch, you can visit us at merchantstronghold.com.

BENEFITS OF MULTIPLE CURRENCIES MERCHANT ACCOUNT – MERCHANT STRONGHOLD:

For Merchant:

• Increase In Sales: As a Merchant, if you display the prices in different currency then it helps in increasing the sales globally.
• Higher Conversion Rate: While shopping from a website a buyer does not need to focus on converting the price into local currency. The only focus should be on buying product or services and making payment in their local currency. Using Multiple Currency Account gives you a higher conversion rate of shoppers to buyers.
• Reduced Chargebacks: Transparency in currency makes it easier for the buyers to make a purchase, which in turn reduces the chargebacks. Also, a reduction in other service queries from the buyers, as Merchant showcases that they care about the buyer’s shopping experience.
• Enhanced Buyer’s Trust: As the buyer becomes more comfortable in buying any product or services in their local currency. So this builds the buyer’s trust or enhances their loyalty towards the merchant.
• Reduction In Expenses: Using Multiple Currency Merchant Account reduces the processing fees or expenses. Also, lowers the foreign exchange risk.
• Competitive Advantages: Multiple Currency Merchant Account gives you the provision of being top of the competitors as well as, makes your customers visit again and purchase more from your site.

In order to resolve these queries, you may directly contact Merchant Stronghold Support. You may also visit us at merchantstronghold.com for further assistance. Also, we assist you in getting a merchant account for your online business with the 24/7 support. So, there will be no need to manage your merchant account on your own as our experts will do the job for you. For more details visit app.merchantstronghold.com

Merchant Stronghold Guide To Become E-commerce Merchant

Basic Requirements to Become E-commerce Merchant – Merchant Stronghold:

You need to treat your online store as your offline business store. You need to keep the inventory updated as well as make sure that you have a good payment gateway to accept online payments. Having a multi-currency payment gateway will help you get more traffic than others. To understand the Multi-currency payment processing you can visit us at merchantstronghold.com or contact Merchant Stronghold Support.

First of all, you need to understand the basic requirements to start selling online or to become an E-commerce Merchant. In case you are wondering what are these basic requirements then keep reading.

Step 1 – Select and Define Your Niche:

First of all, you need to decide what you want to sell or define your niche. This could be the most crucial part of your business as it is requiring a lot of research in your area of interest. It is not mandatory to sell the product online, you can affiliate them too. If you decide to affiliate the products then it will cost you almost nothing as you are not selling them. In case of affiliation, you are just marketing or showcasing the products on your website and getting paid when customers purchased the products using your link.

Step 2 – Select Your Platform to Sell Online:

Step 3 – Maintain the Inventory:

Step 4 – Manage orders and shipping:

Step 5 – Use Payment Gateway:

FAQs – Merchant Stronghold

• How to launch an online store?
• How to start an Online business with no money?
• Issues while starting an e-commerce business from scratch
• How to sell on Shopify?
• How to set up an E-commerce business?
• Tips to learn an e-commerce business
• How to start an e-commerce business?
• How to start an e-commerce clothing business?

If you also have these queries or issues in your mind then contact Merchant Stronghold Support for the assistance. One of our executives will help you fix the issues with your Merchant account or e-commerce store. We will also help you fix the issues related to the payment gateway you are using. Also, provide you with other Merchant account services. In case you want to purchase a Merchant Account for your online business then visit us at app.merchantstronghold.com for further information. Merchant Stronghold Support team will further assist you with the all the proceedings.

Credit Card Payment Processing for Apparels Stores

Payment Processor for Apparels Store

Three things that your payment processor should fulfill are:

1. Connect from anywhere

2. Connect to any payment

3. Connect via the device of your choice

It is important for the merchant to choose a payment processor that provides a comfortable payment experience to his/her customer so that you can win customers trust as well as his loyalty. It is important to understand what your requirements are while choosing a payment processor. Few “must haves” are:

FLEXIBLE PAYMENT PROCESSOR

Payment processor should work in favor of your business and customer, both. It should be well integrated, should reflect working of the business (how business operates), the type of payment accepted and back-end system. A highly integrated system works as a lifeline for the merchant and the business.

SCALABLE

Payment processor should be able to cop up with the growth of the business, else merchant will end up in wasting a lot of time, resources and money in the up gradation of payment processor.

SUPPORTIVE

There are times when things do not work as planned. Choose a payment processor provider that is by your side when needed. The provider should be available either by phone or through email or live chat whenever needed.

Painless Payment Processing Service

When we talk about payments, the first thing that a merchant would expect is a secure and uncomplicated payment processor. But it is common to come across certain complications like wrong entry, human error, duplicate authorization etc. While dealing with these issues, it is also important to take care of data security and compliance. So choosing a payment processor that simplifies these complexities rather than increasing the mess is a highly important decision that every merchant has to take.

FINAL WORDS

We at Merchant Stronghold are a leading provider of payment processing services. We have a long list of happy customers who are engaged in the apparel industry and hence, we can do the same for you! Our team understands the unique needs of various industries including clothing and they are the best professionals to meet your business needs.

