Reviewing the Best Merchant Account Providers

Picture this: You are shopping for a new refrigerator online. Like most modern-day Internet users, you type a related term into Google and click one of the first results. When you find a refrigerator model you like, you move on to the e-checkout process and discover that the website only accepts payments through Paypal or Cashier’s check.

Do you feel confident spending hundreds of dollars on a site that only accepts Paypal or, essentially, cash? Do you feel that the company is reliable and reputable? Do you feel secure in the way your purchase will be handled?

Paypal and non-credit card forms of payment are stepping stones largely used with eBay and start-up business purchases. For new businesses, Paypal offers a convenient way for consumers to make purchases online.

However, requiring Paypal or cash payments also requires extra effort on the part of the consumer: Either the buyer must have an already-established Paypal account, or he must create one just to make a purchase on a site. If the product you offer is available elsewhere on the Internet through a simple credit card transaction, you could easily lose sales from non-Paypal users or those who do not feel confident paying through Paypal or check.

If you are tracking your website in Google Analytics, you will probably see how many people click to buy your product but leave the site before completing a purchase. This figure is an indicator of how comfortable buyers are in your checkout process, and how simple the process is for them. A quick way to improve that number is by eliminating any extra steps, like signing up for a Paypal account, that are stalling the transaction.

Establishing a merchant account to accept credit cards through a company like CardAccept, which uses your own checkout process online, is an indicator to a consumer of your business’s credibility and long-term potential. Accepting credit card payments on your own says that your company is established, well-branded, and eager to simplify the payment process for its consumers. What could possibly be a better message to send to potential buyers?

Accepting credit card payments also allows you to brand the checkout process in the same manner as the rest of your company, rather than immediately transferring the consumer over to a generic-looking checkout page or ending abruptly with a request for a snail-mail check (leading to a large drop-off rate in transactions).

As consumers become ever-more dependent on both Internet purchases and cashless “in-person” shopping, it has become vital in our society for businesses of all sizes to directly accept credit card payments.

Being a merchant account holder is quickly becoming a necessity rather than a luxury for online merchants, and in today’s economy, successful businesses will be ahead of the curve. To apply for a way to accept credit card payments through your own site or business, fill out a merchant account application at www.CardAccept.com.