“Two trends are converging in technology that are changing consumer expectations and creating a wealth of blue ocean opportunities: the rise of mobile devices and the ‘Uberization’ of payments.” So writes Ryan Daigle in a post about how to accept payments in a mobile app.
We all know about the rise of mobile devices — they’re ubiquitous today. But what does “Uberization of payments” actually mean?
Uber users hail and pay for cab services using mobile devices like smartphones. No hassles for lack of either cash or the local cab company’s number. Mobile app payment acceptance capabilities help ensure that Uber provides a good customer experience.
“Uberization” means making the exchange of financial transactions (like payments) easy between unrelated parties, via mobile devices. An easy end-result provides great customer experience (CX), but keep in mind that it doesn’t mean developers always have it easy.
“Must do” items when implementing mobile app payment acceptance require that users’ financial data be secured when any device accepts payments — and the technology used must adhere to PCI compliance standards, which isn’t trivial.
Yet options exist to streamline development efforts, allowing app developers to focus on delivering good customer experience at every turn. Make it easy to pay using your mobile app, and if you’ve built what the market wants, your success may spiral to the stratosphere.
Let’s take a look at more about mobile app payment acceptance options and how to deliver great customer experience.
Mobile App Payment Acceptance Options
Recently — when we discussed top considerations for web and mobile app payment processing — we looked at a few app design options. We also covered important payment industry knowledge to help make your mobile app successful.
Today, we’ll discuss the major options for accepting payments via your mobile app, referred to a “mobile app payment acceptance.” No one payment platform is best for every situation.
The right platform for your app depends on your specific business requirements, and the needs of your customers.
“Aggregators vs. merchant accounts” defines the standard debate merchants face when considering payments options. Take a look at what details to consider when thinking through the best choice for your business, and to understand your options.
Payment aggregators like Square and PayPal are well known, generic payment solutions — but not always the best choice for ecommerce merchants and app developers who want to set their brands apart.
It’s helpful to know how your initial choice of payment processor impacts results in the early days and as your business grows.
If ambitions for your new app include going global, you should know that processing international payments changes bottom line results. By how much depends on your mobile app payment acceptance choice.
There’s really no happy comparison of business benefits when debating payment aggregators vs. merchant accounts. You’re much better off working with a payment processing partner who helps you land an individual merchant account to meet your specific business needs.
As you consider which mobile app payment acceptance option to choose, save some brain power to ensure that the customer experience offered by your app is also the best it can be.
Why CX is Oh-So-Important When Creating and Launching a Mobile App
Forbes contributor Blake Morgan explained, “Customer experience can include a lot of elements, but it really boils down to the perception the customer has of your brand.”
Unlike the world of our youth when we knew the local bankers and merchants, customer engagement with most businesses has become self-serviced and transactional.
Online shoppers and mobile app users take that for granted — and tend to like it. Yet they still want some human interaction.
According to a recent survey from InContact, only 39% of consumers felt the experience of working with self-service channels was satisfactory — while 67% preferred agent-assisted customer service. Online chat/video and website interactions ranked highest.
The bottom line gleaned from this and many other studies is that businesses need to keep the human element “alive” even in digital CX. But how do you go about it?
There’s no dearth of information available online for mobile app developers. Search on “mobile app customer experience” and results point out many good resources.
Use them to supplement design ideas — especially about the type of customer experience (and customer support) you’ll offer when implementing mobile app payment acceptance in your new app.
For example, Glance Networks suggests in this post that texting, social media, and live chat capabilities improve mobile app customer service and CX. Smartphone users are accustomed to all three and will appreciate those features.
Remember: Only if users find that your app is intuitively easy to use — offers fast results — and very secure will they remain your customers.
Conclusion
One of the easiest choices to make for your mobile app payment acceptance needs is to work with the number one payments processor for card-not-present businesses, MerchACT.
We’re the leading provider of merchant accounts and payment technology to online app developers and other non-traditional, innovative companies — even those for products or services considered “outside the box” of traditional credit card processing.
A direct merchant account and a robust payment platform are important keys to your success. Yet establishing a merchant account outside of third party business models like PayPal can be difficult for businesses operating in emerging markets.
We provide payment processing services that are custom made to fit your individual business model and future growth plans.
- We’re a leading PCI-compliant payment platform provider for ecommerce merchants.
- MerchACT offers four distinct connectivity options — a sophisticated fraud-detection system — and multi-currency processing.
- And to ensure you enjoy a good CX, our technical support and customer service teams provide smooth set-up assistance and ongoing support.
MerchACT’s extensive online payments experience, international banking relationships, proprietary gateway technology, and in-house expertise makes it possible for us to be a true one-stop shop for all of your payment processing needs.
Our approach helps protect your business and support your growth.