Avoid These Mistakes With E-Commerce Credit Card Processing

Get the knowledge to avoid common mistakes that are made while choosing a credit card processor. These mistakes go as follows:

Avoid these Mistakes

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Only a very few business owners read the terms and conditions carefully before signing the agreement for credit card processor. Reason being, it is bulky and at times very confusing. This is why most of the businesses get surprised and bear the impacts of it on their revenue. So, it is advisable to buy some time and go through it very carefully without missing anything. You never know what you will find in there and if something confuses you or generates suspicious. Do not hesitate to ask your potential processor to get the clearer picture. Make sure that all the issues are resolved and clarified before signing the contract.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE FEE CHARGED

Every credit card processor charges a nominal fee for its services. But some processors try to slip in hidden charges or additional charges without letting the merchant know about it. Although fees are a reasonable and normal part of credit card processing, it is wise to ask for breakage of the same in order to have a clearer picture of it and avoid being mishap by credit card processors. Study the pricing table (can be provided by the card processor when asked for) very carefully and ask as many questions as you can to have a complete understanding of the fee structure. If you think that you don’t understand anything or find it suspicious, ask the processor or look for a new credit card processor.

SIGNING FOR VOLUME

If you are starting a new business or you already own a small or mid-size business, it becomes difficult to predict the monthly sales in advance. But if you want to get a credit card processor for your business, you would have to sign an agreement with a minimum monthly sales requirement. And if your business fails to fulfill this condition, an extra fee will occur as a penalty. Such charges are unfair to small businesses. So it is important to read the agreement fully to find any loopholes and avoid them, if possible.

Search for Options

Take your time in choosing the right credit card processor for your business but make sure that whichever processor you chose is affordable, transparent and responsive. If you take these measures, you will never regret your decision.

How To Handle Your Credit Card Information

Keep your customer’s data safe with these useful tips.

Five tips for proper handling the credit card information of your customer.

Approved Software Use

When a merchant uses POS (Point of Sale) terminal, mobile running payment processor software or swipe machine to conduct transactions, as a merchant it is your duty to make sure that your hardware, as well as software, is PCI Compliant. There are many applications and card readers available that come with security loopholes.

Genuine Service Provider

You can avail services of a reputed service provider to install credit card processing software, manage credit card processing as well as credit card storage for your business. Service provider includes:

SaaS (Web-based software)

IVR phone services

It might also include companies to which the merchant outsources payment-processing functions. Through extensive testing of these service providers, you can make sure that they are trustworthy. Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) who performs a comprehensive audit of policies, procedures and the system of the service providers does this type of testing. You can only use PCI DSS Validated service provider as a part of a contract signed.

Storage of Sensitive Information

Payment processing regulations specifically prohibit the storage of credit card security code or any data contained in the magnetic strip of a credit card. Although you may have business reasons for storing credit card information. The card security number is in place to know whether a user of the card over the phone or internet has the possession. But if the security code is stolen, this approach will not work. In the magnetic stick, which is on the backside of the credit card, track data is stored. This contains the information on the account that is otherwise don’t show on the card. This data assists with authentication and the card cannot be fake.

Encrypted Electronic Storage

For recurring payment authorization or mail order authorization, the merchant might have to store credit card number. If such sensitive data is there as paper documents, you should keep it in a secure place. If you process recurring transactions, you can also store credit card number via electronic storage.

What is Credit Card Processing & How To Works?

Let us discuss the working of credit card processing in detail.

Key Players

CARDHOLDER

There are two types of cardholders

1. Who repays full credit card balance?

2. Who pays only a portion of balance and rest accrues interest?

MERCHANT

It is a vendor who sells product or services. The job of a merchant is to accept payment through a card, send the card information to the issuing bank and request payment authorization.

MERCHANT’S BANK

It is also known as acquiring the bank and is responsible for sending an authorization request to the issuing bank through a proper channel followed by communicating the response of the issuing bank to the merchant.

SERVICE PROVIDER

Also known as acquiring processor is a third party entity that works as an arm of the merchant’s bank. It provides service or device that allows the merchant to accept credit card for payment and also sends the credit card details to the credit card network and further sends back payment authorization to the acquiring bank.

CREDIT CARD NETWORK

Also referred to as Association member, operates the network to facilitate the credit card payment process, worldwide and administrate interchange fees. Credit card network receives details of credit card payment from the service provider and forwards the request for authorization to the issuing bank. In return, it sends a response of the issuing bank to the service provider. Some of the examples of the credit card network are Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

ISSUING BANK

Also called the credit card issuer is a financial institution that provides the customer with a credit card, which is involved in the transaction. After receiving the authentication request from credit card network, the issuing bank either approves it or declines it.

If you're looking payment gateway service to accept credit card transaction for your online business. you're in the right place. Merchant Stronghold is providing reliable credit card processing services. To know more information for contact us @ +1 (888) 622-6875. You have a query about this go to our site and leave it.