What is Payment Gateway, Merchant Account and Payment Processor and what is the difference?

If you start a business or just thinking of getting it online, the field of e-commerce can make some people daunting. In the beginning, there are so many different elements and several words that sound foreign to you.

If you start a business or just thinking of getting it online, the field of e-commerce can make some people daunting. In the beginning, there are so many different elements (the good news is, it needs only to be done once) and several words that sound foreign to you.

Below we have demystified some of the keywords that emerge when your eCommerce platform is built to help you get beyond the smart thing and meet new customers.

Payment Gateway

A payment gateway is basically a postman. A payment gateway is a program that moves the details of a transaction from the dealer to the buyer's bank (the trader's bank that makes payments for him). This program often encrypts the transaction information along the way so that it is not lost or misplaced.

In choosing the right payment platform, dealers should make sure they choose the one that complies with PCI DSS in order to be sure that transaction details and personal data from customers are kept safe when collected and transmitted.

Payment gates typically offer to their merchants fraud prevention, reconciliation, and monitoring services, making the handling of paying transactions a little easier.

Payment Processors (PSP)

A payment processor or payment service provider (PSP) is a merchant-built service used to process all electronic payments using a range of payment methods: credit, debit cards, e-wallets, etc. The payment method which best suits customers can be used.

Every PSP has its own program for processing, saving and analyzing trading transactions. Some PSP offer only gateways, while others provide additional functions such as online checkout interfaces and a broader variety of reporting and monitoring capabilities. PSP helps traders to make their business activities simpler by offering a variety of support functions.

Merchant Account

Consider an arrangement between you and your commercial bank to approve a merchant account. They are the words that are realistic and allow you to accept credit and debit card payments from your customers.

It is important to set up a merchant account– see this as a starting point to start your business – as more and more customers are being paid for products and services without cash and are then preferring credit card payments.

Consider things like the customers and their preferences when selecting a merchant account. Which are the most common cards among clients? Take your payment model also into account. Will you need to accept only one-time fees, or do consumers pay your products or services on a daily basis? Ensure your eCommerce platform follows the Visa and MasterCard requirements, and before signing an agreement to you, the retailer account provider must check.

Knowing the components of eCommerce will allow you to introduce your goods or services to a global market from a local audience. Using a PSP, your transaction and customer details will ensure that you continue to handle your finances and activities with ease as your company grows.