Our site uses cookies to improve your experience. For information on our cookie policy please view our Privacy Policy.
The Green
Share:
If you are building an online presence to sell your goods or services and you are ready to begin accepting credit cards, all of the options, terms, and programs available may be confusing. Two common components of an eCommerce credit card processing platform are a payment gateway and a shopping cart — but what’s the difference and how do they work together?
Think of a payment gateway as an online point-of-sale terminal for your business. The most common use of a gateway is to authorize payments for an eCommerce store on the internet; however, today’s gateway technology enables businesses to also accept payments in a brick-and-mortar retail environment using a credit card reader, POS system, or integration with accounting or CRM software.
Here’s how a payment gateway works:
The gateway notifies the merchant and the customer of the decision.
The functions of a payment gateway and a shopping cart are very different. A shopping cart is a virtual equivalent to the grocery cart you wheel through the local big-box store. You put your goods into the cart and drive it to the cash register that then tallies your order and gives you a total amount due.
Here’s what an online shopping cart does:
The online shopping cart is integrated to a payment gateway, usually via an API, to complete the payment process.
An alternative to a shopping cart integration is a hosted payment form. This approach is ideal for businesses where each transaction typically has just one item or charges the same amount consistently. A secure hosted payment form is designed to match the look and feel of your eCommerce website, yet is hosted on a third-party secure server to help reduce liability and PCI scope.
It’s easy to understand how a business owner could be confused by all this terminology. Many components of eCommerce and credit card processing work together. In some cases, they’re integrated as part of an all-in-one solution. Some websites and companies use these terms interchangeably, which doesn’t ease the confusion.
So which do you need? Is a payment gateway a necessity for your business? Does your eCommerce site need a shopping cart? What about other components like a merchant account? Where should you begin?!
From merchant accounts to payment gateways to software integrations, we can help you accept payments the way your business needs to. To learn more, schedule a free appointment with a payments expert today.
Recent Stories
What the new COVID-19 relief bill means for Black and minority-owned business
Access business credit scores and find funding for free with Nav
Fast casual vs. fast food: What is the difference?
Popular Topics