If you’re running a business, then you need to be taking payments online. It’s as simple as that. These days, people expect to be able to buy things online with the click of a button, and if you don’t have a payment gateway or booking form on your website, you’re going to lose out on sales. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the 10 main reasons why you need to start accepting payments online.
1) E-commerce is growing at an unprecedented rate
The e-commerce industry is booming, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In 2019, global e-commerce sales reached $3.5 trillion, and they’re expected to reach $6.54 trillion by 2022. That means that if you’re not selling online, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
2) Your competitors are probably taking payments online
If you’re not taking payments online, then your competitors probably are. And that means that you’re at a disadvantage when it comes to winning customers. People are used to being able to buy things online, so if they can’t do that from your website, they’ll go to one of your competitors who does offer that option.
3) You’ll make more sales if you take payments online
It’s simple – if you make it easy for people to buy from you, they’re more likely to do so. When people have to leave your website and go through the hassle of setting up a payment method, they’re much less likely to actually complete the purchase. But if you have a payment gateway or booking form on your site, they can complete the purchase quickly and easily, without having to leave your site.
4) You’ll save money by taking payments online
Taking payments online is actually cheaper than taking payments offline. That’s because you don’t have to worry about the cost of things like processing fees, paper invoices, or postage. And, if you’re using a payment gateway like PayPal or Stripe, you don’t even have to pay for a merchant account.
5) You’ll get paid faster when you take payments online
If you’re used to getting paid by cheque or bank transfer, then you know that it can take a long time for the money to actually reach your account. But when you take payments online, the money is transferred instantly – which means you can get your hands on it much faster.
6) You need to meet your customers where they are
These days, people are doing more and more of their shopping online. In fact, nearly 60% of millennials say they prefer to shop online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores. If you want to stay competitive, you need to meet your customers where they are – and that means taking payments online.
7) You’ll get paid in the currency of your choice
When you take payments online, you can choose to be paid in whatever currency you want. That’s because most payment processors, like PayPal and Stripe, allow you to specify which currency you want to be paid in. So, if you’re selling to an international market, this is a great way to ensure that you get paid in your preferred currency.
8) You can automate your invoicing and billing
When you take payments online, you can also automate your invoicing and billing process. That means that you don’t have to waste time sending out invoices manually – it can all be done automatically. And, if you’re using a payment gateway like PayPal or Stripe, you can even set up recurring payments, so that your customers are automatically billed on a regular basis.
9) You’ll have more time to focus on your business
When you take payments online, it frees up your time to focus on other aspects of your business. Instead of having to deal with invoicing, billing, and payments, you can use that time to grow your business in other ways.
10) You can scale your business more easily
If you’re taking payments offline, then it’s much harder to scale your business. That’s because each new customer requires additional manual processing – which can be very time-consuming. But when you take payments online, it’s much easier to scale your business, because the process is automated and can be easily scaled up to accommodate more customers.
What is the process to convert your standard website into a converting e-commerce powerhouse?
If you want to convert your website into an e-commerce powerhouse, there are a few key steps you need to take:
1) Choose the right platform. There are a lot of different e-commerce platforms out there, so it’s important to choose one that’s right for your business. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at our comparison of the top e-commerce platforms. Below is a list of some of the more popular e-commerce platforms:
- Woocommerce for WordPress
- Bigcommerce for WordPress
- Shopify
- Magento
2) Select a payment gateway. Once you’ve chosen your e-commerce platform, the next step is to select a payment gateway. This is what will actually process the payments made by your customers. There are many different payment gateways to choose from, so it’s important to do your research and select one that’s right for your business. Below is a list of some of the more popular payment gateways:
3) Set up your e-commerce store. The next step is to actually set up your e-commerce store. This includes adding products, setting up shipping and tax rates, and configuring your payment gateway. If you’re using a platform like Shopify, they have a handy guide that walks you through the process step-by-step.
4) Drive traffic to your e-commerce store. Once your e-commerce store is up and running, the next step is to start driving traffic to it. This can be done through a variety of marketing channels, including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media, and email marketing.
5) Convert your visitors into customers. The final step is to convert your visitors into paying customers. This is where having a well-designed e-commerce store and compelling product descriptions comes in handy. If you’re not sure how to do this, we have a few articles that can help:
6 Ways to Optimize Your Ecommerce Checkout Process
10 Tips for Creating Compelling Product Descriptions
7 Psychological Triggers that Win Sales and Influence Customers
By following these steps, you can convert your standard website into an e-commerce powerhouse that generates sales and drives growth for your business.
Taking payments online is a great way to grow your business. Not only will you make more sales, but you’ll also save time and money.
So there you have it – 10 good reasons to start taking payments online. If you’re not already doing so, then now is the time to get started. Your business will thank you for it!
If you want to start taking payments or bookings online, use the ‘Get a quote’ button in the header of this page to book your free consultation. We offer web design services in Squamish, Website design Whistler, Web design Vancouver, web design Victoria and website design in Canada.
We also offer e-commerce web design and lead funnel web design. We would love to help you take your business to the next level and focus on lead conversions.