How and When To Use a Hosted Payment Page

Between payment processors, payment gateways, API integrations, security standards, and PCI compliance standards, incorporating online payments into your business can feel overwhelming. The good news is that there is more than one way to start accepting debit cards and credit cards online.

Hosted payment pages, also called hosted payment gateways, handle every step of the checkout process for you. They collect payment details securely, handle all payment gateway maintenance and tasks, and make sure your payment process runs smoothly. Learn everything you need to know about these pages and when to use them below.

What Is a Hosted Payment Page?

If setting up payment gateways, payment processing, and maintaining such a system is too cumbersome for you, or even if you simply want a simpler solution, consider a hosted payment page.

When you use a hosted checkout page, the customer's experience is as follows:

1. Shopping: Your customer shops on your website as they normally would. They choose the products or services they'd like and add them to their cart, then click "Checkout."
2. Checking Out: When customers click the checkout link or button, they're redirected to a third-party checkout page. The page is preloaded with the customer's order through communications with the page and your website. From there, your customer adds payment and shipping details and completes the purchase.
3. Thank You Message: Once the customer completes the purchase, they're typically redirected to a thank you page on your website, completing the purchase.

You may think that simplicity is the only benefit of a hosted checkout page, but that's only one of the two core advantages. The other is enhanced security.

Every time a transaction happens on your website, it will include sensitive payment details, information that you're ultimately responsible for. Hosted payment providers are experienced in offering secure payment and checkout services and typically have higher security than you can reasonably achieve on your own.

How To Use a Hosted Payment Page

Hosted payments simplify the process of adding credit and debit card payments to your website, but chances are you'll also offer your customers a more appealing and secure checkout experience. Follow the steps below to start using hosted payment pages for your online business.

Identify the Payment Methods You'd Like To Provide

There are several different payment methods you can offer to your customers. For example:

• Credit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are the most popular credit card networks, but there are also several other options.
• Debit Cards: Debit card transactions require a PIN to complete but often move over Visa and Mastercard payment networks.
• Electronic Checks: Customers can pay with a checking account and routing number or use their bank login.
• Digital Wallets: ApplePay and GooglePay are the most popular in the US, but depending on your location there are hundreds of Wallets globally. 
• Payment Services: Modern payment services like PayPal and Venmo are also popular options to consider.
• Alternative Payment Methods: Wallets and Payment Services can be considered APMs, however there are 600+ global payment methods that can be relevant based on the location and type of sales being transacted. 

Decide which payment options you'd like to provide on your website, as hosted payment providers will all support different payment methods based on the location and type of sales.  Offering hundreds of payment options at checkout can make a page unmanageable, so first make sure your payment page vendor has the right payment methods for the market and consumer you are targeting.

Set Up a Hosted Page With a Payment Page Provider

When you choose a provider, you'll need to set up your hosted page. This typically involves customizing prebuilt templates with a color and font scheme that matches your website. You should also be able to add your logo.

This will also likely include API integrations that allow your website to communicate with your hosted payments page. If you're not sure how to handle API integrations, contact your payments page provider for assistance.

Test the Payment Functionality Out To Ensure a Seamless Payment Process

Once you've got everything connected, it's time to test the payments process. Go to your website and shop as if you were a consumer. Once you have a few items in your cart, click checkout and pay for the order using your credit card.

Pretend you are a customer. Ask yourself things like:

• Is the checkout process intuitive?
• Does the checkout page offer all the payment methods you'd like to use?
• Were there any glitches in the checkout process?

If you find issues, now is the time to fix them. It's better to troubleshoot problems now than deal with upset customers later.

Use Cases for Hosted Payment Pages

Hosted payment pages are a perfect option for just about all small online businesses. Here's why:

• Hosted payment pages are easier to set up because you don't have to worry about payment processing, gateways, and customized code. The host does all the leg work for you.
• Hosted payment pages typically support a wide range of payment methods. That means you may be able to offer payment methods that were previously unavailable for your customers.
• Hosted payment pages can save you time in bookkeeping. Options like Revolv3 streamline accounts payable reconciliation and offer other integrations to make your job easier.
• You can easily set up recurring payments for subscription revenue.

The only situation where hosted payment pages may not work well is for large enterprise companies with multiple products and a need for deeper analytics.

Get Started Today With Revolv3

Stop wasting your time working on setting up payment gateways, connecting them to payment processors, and worrying about security the entire time. Take advantage of the modern tools offered by Revolv3.

With Revolv3, you can set up hosted payment pages in no time, taking advantage of enhanced security and offering your customers an enjoyable checkout process. When you work with Revolv3, you'll enjoy the following benefits:

• No Decline Transaction Fee: Most payment processors charge you a fee every time you attempt a transaction, whether that transaction approves or declines. Revolve only charges fees for approved transactions.
• Dynamic Routing: Declined transactions aren't just a pain. They can cut gashes into your revenue, decrease customer satisfaction, and increase customer churn. Revolv3 uses dynamic routing to cut back on declined transactions and help your business thrive.
• Scalability: Revolv3 is designed to scale. So, as your business grows, you'll have a payment process solution that grows with it.

Click here to find out how Revolv3 can help your business today!