E-commerce development

A payment gateway is like a virtual cashier’s desk, on a website. Created by  e-commerce application service providers – of which there are many – the payment gateway needs to be integrated with the website. Careful payment gateway integration increases performance and mitigates risk.

Payment gateway providers often support different functionalities, besides regular one-off purchases with a credit card. For instance, some payment gateways support escrow services, which empower your website with the ability to distribute money to users of your website at chosen times. Websites like Air Bnb use escrow services, in that they first receive money from customers which then is held in escrow, and released to sellers once the service has been performed.

Escrow is one of several high-level e-commerce services available through specific payment gateway providers. It’s not always obvious to aspiring e-commerce venturers the complexity involved in performing some transactions online. But it certainly is the case that not all payment gateway providers have been created equally. As it is that not all payment gateway integrations are performed to the same level of expertise. Selecting the right payment gateway is an important first step in accepting payments online. The crucial next step is finding web developers with commensurate experience in successfully integrating payment gateways with e-commerce websites.

It is no accident that some e-commerce websites enjoy far higher sales than others. Designing an e-commerce website which converts shoppers in to customers is part art, part science. Part quantitative, part qualitative. And every bit as nuanced and skilful as designing the layout and atmosphere of a major supermarket, or shopping mall. With so many choices available online to consumers, people are looking for more than just a website to make a transaction. So an e-commerce designer’s responsibility is more than shifting customers through the website fast and with ease. It’s also about creating an experience which delights people. Delighting people – through considerate, engaging, time saving, anxiety reducing design is what will draw people back to an e-commerce website. Conversion rates aren’t everything. A website with a high conversion rate but a low user experience level might see sales in the short-term, but long-term its future is bleak unless it attends to its audience’s desire for a quality experience through quality design.