Shop Checkout and Payment Process Once the customer has entered their billing and delivery address details (or logged in if the customer registration module has been added) they are taken to the shop checkout. This page is a final confirmation of the order and at this stage the customer can buy now, continue shopping or leave the store. If they are happy with the order they can progress to the online payment process. Option 1. Using an online Payment Service Provider (PSP)
This is the most popular choice for taking online credit or debit card payments as the security and responsibility for taking the credit card number is made by the PSP. A Prompt have worked with most of the major Payment Service Providers including: Each Payment Service Provider (PSP) will have their own charges that may include: - Setup charge
- Monthly management fee
- Charge per transaction
So it's worth shopping around for a PSP that best suits your needs. It's often best to speak to your bank first as they may be affiliated to a PSP which could mean you receive your money quicker once an order has been placed. The Payment Process
If you use a PSP then once the customer clicks the "Proceed to Payment" button they will leave your website and be transferred to the payment pages of the PSP (these can generally be customised to a small extent to show your logo and colour scheme). The customer is then asked for their card details. Once the card has been processed the customer is returned to your website generally to an order confirmation (or order cancelled) page explaining what happens next. Customers are generally more reassured when you use a PSP as they know the card security level is extremely high and they are paying a recognisable name even if they haven't heard of your company before. From the store owner point of view PSPs are good because card (and address in some cases) details are verified in real time which reduces the risk of fraud and it saves you the cost of running an SSL encrypted payment gateway. Option 2. Your Own Payment Gateway
If you prefer, A Prompt can provide you with your own payment gateway which means you would be able to process the credit card payments on your website. For this to happen we would create a SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encrypted payment page where customers can enter their card details. The online store owner would then have to manually enter the card details into their off-line PDQ card processing equipment. The Payment Process
Once the customer clicks the "Proceed to payment" button they would be asked for their card details. Once entered the customer would be taken to an order confirmation page explaining what happens next. The online store owner would, in the meantime, receive an email from the website confirming an order has been placed and advising the online store owner to retrieve the card details. Once done the online store owner can enter the card details in their off-line PDQ equipment. With this process the card transaction is not verified in real time, which may mean an increase in bogus transactions and increased communication with the customer, as well as increased administration time for your company. If you do plan to process your own credit card payments you must speak to your bank beforehand as this may contravene the terms of your current, off-line, credit card processing if you already have this set up. As each of our ecommerce websites are designed and built as bespoke projects, prices vary depending on the features you would like to include. | 
