What is eCommerce?
eCommerce is what let's your organization register meeting attendees and pay online. It is what allows this money to easily flow from the website to the association's checking account. In order to do eCommerce on your website, you need to have some tools. There are 3 basic tools involved.
- A business checking account - Your basic operating account for your association, organization or chapter.
- A Merchant Account - Goes and gets money from Visa/Mastercard, Amex & Discover and puts it in your checking account.
- Online Gateway - Checks with credit card companies to make sure the transaction can be authorized. (Takes the place of a credit card swiper.)
The second two items are what you need transact business online with credit cards. StarChapter integrates seemlessly with the gateway so your users never have to leave your website to process their credit cards. This avoids confusion and missed registrations or membership applications.
Why offer credit cards payments online for meeting registartion and dues collection?
There is something to be said alone for accepting credit cards for meeting registrations or membership dues. Some people only pay for things with their credit card. Some people will like the flexibility on paying it back. Others will find it easier to get reimbursed from their employers. But one main reason to offer credit card payment for meeting registration and dues is immediacy. You will allow more people to make a payment within seconds of making their decision to attend a meeting or join the association or chapter. By allowing this, you remove the thousands of distractions that will occur between them making the decision and writing a check and mailing it in or filling out a form and sending a fax, etc.
Are there other options available besides getting a merchant account and gateway?
Yes. You can use Paypal or Google to integrate with StarChapter. Both of these services will integrate with StarChapter. This can be a money saving option in the beginning for smaller chapters or start up chapters of organziations that are still struggling with cash-flow. A StarChapter representative can guide you through making the right decision.
Can we make a recomendation?
If you are considering accepting credit cards on your website, the StarChapter solution is well thought out for most associations, chapters and professional organizations. Idealy, your chapter will want to establish a merchant account and gateway that ties directly to your chapter bank account. This is the most stable and easy way to maintain meeting registrations and membership dues. The Paypal & Google options are good for chapters with lower income or for a short term. Either solution will let you try it out for a short period of time.
How much does it cost?
Prices vary between $0/mo and $25/mo plus per transaction costs of $0.05 to $5.00. The costs for a merchant account and gateway are relatively low. They have a fixed component such as the statement fee and a variable component that is based on each transaction you do. The good thing is, that the more you transact the month, the lower the per transaction cost is when you add it all up. With other solutions this may not be so. Other solutions have a flat rate for each transaction and this will penalize you long term for making your chapter grow and succeed. Look over the costs and fees associated with the various solutions out there very carefully. A StarChapter representative can assist you in making the right choice.
Should I set up an account through Authorize.net or another provider directly?
You could, but we don't recommend it as you will most likely not get the most complete package. Going through an all-in-one merchant services provider that we have built a relationship with to provide our customers with great service and the most competitive pricing, will save you money as they offer better rates than you can as an individual. They help with the set up the process and they make things easier for you overall.
How to set eCommerce up and what you'll need...
After you have signed up with StarChapter, your representative will guide you most of the way. We only recommend a merchant provider to you, but you are free to search for one on your own. As long as they use Authorize.net as the gateway and most if not all merchant banks do, you'll be fine. You can also submit your questions using our contact form.
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