4 things to consider when selecting Magento 2 payment gateway integrations

When setting up and developing a Magento 2 ecommerce store, customer payment is often a factor that raises most concern and apprehension for business owners. Choosing which payment methods to offer, whether to store customer payment details on your store and which payment gateways are the most suitable can be a tricky decision.

Here we offer you insights about the key considerations for integrating payment gateways with your Magento 2 store:

Recommended payment gateway integrations and benefits

With Magento 2, several trusted payment gateway integrations are available out of the box. These highly-recommended payment gateway integrations include PayPal, Braintree and WorldPay.

PayPal

PayPal is a Platinum Technology Partner of Magento and offers single-click integration with Magento 2. With 188 million users, PayPal is a hugely-trusted payment method for consumers. The PayPal Express Checkout button enables customers to enjoy one-click payment, across all channels and devices, aligning with Magento 2’s streamlined checkout process. PayPal also offers 24-hour anti-fraud monitoring within its security support.

Braintree

Braintree is a subsidiary of PayPal, which was acquired by PayPal in 2013. It is a high-powered merchant account and payment gateway, which offers an all-in-one solution for your store’s shopping cart. Customers can pay with debit or credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo and even Bitcoin!

WorldPay

WorldPay is another popular and well-established payment gateway integration with Magento 2. This wide-reaching solution accepts all major payment methods and handles over 120 different currencies. As with Braintree, it removes PCI (Payment Card Industry) certification requirements from merchant stores as customer payment data is submitted via their own systems.

Recommended third party options include Elavon and Sage Pay, available at cost in Magento Marketplace. Elavon is a flexible and multifunctional solution, especially for stores focused on omnichannel customer experience. It offers payment transaction page hosting or API integration (allowing customers to remain on your site during transactions). Sage Pay accepts multiple payment methods, including PayPal, and guarantees 24/7 support, flexible customer service and robust security.

Trust is crucial when it comes to customer payments and we encourage businesses to select Magento-approved options and, where possible, out-of-the-box payment gateway integrations. On Magento Enterprise Edition, merchants get full support with their payment gateways.

Consider the pros and cons of using multiple payment gateways

A 2016 UK study by Twenga Solutions found that just 49% of online consumers chose credit and debit card payments as their preferred method of payment on ecommerce stores (Source: Twenga)

Modern consumer trends are seeing faster payment methods, such as PayPal and Apple Pay, becoming increasingly popular and necessary.

However, the decision over whether to use multiple payment gateways on your ecommerce store is down to case-by-case variables and requirements, as it depends on the location of your business, your target audience and the type of products your business offers.

It’s critical to get the balance right. Customers clearly want a choice, but presenting consumers with too many different payment options can slow down the checkout process and lead to cart abandonment.

Alternative online payment methods can be combined with customer credit card payment methods, but it’s about striking a healthy balance of giving consumers the appropriate payment options and level of choice, whilst retaining a streamlined journey to purchase.

Research and review your target audience to gain more insights about their preferred payment methods.

Security and compliance considerations for Magento 2 payment gateway integrations

You need to understand the obligations around PCI compliance when selecting payment gateway integrations with Magento 2. Consider carefully where customer payment card details are stored, the decision may depend on the size of your business and arrangements in place.

If you have strong reservations over storing any customer payment details and enabling transactions directly on your website, the safest bet is to take customers off your site. However, customers can be concerned about being directed away from brand websites when completing transactions. Here are a couple of ways to mitigate these concerns:

• Use iframes to keep customers focused on your site whilst the iframe opens and authorises payments
• Use white label pages to maintain your branding but remove perceived risks or responsibilities of payment data storage from your store, ‘redirecting’ back to your site at the end of the checkout process.

That said, keeping customers on your store for transactions, using payment gateways API integrations, is recommended from a best practice and customer experience point of view.

How does the process differ between Magento and Magento 2?

Out-of-the-box offerings for payment gateway integrations are fairly similar for both Magento and Magento 2, but key benefits specifically related to Magento 2 payment gateway integrations are:

• Automated testing of module code.
• Magento 2 is built in such a way that it provides key interfaces and extension points, these should further protect custom payment methods from changes in upgrades to the platform.

Essentially, as consumer buying trends and payment method innovations change and modernise, Magento 2’s fluid coding framework, improved scalability and customisation capabilities enable ecommerce stores with more flexibility and suitable payment gateway integrations.

Conclusion

Regardless of the payment gateway integrations, payment methods and formats for online transactions you choose, make sure you’ve done your due diligence. Weigh up the pros and cons of different payment gateway options and be sure to fully understand the regulations and your PCI compliance obligations. Assess the most suitable options for your customer base and from a customer experience and CRO (conversion rate optimisation) standpoint.

If you found this helpful, take a look at our related blogs:

How to minimalise security risks and threats with Magento
The golden rules of ecommerce replatforming

Space 48 is an UK-based ecommerce consultancy, specialising in Magento and Magento 2, which enables businesses to develop and improve their ecommerce websites. We can arrange an audit of your ecommerce store to help you assess the opportunities to improve your site’s functionality and performance.
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