Online Payments

Technote on how to pick and implement the best payment service provider for your Apogee StoreFront or Asanti StoreFront shops

Online payment is used in fairly few private business-to-business web-to-print stores. However, this payment method can be useful when offering print products and services to a franchisee network,  and it is essential for public stores. Apogee StoreFront and Asanti StoreFront support a number of payment options. The tips and tricks below regarding online payment were previously published in the CloudCast newsletter. You can subscribe here to receive new tips and tricks as well as other StoreFront related news.

How to choose a Payment Service Provider

StoreFront supports Ingenico, PayPal Express Checkout and PayPal Pro (US and Canada only) as payment gateway services. In many countries both Ingenico and PayPal Express Checkout are available. Here is a summary of reasons why you might choose one over the other. Both service providers adapt their offering to various markets, making it impossible to provide detailed comparisons. We recommend that you contact the PSPs directly if you need more information.

Payment options

  1. Available payment methods
    In many countries Ingenico supports a wider range of payment methods – including debit cards. PayPal Express Checkout is more limited. You can find a list of the payment methods it supports in the country overview at the bottom of this page.
  2. Checkout experience
    PayPal Express Checkout is more popular than Ingenico. This may be important for stores that operate internationally.
    The Ingenico payment page is integrated in the StoreFront checkout process. With PayPal Express Checkout the shopper is redirected to a page hosted by PayPal. The latter is less user-friendly.
    In some countries, such as Germany, PayPal Express Checkout requires the shopper to create a PayPal account in order to process the payment, even if the shopper pays using a credit card. This may result in shopping cart abandonment.
  3. Time to market
    Use PayPal Express Checkout if you urgently need to offer online payments. Setting up an Ingenico account takes longer.
  4. Usage fees
    Ingenico has an activation cost as well as a monthly service fee. PayPal Express Checkout has neither.
  5. Transaction costs
    Each system charges a fee per transaction. This can be a percentage of the total order value, a fixed amount or a combination of both. This cost is different for the two providers but it may also vary based on the overall transaction volume per year. You’ll have to compare costs based on an estimate of the turnover of your store(s). Ingenico is cheaper on average for stores with a large turnover.
  6. Bank account
    Ingenico transfers all funds directly into your bank account. PayPal transfers them into your PayPal account and from there they can be transferred into a bank account. However, if you have a dispute with a buyer, PayPal may block your PayPal account until that issue is resolved.

Payment by bank transfer

Payment by bank transfer has been supported since StoreFront version 2.3. When users select this option during checkout, they receive an e-mail invitation to transfer or wire the requested amount into a specific bank account using a specific reference code. The order will only be processed once the money has been transferred. This payment method can be combined with online payment, giving customers a wider choice of payment options.
Payment by bank transfer is a separate payment method in StoreFront, so similar payment options in Ingenico and PayPal are not supported. You should not try to add the ‘Pay by bank transfer’ or ‘Pay by wire transfer’ method in either system – it will not work properly.

Credit card surcharges and the 2014 EU Consumer Rights Directive

If you use StoreFront for a public store that is active in a country of the European Union, you need to make sure that it is compliant with EU legislation. One of the rules of the 2014 EU Consumer Rights directive is that you cannot charge extra for the use of a credit card. There is an option in the payment gateway settings in StoreFront to apply a surcharge, but it should not be activated in countries where the legislation prohibits such surcharges.

Online fraud booklet

PayPal have published a short informative guide about monitoring fraud and responding accordingly to customer issues. You can download the PDF document here.