Merchant Account Solutions for Subscription and Membership-based businesses

Different types of businesses require different modes of payment. The right choice of payment option that compliments your business should be based on two important variables; first being the type of business you operate and two being the kind of demographic you cater to and want to attract.

A merchant account is a mandatory requirement in order to accept credit or debit cards. And obtaining one might be quite easy if you are a regular business but just getting one should not be your priority. Instead, finding the right merchant account provider that suits your business operations and goals and offers you the services that will help you run your payment process efficiently is of utmost importance.

This is especially important in case of high risk businesses who struggle to find merchant solutions and end up compromising on the quality of services they receive. One such industry that has trouble dealing with banks is the subscription or membership based businesses.

Businesses with products and services like magazines, cosmetics, spas, lifestyle, healthcare, clubs, fashion etc that are consumed on the regular basis come under this particular industry.

Challenges for Subscription- or Membership-based businesses:

The most common reason why merchants with recurring business models are often denied a merchant account is due to the higher risk of chargebacks. There are many scenarios with such businesses wherein the customers forget that they’ve signed up for services.

There is also a greater possibility of friendly frauds occurring with subscription based businesses with customers denying having signed up for services or authorizing for recurring payments and then calling up the bank to revoke their entire plans. Such instances hurt the business and increases their chargeback significantly.

Hence, it always advisable to disclose clear terms and conditions about your refund policies and payment terms during the check-out process.

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Subscription- or Membership-based Merchant Account Solutions:

If you are one those businesses offering subscription or membership options to your customers, you should opt for a merchant account that will give you the ability to accept recurring payments easily and quickly and ultimately streamline your payment process efficiently. Such businesses have a specific payment processing needs that can only be fulfilled with Subscription- or Membership-based Merchant Account Services.

With a subscription- or membership-based merchant account, a customer need not enter their payment details every time. Plus, you don’t have to remind your customers for payments either since you can receive regular on-time payments automatically. You also have the freedom to choose when your customers will be charged i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.

Such type of merchant account has extensive customizable recurring billing options for the kind of products and services you sell that will the demands of your business as well as customers.

Why you should use Multiple Payment Gateways for your business?

Businesses operate on profit. And in order to drive revenue, every business needs to grow. Adapting to the changing business environment and offering innovative solutions in the key to achieving both growth and continuous profit generation.

To survive in this competitive market, businesses need to push boundaries and expand. Expansion does not only include geographically but also through the services they offer.

One area of business operations in particular that is of utmost importance for a merchant is – Payments. Merchants have always struggled to find a payment solution that fits just right for their business. Just as customer demands and expectations keep changing, methods of accepting payments keep evolving too. And to capitalize on the change, merchants need to be aware and adapt accordingly.

Flexibility in payment methods leads to customer satisfaction. Imagine a buyer abandoning their shopping cart because they of the tedious payment process or simply because they couldn’t find their preferred method of payment. According to studies, the average shopping cart abandonment rate is 69.57%. And one of the most common reasons for it has been the lack of preferred payment options that customers want.

Having Multiple Payment Gateways can prove to be a good option. With various payment gateways to choose from, customers are happy. But before you go ahead with it, consider if your customers do really need the payment options other than the ones you already offer.

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Better Customer Experience

Customer retention is important for any business. And one of the vital parts of providing better user experience is in the way payments are processed and accepted. Declining payments and a lengthy process can turn off customers easily. With multiple payment gateways, customers have variety to choose from which keeps them happy.

Works as a Back-up

There is always a possibility of your payment gateway suddenly crashing and your business coming to a standstill. And a merchant should always be prepared for such scenario. With one gateway down, you have a back-up ready that can continue to provide seamless, uninterrupted service to your customers.

Global Expansion

If you are looking to expand your business, especially abroad, you might find the need to integrate multiple payment gateways. The right international payment gateway solution might do the trick, but it may not always be the convenient option since they sometimes come with limitations with regards to the services they offer for that particular country. Each payment solution varies from place to place, so you can get multiple payment gateways that will cater efficiently for the particular region.

Increased conversion rate

Providing multiple gateways builds credibility and customer trust. Different payment gateways offer different features and options, selecting the best one that suits you which in turn will increase your conversion rate.

Why are High Risk Merchant Account Fees so High?

If your business has already been identified as high risk, you might be aware of the difficulties you are going to face while approaching a decent merchant account provider. The probability of a risky business getting rejected by regular banks and processors is high. In fact, if your business deals with products and services like CBD Oil, Forex, Online dating, Adult content, Gambling, etc then you may as well forget about acquiring a regular merchant account.

This leads to businesses then opting for the next best choice – High Risk Merchant Account Solutions. A high risk merchant account is mostly similar to a regular merchant account with the most notable exception being, the rates associated with the former.

When approaching a processor for a merchant account, you may either get outright rejected or your high risk business will be charged higher than what is charged for any other regular business.

Why, then, are High Risk Merchant Account rates so high?

The simple reason why you are charged higher than regular is because of the risky nature of the business you operate. A merchant account is essentially a credit given to you by your processor. When a customer purchases an item and makes the payment, the bank or acquirer deposits the amount to your merchant account and collects it from the customer’s card at a later date. This means a merchant has access to funds before the payment is actually made by the customer.

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Now, after the funds are deposited into the merchant account and when the payment is collected from the cardholder, a lot can go down in between like frauds or chargebacks which puts the processor at a risk. High Risk businesses especially are notorious for racking high chargebacks.

In such cases, processors will obviously look after their interests first to try and avoid any chances of losses. Hence, merchant account providers raise their rates to balance out the risk posed by your business. This is why high risk merchant accounts are so expensive.

While finding a merchant account for high risk business might prove to be a task, you still have the power to negotiate before settling for the right one. Always do your research and ask questions to a merchant account provider. Read the terms and conditions of your contract before signing on the dotted lines and check for any unnecessary hidden fees. Go for a high risk merchant account that fulfills all your requirements at a fair rate.