Digitalisering
18. januar 2016
Webshop: Who handles your customers’ payment cards?
Getting card payments set up for a webshop can be a bit of a hassle. First of all, there are fees, but most people can live with those.Then there are a lot of requirements for the shop, including that it must be “ready” before a solution can even be ordered.
There is often a long lead time, during which you cannot do anything but wait for the provider to approve your shop.
That is why you want to choose the right solution from the start! This independent non-profit site compares the different providers and therefore comes highly recommended by us.
What is the difference between an acquirer and a gateway?
In Denmark, you most often need an agreement with two different companies in order to accept card payments: an acquirer and a gateway.
An acquirer is like a bank; they are the ones who actually handle the payment.
The payment gateway, or payment module, is the “program” that takes care of the practical part—namely the payment window the user encounters on the site, plus the underlying module where you can manage incoming payments.
Acquirers include, for example:
Gateways include, for example:
Some providers can offer both solutions combined, for example:
What do we recommend for card payments for webshops?
If you need to accept Dankort, the list of good providers is significantly shorter. Danish providers are generally behind in terms of features and price, and it is only through them that you can get the Dankort solution. Please note that it is only the pure Dankort that is restricted. You can certainly get Visa/Dankort via, for example, Skrill; in that case, transactions are simply processed through the Visa part of the Visa/Dankort card.
A good tip: If you have taken a liking to a particular solution, you should always check whether implementation and integration with your CMS is actually possible.
For Dankort solutions, we recommend: Quickpay, Bambora and Nets (they have a monopoly on the card, so there is not much more to say about that).
For other solutions, we recommend: Stripe and Paypal. They can also be combined. For example, it is often a good idea to ALSO accept Paypal, as it is relatively inexpensive to set up, and some customers prefer it—especially if you sell to international customers. In addition, a segment of young Danes has switched to using Paypal because it is as secure as it is.
Read more about the arguments for using Paypal here: Paypal.com.
Stripe is a good choice due to price, functionality, and an overall innovative approach to payment gateways.
What about mobile payment solutions?
Mobile payments are becoming increasingly common in Danes’ everyday lives, and according to DIBS’ latest e-commerce report, 41% paid with MobilePay in 2019. This is an increase from 2018, when 38.5% used MobilePay for online payments, and as things look now, more and more people will use their mobile phone when they shop in the future.
The same report states that 45% prefer not to have to enter their card details. That is invaluable to know when you are considering whether to implement mobile payments on your webshop. So the answer—plain and simple—is yes: you should have MobilePay on your webshop, as many consumers do not want to have to find their payment card when it is time to check out.
Mobilepay has 4.1 million Danish users, but there are also other mobile payment solutions such as mobile Dankort, Google Pay and Apple Pay. However, none of them come close to MobilePay in terms of number of users in Denmark.
Mobile payments are the future of Danish e-commerce, and you should, as far as possible, get on board.
Webshop with Dankort: Necessary or what?
Depending on the segment you serve, you should consider whether it actually pays off for you to offer purchases via Dankort. As mentioned, Danish providers are quite expensive, which means that a turnover of a million with 2–3 purchases via Dankort is hardly good business.
So if your segment is not older, you may want to consider cutting Dankort entirely. You could also test your users by creating a contact option where they are asked to write to you if they cannot buy anything from you because they use the pure Dankort.
If you look around, it may also seem that Dankort will disappear entirely in the near future. Last year, Jyske Bank announced that it would split the Visa/Dankort into two separate cards (although the transition will take place over a number of years).
If other banks begin to follow suit, it will most likely mean that many consumers will choose the Visa card over Dankort, as it is more practical to have a card that works both domestically and abroad. That is worth bearing in mind when considering whether you want a webshop with Dankort or not.
