Time was, an ecommerce merchant account was more impressive than functional. After all, until recently, the average consumer was far too careful to provide her credit card information across the Internet. But with the advent of new security measures, that situation has changed dramatically.
As such, even small businesses on tight budgets can benefit immensely from accepting credit cards online. Fortunately, a handful of the top credit card merchant account providers have recently dedicated themselves solely to meeting the unique needs of smaller businesses. The result is that you can now accept plastic like a big business without paying fees like one.
How Ecommerce Merchant Accounts Work
Ecommerce merchant accounts work by accepting credit card information via a storefront on your own website, which then uses proprietary technology to convert that information into a format that an electronic processing system can read. From there, the customer's information is pre-screened for fraud and put through several layers of verification testing, prior to authorization. Only once your protection is assured--a complex process that nevertheless only takes a few seconds!--will your customer's transaction go through.
A top-notch business merchant account needs be neither expensive nor difficult to implement. In fact, if you know where to turn, you can now find an account with no set-up charges whatsoever. Better still, you can now find an account that is both free and ready to accept your customer's cards within three business days.
