6 reasons why you should consider Sage Pay

We were recently asked by payment gateway provider Sage Pay to write a blog post about the implementation of their platform for two of our ecommerce clients.

Of course we said yes, and thought it would be great content for our own blog too, so here it is.

According to the Office of National Statistics, £1 in every £10 spent on retail is spent online. In fact, it’s more than that. The 2014 study states that online sales account for 11.4% of total retail sales in the UK.

With this in mind, payment gateways are now an important consideration for any retailer making the investment in an effective ecommerce website.

A broad offering

Once upon a time, payment gateways were all about processing transactions at the virtual tills. Today, compliance, cost structures, mobile optimisation, and fraud protection must also be considered when choosing a payment gateway provider.

IT Director, Alex Williams explains why we chose Sage Pay for two large-scale retail ecommerce developments...

1. A range of pricing models

Many payment gateways calculate fees based on a percentage - 1% of the overall transaction value, for example. Unlike competitors, however, Sage Pay offers various pricing models, depending on a retailer’s size, volume and value of transactions.

2. Bespoke pricing

Sage Pay pricing starts from £19.90 for 350 transactions per month if you sign up for a year, with each additional transaction charged at 12p. Bespoke pricing is available. For high average order value (AOV) retailers, Sage Pay’s fixed price per transaction offers a more cost effective way to trade.

3. Simplified PCI compliance

Having customer card details collected off site within branded payment pages hosted by Sage Pay shifts much of the risk over to the provider. This is reassuring when you consider Sage Pay maintains the highest level of compliance – PCI DSS level 1.

4. Advanced fraud screening

Advanced fraud screening such as real-time AVS/CV2 checks (address and security code matching), 3D secure authentication (via MasterCard SecureCode and Verified by Visa) and Safekey via American Express is included. Additional bespoke fraud screening tools are also available.

5. Tokenised payments for simpler transactions

Sage Pay offers tokenised payments which enable customers to place repeat transactions without re-entering card details. This can be particularly useful when collecting full payment after an initial deposit has been paid.

6. Seamless integration with PayPal

Sage Pay integrates directly with PayPal. Whilst passing a PayPal transaction via Sage Pay means the per transaction cost is incurred as well as the PayPal fee, linking the two means banking and transaction reconciliation can be handled in one place.

If you’re looking for a payment gateway provider for your business, be sure to check all the costs and features available to you.

Remember that a payment gateway should dovetail with your business model, security features and banking arrangements, so it’s important to consider your current as well as future needs and requirements before making a final decision.