Online payment gateways are not the first place you’d look when evaluating your website’s customer experience. But, as payments become central to the shopping experience, they are playing an important role in improving the overall customer experience.
In today’s experience economy, customer experience (CX) has emerged as a key consideration for brands. Consumers want convenient, quick, and secure ways to pay using their preferred methods. And if they can’t, they will simply go elsewhere.
Customer experience is so important that 1 in 3 consumers will walk away from a brand they love after just one bad experience. But, many brands are struggling to get it right. In fact, 54% of consumers say customer experience at most companies needs improvement.
Online Payment Gateways: Key Considerations
The right online payment portal will improve your website’s efficiency, create better customer experiences, and result in higher conversions. But, what do you need to look out for when choosing a web payment gateway in order to enhance CX? We outline 3 key factors guaranteed to boost your site’s CX:
- The more payment options, the better Customers coming to your site want a variety of payment methods at checkout. And if a customer’s payment method of choice is not present at checkout, you risk losing them to a competitor store. So when it comes to payment options, the more the better. This will go a long way to increasing consumer loyalty as well as boost cart conversions.
- Make security visibleShoppers want to know their transactions are secure, no matter what payment method is being used. A lot of small businesses overlook security because they think they won’t be a target. But smaller businesses are often the most targeted when it comes to online fraud. Therefore, make sure you have a SSL certificate for your website. In addition, make sure your site is PCI compliant. Moreover, trust badges will confirm to shoppers that the checkout process on your site is safe and secure.
- Ensure the payment process flows
Offering a great CX means a seamless and frictionless payment process from start to finish. Make sure your online payment gateway keeps users on your site rather than redirecting them to another site to make payment. Buyers, who are increasingly conscious of fraud and security, will be wary of completing a purchase when they realise they’ve been directed to a page different from the website where they were shopping.
Conclusion
It’s clear that online payment gateways are capable of delivering far more benefit than simply securing the value of a transaction. Therefore, as an eCommerce merchant, choosing the right online payment gateway is absolutely essential. Not only does it improve the customer and checkout experience, but minimises purchase friction and abandoned carts. So if you haven’t already, reevaluate your checkout journey ASAP. You will be surprised by how a few simple changes can help you boost your conversions and bottom line.
