For merchants looking to grow their online presence, there’s no doubt that finding the right payment services provider is a vital part of achieving success. As well as being affordable and easy to use, these systems must also contend with increased levels of fraud taking place as a result of elevated online activity since the pandemic and as a natural result of the Middle Eastern ecommerce boom.

We explore the three major payment services based on these factors to give you a head start on finding the right option for you. However, always remember that you should be clear on what kind of features and integrations you need before you make a decision.

1. Amazon Payment Services

This payment service provider is a logical choice for any brand that doesn’t want to sacrifice user experience, security or scalability. The features on offer are immense and range from basic payment processes such as collections across multiple channels, to more diverse and advanced features that merchants can use to elevate the customer experience.

For instance, Installments payments for customers who want to spread the cost of expensive payments across multiple months or Lend (an option that allows customers access to short term financing) are elements that can help to add value to the customer journey and grow your customer base faster.

In short, this provider excels in pretty much all fields and merchants who establish long-term partnerships with APS are likely to find a service that can work dynamically with them, whether it’s expanding into new channels or bolstering security when scaling.

2. Checkout

Checkout has become incredibly popular in many parts of the world for offering reliable payments services.

The brand has done well in communicating to merchant partners the value its service can offer, including greater security, speed and the ability to process more payments regardless of the currency or payment method preferred by customers. 

As well as offering over 150 different currencies and payment types, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express and all major international cards, we are seeing them push forward with alternative payment methods too such as ApplePay and Samsung Pay. This is largely in line with the fact that these kinds of payments, while only representing a small percentage of total payments, are still substantial and growing.

Although ecommerce market is significant it is still a small country when compared to others in the region. As such, the promise of Checkout.com to support brands in international expansions and cross-border payment options has no doubt helped to entice many to sign-up.

3. 2Checkout

Not to be confused with the option above, 2Checkout is somewhat less well known yet offers a good first step for many merchants who want a simple and affordable payments service provider.

Compared to other options such as Amazon Payment Services which is more robust and extensive in its offering, this provider is more basic in nature. Having said this, it is incredibly intuitive as a platform and company owners or employees can operate it without needing prior technical knowledge.

2Checkout also offers a good range of local offerings to cater more to regional payment preferences as well as the rise of alternative payment methods. It also supports a high number of currencies and shopping cart integrations, including Shopify, Drupal, Magento, PrestaShop, BigCommerce and WooCommerce.

Depending on what type of business you have, the platform offers a flat-rate pricing model. Domestic and local stores will have a different rate than international ones. Before estimating the costs for your enterprise, remember that if you need access to certain add-ons and non-core integrations you may be looking at a higher cost. The popular subscription plan will require an additional fee, for example.

Considerations

• Is there an extensive range of payments features that can support both small and enterprise-level organisations?
• Does the provider specialize in any industries for more tailored payment offerings such as Education, Airline or Ecommerce?
• Is there a strong tech support team with plenty of tutorials and training resources for new merchants to learn how to get the most from the platform?
• How advanced is the payments monitoring and analytics element to help business leaders make smarter strategic decisions?

Notable Mentions

There are still several other options to consider when choosing your payments partner, including:
• My Fatoorah
• PayPal
• BitPay
• Tap
• PaymentWall

Grow Your Sales

There’s no doubt that finding success in the world of ecommerce will rely in some part on having a reliable payments service provider. As well as making the process of collecting payments smooth and frictionless for your customers, having a team that will actively help you manage risk and reduce payments fraud is priceless.

When planning your growth, you must also consider how easy it will be for you to scale your operation with any given platform and how your employees will be able to coordinate with its services day-to-day. Ultimately, there is a lot to consider and we recommend getting in touch with the sales/product team of your prospective providers for more information before making a commitment.

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