Search


Recommended Products


Related Links






 


Informative Articles

Building Ecommerce Web Sites: Where Do I Start?
Building a web site isn't something that is really cut and dry. There's a huge variety of products and services that can either help you get your web site where you want it or simply confuse you. It's also important that you make the right choices...

Ecommerce 101 – Online Credit Card Processing
Back in 1998 (through 2000 or so), I worked for a small company (called PaymentNet / then Signio) that handled online transactions. Verisign later purchased this company, and the product team I led integrated the "client" - the portion that took...

eCommerce Web Design Solutions
eCommerce web design is a lot more than just putting your company brochure on the net or adding an internet shopping cart to your existing product catalog. There are some fundamental differences between doing business online and doing business the...

Hosting Options for an Ecommerce Web Site
Deciding how to host your ecommerce Web site and what approach to take can be daunting. There are several approaches available, each with different advantages and disadvantages. Storefronts If you have a small business, you may want to...

"How exactly does Ecommerce work"?
"How exactly does Ecommerce work"? This has to be the most-frequently asked question I receive from newbie clients. They know people are buying online and they know they have to accept credit cards if they want to stand a chance in all the...

 
 
Ecommerce Website Development Brings More People To Your Business

If you have a business and you want to tell more people about your business and what service you offer to the public or what product you're selling. Putting your business on the Internet today offers you the chance to reach millions of people everyday and it's as easy as finding the right website host who will work with you to get your web page up and running so you can start making more money. Millions of people everyday move through the internet to the merchant's web site. From there, a person decides they want to purchase something, so they move to the online transaction server gathers, saves, and encrypts all the information the person gives. Once this person has placed his or her order, the information moves through a private gateway to a Processing Network, where the issuing and acquiring banks complete or deny the transaction. This generally takes place in no more than 5-7 seconds. There are many different payment systems available to accommodate the varied processing needs of Ecommerce website development merchants, from those who have a few orders a day to those who process thousands of transactions daily. With the addition of Secure Socket Layer technology, E-Commerce is also a very safe way to complete transactions. There are several basic steps involved in becoming E-Commerce Enabled.

Getting an Internet Merchant Bank Account Web Hosting Obtaining a Digital Certificate Finding a Provider of Online Transactions Creating or Purchasing a Shopping Cart Software

You want to be able to accept credit cards over the internet; you will have to apply to your bank for an Internet Merchant Bank Account. This can be relatively easy or somewhat difficult, depending on which country you live in and what bank you are with. In the US , this is a fairly simple procedure. Many banks offer Internet Merchant Accounts, and most Online Transaction Providers will support them. See your bank for details. Since the vast majority of Online Transaction Providers are located in the US and are restricted in their ability to interact with banks outside their own country, international merchants have very little choice. An international merchant has to find a way to get a US merchant account, embark on the equally difficult task of finding a local Online Transaction Provider, or utilize one of the few companies that services the international market. Also, many banks outside the US have very restrictive policies regarding internet accounts. Luckily, the situation is improving, and most Online Transaction Providers will help you with this if you get in touch with them.

In the ratings section, I have included information on which providers give international service. Here are some additional issues to keep in mind when you apply for a Merchant Bank Account:

A US merchant account can take up to a month to come through.

If you already have a merchant bank account, you will probably also need to upgrade it to an Internet account.

Ensure that your bank accepts Internet merchant accounts and has credit card processors that can connect to FDC, Paymentech or CyberCash.

Your account must be able to handle Card Not Present transactions.

About the author:

Leeanna is an expert author who writes for Ecommerce Website Development