Electronic Commerce Merchant Accounts |  Nearly 30 Million people have already made purchases over the Internet. Think of the Internet as a cost-effective extension of your physical location that takes your business worlwide. Your own web site not only lets you present your products and services 24 hours a day, but with the added functionality of credit cards, it gives interested customers an immediate means of making a puchase.To prospects, it means convenience, and they appreciate you for making it so easy to buy from you. Of course, in reality, it isn't easy for many small businesses to get merchant status. SecureHost.Net can also help you do that. Let's take an in-depth look at the reasons why you should do everything you can to enable credit cards for your on-line business very soon: Increased Profits Profits are the bottom line for every business. Almost any type of business will benefit from taking credit cards. But not all of them. If, for example, you have a very high priced product or service geared towards very large corporations, taking plastic may not increase sales very much. But, assume you're selling a product or service to small businesses or individuals. Your profits can increase an average of 30% - 80% according to accepted industry standards. If you're selling by mail order, your sales will be substantially higher. If your product or service includes what people want or need on short notice, your sales can be much higher. Some mail order items are sold exclusively over the phone, or on an on-line computer service. So you can imagine how vitally important accepting credit cards can be to this type of business. Instant Credibility Check out any of the larger corporations that advertise on television or in the national magazines. You'll always see that major credit cards are welcomed with wide open arms. If you have that option in your ads, your prospects will think of you as a major player as well. Close Impulse Sales You've seen those clever Infomercials on television. We all buy on impulse. I know I have. In my home, you'll find many items, like woks, steamers, Flying Lures, and many other gadgets. Millions of people buy all sorts of these things after seeing them cleverly sold on TV. But wait! If they didn't take credit cards, I would never have bought a single one of them! Credit cards let all the customers buy from you. Just check with any advertising expert and they will tell you that you must do something to get the customer to ACT RIGHT NOW - IMMEDIATELY. Letting people use major credit cards is the easiest, fastest, and best way to do this. Convenience How many times have you wanted to buy something but didn't because you had to write a check, fill out an envelope, and mail it in? If you're like most of us, you probably put it off until you forgot about it! Reduced Expenses Your cost of accepting credit cards will actually pay for itself. Especially when the costs are offset in no time with increased revenue and profit. You'll also be saving a lot by reducing your paperwork and order-processing time. This is why all of the on-line services, such as Compuserve and America On-line to name only two, promote paying by credit card. Some of them even charge an extra fee if they have to send you a statement. How much can you save each month if you don't have to open the envelopes, endorse all those checks, and cover the bad ones?! Working Capital Most credit card processors will now connect you directly to their bank's computer with a processing terminal like the ones you see at gas stations or the local hardware store. This allows them to authorize your transactions in seconds, and then deposit the money in your bank account where you have access in a couple of days. This means you have sole use of your customer's money that has been deposited into your bank account to purchase a product. For example, let's say you sell a computer and have it drop shipped to your customer. You sell a $2500 computer that costs you $1500 wholesale. You take the customer's order over the phone and then your customer uses her credit card. In two days, the $2500 is in your bank account and then you send $1500 to your supplier and keep the rest ($1000) for your profit! You did this all without using your own money, and it all only took a few days. No More Bad Checks When almost any credit card is processed and approved, you can be assured that the funds will be good. Because if the user doesn't pay their bill, the credit card provider takes all the risk, not you! Remember, you already have your money in the bank. No More Lost Business When we decide to purchase something over the phone or by mail, we always find a company that accepts credit cards. I'll bet you do the same. Why? Because we know it saves time, provides security, and gives all of us an automatic warranty if we're not satisfied with the purchase.
If a company doesn't take credit cards, we just may pass over them and buy from one that does. You can be sure that most people do the same thing. For more information: | Electronic Commerce E-Comm Pricing CyberCash Shopping Carts SoftCart StoreBuilder Verisign  | ||||