Operating a business online requires you to choose a competent e-commerce platform that will further your goals and induce scalable growth. In light of the recent surge of digital media and changing customer preferences like on-the-go shopping, plenty of e-commerce platforms have emerged, rendering this decision even more difficult.
Before we tread further, let’s discuss what an e-commerce platform is. E-commerce platforms can be heralded the backbone of an online enterprise. This software application allows a business to manage its various operations like the website, marketing and sales. In essence, it allows the front-end and back-end operations to work in tandem.
Propriety vs. Open Source E-commerce Platforms
You may choose a propriety platform, but that comes with several restrictions. You are unable to access the code, so you’re basically at the mercy of the developer. This doesn’t mean that propriety platforms are a big no-no but simply that open-source platforms give you more freedom to excel.
On the other hand, open-source e-commerce platforms allow you to edit, customise and create an e-commerce solution tailored to your business needs. The choice is pretty simple. If you want to customise and assert a higher degree of control, an open-source is your best bet.
Benefits of Open-Source Platforms
There are several open-source platforms like Magento, WordPress, PrestaShop and Opencart, commonly used by small-medium enterprises. Why has open-source gained so much popularity? Let’s discuss this below.
An open-source platform is one where the source code is easily available for developers, paving way for customisation. Most open-source platforms have some degree of community development. There are several benefits of using an open-source e-commerce platform.
Flexibility/Higher Degree of Control
The biggest impediment to propriety platforms is the limited access to the source code. However, with open-source, merchants can enjoy complete control over the source code, functionality and setup, giving room for customisations and adaptation of the platform to fit and further your business requirements. Think of it this way. Would you want a website like thousands of others online? No, right?
Well, open-source gives you the freedom to do just that. You will have access to lots of templates without having to pay extra for a design. WooCommerce, for example, offers plenty of designs and extensions for your online store. You are at liberty to edit and modify the code, paving the way for endless opportunities to create exactly what you want. Similarly, Prestashop features a wealth of options but is equally easy to use and operate.
Easy Integration
Business owners require lots of integrations for the e-commerce platform to run smoothly. This is an area where open-source trumps propriety platforms. While the latter does have plug-ins and modules that can easily integrate with the e-commerce platform, there will be impediments if you want to customise something to your business needs. This is where you would require an open-source platform that allows you to create a custom integration or edit a current plug-in that works with the third party service. Take the example of Magento, which is perfectly tailored to e-commerce applications, offering you room for advanced customisation.
Compatibility with E-commerce
All of the above mentioned open-source platforms are specifically developed for e-commerce, allowing for easy integration of various shipping and payment methods. When using WordPress as the platform and WooCommerce as the plug-in, you can enable the features that are needed for an e-commerce website.
OpenCart comes with a host of e-commerce extensions, with the option of seamlessly integrating with multiple payment gateways. Similarly, Magento offers plenty of popularly used payment methods to make the customer experience as smooth as possible. It boasts of all the features that would create an efficient and easy to use checkout system to easily take online payments on your website.
DECTA: Ease in Integration of Payment Modules
DECTA is the leading payment processing company offering reliable end-to-end services for customers in European Economic Area. As a licensed financial organization, it focuses on e-commerce payments, providing high functionality and security to clients. DECTA Gateway is specifically designed for merchants to wish to sell their products online. What sets DECTA’s feature-rich platform apart from others is the extensive invoicing and customized reporting that it provides.
DECTA allows easy integration of its modules into these open-source platforms. Here are the simple steps:
- Log on to the DECTA Gateway
- Download the module that fits your requirements best in the DECTA gateway
- Upload it on your store’s platform
- Exchange the API keys from your DECTA Gateway profile
- Now you can accept online payments
Apart from this hassle-free integration, there are several benefits of using the DECTA gateway. The module can be set up within just seven minutes while the overall shop setup could take up to a day. The user does not need to have a wealth of technical knowledge as the simple steps are all you need to start your online payment process!
The Benefits of Using DECTA as your Payment Gateway
Digital payments have upended traditional payment setups. While there is a myriad of options available in the market, DECTA offers seamless assistance that can help business progress. With the recent surge of COVID-19, there has been a significant shift from brick-and-mortar businesses to e-commerce, also considered the future of the business landscape.
With an unprecedented timeline for a vaccine, traditional street-side businesses need to hold off their transactions indefinitely, adversely affecting revenue. This is why e-commerce is much more viable as you can receive payments as per usual without any interruption in the event of a crisis like the current pandemic.
When online shopping, a large score of visitors don’t turn into customers. This is due to a phenomenon known as cart abandonment. Cart abandonment is when customers fail to make a payment, or ‘convert’ in business terms. By ensuring a smooth payment system with DECTA gateway, you can make sure the customer is able to breeze through the checkout process. With immense scope for customisation, DECTA promises a higher conversion rate than before.
In addition, DECTA Gateway offers clients a high transaction success rate. Since most merchants do not have a skilled technical team to assist integration with payment gateways, DECTA Gateway offers simplified integration that merchants can easily complete. It also offers integration testing even if the merchant account isn’t verified to avoid any discrepancies. One of the challenges merchants face with payment gateways is lacking knowledge about online payments and e-commerce. This is spurred by the incompetent technical staff of your service provider. DECTA strives to support its clients 24/7.
DECTA gives clients peace of mind with its stringent policies to help minimise the risk of fraud, which is the biggest challenge businesses face when choosing online payment. By choosing the wrong gateway, you can incur a risk of losing money. According to Statista, small businesses suffer an average of $155,000 a year due to fraud.
Lastly, DECTA offers the IC++ pricing model that saves a significant chunk of profit margin for merchants who already sell online. It is preferred over the fixed rate blended model because it offers transparency, resulting in reduced overall fees.
Conclusion
Choosing the right open-source platform can help spur long-term business growth. DECTA Gateway provides easy integration of its modules on these open-source platforms and added benefits that make it the unparalleled choice for collecting payments online. When e-commerce is the expected future of business, merchants need to make the right choice in selecting a payment service provider as this is what can make or break your online Enterprise.