Today's eCommerce marketplace is extremely competitive. Providing your customers with convenient online credit card processing is as important as selling a quality product or service. Research shows that consumers increasingly choose credit cards and ATM/debit cards as their preferred method of payment and Internet sales can increase by 100%.

Payment Processing

For all online credit card processing, there are two parts: the authorization and the settlement.

Authorization means that the fund availability is verified and the funds (if available) are automatically put on hold. This important step defines the "approved" or "declined" status of a payment.

Settlement is the process by which the money that was put on hold is electronically captured and transferred into the merchant business bank account. In most cases, this process takes 48-business hours.

eCom Merchant Solutions is proud to offer Authorize.Net as our Payment Processing Gateway. This online, secure credit card and ACH/electronic check processing program was developed with the Internet merchant in mind. The benefits of Authorize.Net include:

• Real Time Authorization
• Compatibility with any computer platform, modem or software
• Ongoing upgrades and enhancements, insuring you a cutting edge credit card processing program without future upgrading expense.
• Links to almost any Internet Merchant Account.
• Easily customizable for any Internet Store.
• Accessible from ANY computer with Internet Access.
• Recurring Billing Feature.
• Complete Reporting Capabilities.
• Redundant Backup Systems
• 24/7 Customer Support.
• As an Internet resident program, Authorize.Net links to your existing web site and provides your business with two distinct features: The Virtual Terminal and The Web Link.

The Virtual Terminal

The Virtual Terminal was designed for manual entry of live credit card and electronic check transactions as well as the administration and tracking of all transactions received through Authorize.Net. The Virtual Terminal is especially beneficial in the following situations:

• When orders are received via phone, fax, in person or e-mail.
• When recurring billing is required (in other words, when you have a service to which your customers subscribe or a product which is purchased on a scheduled basis).
• When reports on transaction or batch activity are required.
• When credits need to be issued.

The Web Link

The Web Link allows the merchant to link their web site directly to the Authorize.Net program. Customers are able to add products to their shopping cart and then purchase them by entering their credit card information and address online. Authorize.Net provides a Secure Socket Layer for transaction information and verifies each transaction through the Address Verification System for added protection. The merchant is also provided with a Payment Form template and Receipt Form template that can be customized for their site. With the Web Link, your Store becomes a completely automated, always open, money making machine.

eCheck.Net

Another add-on feature is the eCheck.Net, which allows the capture and processing of checking account information through the Automated Clearing House (ACH). This would allow the merchant to accept payments by check from those customers who need an alternative to paying by credit card.