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Stripe Tutorials

How to Accept Bancontact Payments through Stripe: A Guide

When running an eCommerce store, transaction options are one of the biggest factors determining whether or not a customer will go through with their purchase. While website design provides visitors the opportunity to experience your brand and the products they put out, a hosted payment page system will allow them to turn that into reality. 

Payment page builders are extremely important for a streamlined checkout process. However, their importance is not stressed nearly enough. Offering a variety of payment options on a clean and easy-to-use payment page ensures that customers aren’t given a reason to leave. In a world where hundreds of other options are available at their fingertips, you can’t afford to lose them.

Bancontact

Bancontact is Belgium’s leading online payment method, in which it is utilized in up to a third of their online transactions. Founded in 1979, they have since been able to expand their reach and create a network for payments that work for the Belgian people. It is estimated that only less than 20% of businesses in the country do not offer the hosted payment page technology and it is reported that 27 million payments were processed in 2015. 

Bancontact payment details are normally single use but can be programmed to allow businesses to retrieve the bank account details of customers for subsequent payments to be completed. This can be done with the appropriate mandate authorization and links to the SEPA Direct Debit system for easy access. 

Fast Facts About Bancontact

Bancontact is a Belgium-based company that accepts payments via an authenticated bank debit system. Thanks to its customer-authenticated system, this offers safety and security for transactions, providing users with peace of mind. Since it accepts Euro currency, this is best suited for European Union countries looking for a good way to integrate this program with a Stripe payment system. Additional features include an immediate payment confirmation, as well as the ability to handle both refunds and partial-refunds in case of any issues. 

One of our favorite Bancontact features is its ability to set up recurring payments through SEPA Direct Debit, making subscriptions incredibly easy!

How To Accept Bancontact Payments Through Stripe

If your e-commerce site has a hosted payment page, Bancontact can be chosen as an option for checkout. There are two potential next steps, the first being when the customer is redirected to Bancontact’s page for payment credentials to be entered, which will notify the customer once the payment process has been completed. After the completion of this process, the customer will be returned back to the business’ site for the order details and other information. 

The other potential next step occurs when someone already owns a Bancontact account. First, the option is selected at checkout, then is redirected to Bancontact’s site containing a QR code to be scanned. The user will then enter their pin code and will be given a notification that the payment has been completed and will redirect them back to the business’ website. 

These can be integrated into Stripe’s system through proper programming and customization. 

What About Disputed Payments?

Thanks to the requirement of bank authentication for payments, the risk of fraud, or other kinds of unrecognized payments is low. This means that there will be no disputes that turn into chargebacks with funds withdrawn from a hosted payment page system (e.g. Stripe).

How About Refunds?

Bancontact payments have a refund period of up to 180 days after the original payment date. 

Advantages Of Using Bancontact As A Hosted Payment Page System

The best feature of the application is real-time confirmation and the guarantee of payment. For Belgian residents, this system is familiar, secure, and is extremely easy to use for any kind of customer. Additionally, the mobile application is well-optimized and is well integrated with online and mobile banking. 

Advantages For Merchants

Similar to the advantages for customers, Bancontact provides real-time payments that are low to no-risk and is a trusted payment solution by all of Belgium’s major banks. Because of this trustworthy and well-optimized system, sales are a breeze! The automatic enrollment system that utilizes QR codes and the application on mobile to make payments further expedites the process of making a purchase.

Conclusion

Hosted payment pages are important in running an eCommerce business, which is why investing in a premium payment page is worthwhile. The general rule of thumb is that the more steps a customer needs to take to buy something online, the more likely they are to abandon their cart. By utilizing streamlined payment pages like Stripe or Bancontact, the transactions made are easier and will make people think less about buying things from your store. 


Payment Page is a premium payment page builder that aims to assist international businesses of any scale craft easy-to-use and hassle-free checkout processes using apps like Stripe. We believe that the biggest factor that hampers an eCommerce store’s ability to sell all over is the lack of proper payment page builders, which is why we are here to help.

Categories
eCommerce

3 E-Commerce Payment Mistakes That Can Affect Your Sales

While plenty of website traffic can translate to more sales, this is not always the case. Your SEO or PPC strategies can push all the users to your website, but without further consideration for its design, a website might underperform in terms of turning visitors into buyers. 

There is no such thing as a perfect system. It is impossible to convert every single visit into a purchase, but it is nevertheless important to aim for as high a conversion rate as possible. If you’ve got a great site design and plenty of interest for your product, though, what could be the issue? We’ve got one culprit you may want to consider: your payment page.

How quickly your customer converts into a purchase often depends on how many clicks it takes to get to your payment form. That being said, this article will talk about what else you can do on your business website and what mistakes you can avoid making that can expedite the process other than the obvious route of reducing clicks. Here are some of these strategies:

1. Not informing the customer of their checkout progress

We’ve spoken before about the importance of making sure your website is easy to navigate. This means making it as easy as possible for visitors to get from your landing page to your checkout page. Beyond the ease, though, you can take things a step further by showing them how far along they are in the process. 

Customers might find it tiring to be forced to endure all the steps needed to make online deliveries, such as inputting their address, filling in their contact and payment information, and so on. If they are made aware of how close they are to the finish line, though, they may be more inclined to complete the purchase. A progress bar also adds a layer of transparency that might just provide enough transparency to make them feel more comfortable. 

2. Not allowing guest checkout

The numerous website data breaches of the last decade resulted in billions and billions of accounts and various details being leaked to unscrupulous criminals on the internet, and as such, users are now more reluctant to hand over their details to just any website. 

Allowing your customers to check out items as a guest can help them feel more comfortable about their purchase. It addresses their security concerns and can expedite the process—especially since they don’t have to go through the extra step of making an account. 

3. Not disclosing delivery and other additional charges

Nothing turns off a buyer more than surprise charges. It is the reason why 7 out of 10 buyers abandon their shopping carts right before the final step. Even before your customers reach the payment page of your website, they should know exactly how much they’re paying for. 

Customers have to be made aware of any and all charges as early as possible, so that they don’t feel like they’ve been fooled into paying more. If possible, try to offer promotions that give your customers perks like free shipping or small gifts depending on how much they buy. 

In conclusion

The payment process is an important aspect of the customer experience. As such, it must avoid the previously mentioned mistakes. Avoiding these mistakes can allow you to offer your customers two things: transparency and security. These are just two of the most important things to think about when designing your website and payment page. 

If you need a payment page builder, send us at Payment Page a message. We have the expertise to make this process more convenient for your customers, turning those visits into purchases.