Integrating a payment gateway is a crucial step in ensuring a seamless checkout experience for your customers. The right integration method balances security, user experience and business needs. In this article, we’ll break down the most common payment integration methods and how to optimise them. This article sheds light on the most common payment gateway integration methods and shares tips on how to make the most of your chosen one. Whichever option you select, keep in mind that the level of customer experience customisation you offer will differ, as will the amount of control you retain over the payment journey.
Before we explore each payment integration method in detail, watch this short video to get an overview of which integration could be most beneficial for your business needs.
Types of payment gateway integration
Hosted payment page
For merchants prioritising security and simplicity, a hosted payment page is an ideal solution.
A hosted payment page (or web payment form) is a secure page hosted by emerchantpay’s server. In other words, the payment page is external to the merchant’s server. Customers are redirected to this secure payment pageand enter their payment details. Additionally, hosted payment pages can be customised to reflect your company’s branding and offer a wide range of available currencies and payment methods, such as credit cards, digital wallets and one-click payments.
The key advantage of a hosted payment page is that it reduces your PCI compliance liability, depending on the volume of transactions processed. Furthermore, this integration method is ideal if coding isn’t your forte. At the same time, you can rest assured you’re delivering cardholder protection, as customers are redirected away from your store to the payment webpage that we host.
Client-side encryption
For small to medium-sized enterprises, client-side encryption (CSE) strikes a balance between security and flexibility. This method is designed to restrict the transfer of raw PAN data solely between the user's browser and your payment web service. With the CSE integration, the emerchantpay library enables you to process payments on your platform while ensuring financial data is encrypted directly in your customer’s browser.
Essentially, client-side encryption ensures that cardholder data is securely encrypted within your customer’s browser before being transmitted to your servers and then to the gateway. This significantly simplifies PCI compliance while keeping costs low. By utilising an encryption key, data remains unreadable to anyone without the corresponding decryption key.
Implementation requires little to no technical expertise or coding knowledge. Simply integrate our encryption JavaScript script into your website to validate and structure the page content. This script encrypts sensitive data directly in the customer’s browser before it passes through your server. As a result, shoppers can confidently complete their purchases without ever leaving your site. With a simple and customisable setup, you can seamlessly integrate an onsite checkout page into your website and efficiently establish your payment flow.
Server to server integration
If you're looking for complete control over your payment process, server to server integration is your go-to solution.
This method establishes a direct connection between your server and emerchantpay’s server, eliminating the need for external redirects. The result is a fully branded, seamless checkout experience that strengthens customer loyalty and reduces friction. With server to server integration, there are no external window pop-ups and you take full responsibility for maintaining a secure, PCI-compliant environment for your customers’ payment transactions.
Customers remain on your website throughout the entire payment process, ensuring a consistent and native brand experience. In other words, server to server integration allows you to keep the payment journey fully aligned with your brand and user experience. Server to server integration is the most receptive in customisation, which gives you the freedom to design your checkout page in ways most favourable to your brand. With this level of customisation, you can be in total control of the user flow throughout the customer journey.
However, increased PCI compliance and an IT specialist are required to manage this type of integration. While it gives you full control of the transaction process when choosing this integration solution for your website, it also means you are responsible for securely transmitting and protecting sensitive payment data.
This method is suitable for larger businesses handling a vast bulk of transactions or having specific processing needs and works with them embedding an iFrame to prevent redirection and ensure speed during payments.
Designing a checkout page
Your payment page is often the final impression a customer has of your business. A poorly designed or untrustworthy checkout page can derail the purchase process entirely.
To combat this, here are several strategies to improve your payment page design:
Customisation is key
A payment page tailored to your brand’s aesthetic creates a seamless user experience. Customising your page so it corresponds to your web store’s branding will ensure a super smooth checkout process and potentially repeat custom. It’s worth adding your business name or logo because it’s essential for potential buyers to know who they’re buying from.
Prioritise localisation and payment preferences
Adapting your payment pages to local languages, currencies and preferred payment methods can significantly boost checkout conversions and customer trust. Studies show that 76% of online shoppers prefer to buy in their native language. Therefore, offering region-specific payment options can help reduce cart abandonment rates and improve customer satisfaction.
Trust signals are essential
Displaying logos of available payment methods reassures customers about their payment choices and builds trust. Adding security badges further strengthens confidence. To minimise consumer hesitation, incorporate subtle trust signals like lock icons, secure checkout messaging and customer reviews as social proof. Finally, a professional, branded checkout page enhances credibility and provides a seamless, secure payment experience.
Minimise friction
Think about the number of steps a shopper will take from the point of entry to the confirmation message on their screen. If you overbear them with too many requirements and touchpoints, they will abandon their purchase at the flick of a switch.
You might consider adding an error message which will notify customers whether the payment card data they submitted is incorrect or why their payment has been declined. There are numerous factors contributing to payment failure, some of which may include insufficient funds from the customer's side or potential fraud. Either way, ensuring that the checkout process is as transparent and streamlined as possible remains key.
Optimise for mobile payments
With over 40% of online transactions now happening on mobile devices, ensuring your checkout page is fully mobile-optimised is no longer optional. A responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes, simplified forms and one-click payment options (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay) can significantly enhance the mobile checkout experience and reduce friction for customers on the go.
Tokenisation for faster checkouts
Enable customers to securely save their payment details for faster future purchases using tokenisation technology. This is particularly effective for building customer loyalty and repeat business.
Offer a cancellation option
Give customers the flexibility to cancel their purchase if needed. This increases their sense of control and trust in your brand.
Trust at checkout matters
Many eCommerce store merchants invest much of their time and money in creating a visually stunning website with enticing UX design, attention-grabbing product images and user-friendly front-end navigation. However, they often overlook a critical aspect of the user experience journey – the payment process. A seamless and secure checkout journey not only converts visitors into paying customers but also instils peace of mind that their private data will remain safe.
A survey conducted by Salescycle in 2023 indicated that 79.53% of shoppers abandoned their carts midway through without making a purchase. A significant reason for this is a lack of trust. According to UK Finance, fraud-related losses in 2023 reached £1.2 billion, highlighting the growing concern among shoppers. Studies further reveal that some 19% of consumers abandon their online shopping carts because they do not trust the site with their credit card information.
When visitors abandon their carts in fear of cyberattacks, merchants lose out on critical revenue needed to sustain their business. If this resonates with your experience, it’s time to choose a payment service provider that offers advanced anti-fraud measures alongside a variety of integration methods tailored to your needs.
How can emerchantpay help your store
emerchantpay offers a suite of payment integration solutions designed to simplify your checkout process and boost conversions. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, our range of integration solutions ensures a seamless, secure and intuitive payment experience for your customers.
Our tools and technology prioritise security and compliance, giving you the freedom to focus on growing your business. From hosted payment pages and client-side encryption to server to server integrations, we provide the flexibility you need to craft the ideal payment journey based on your business needs.
Reach out to our payment experts today and learn how we can help you reduce cart abandonment, enhance customer trust and drive more sales.