6 ways to increase sales and optimise your ecommerce payment page

Online merchants can reduce payment page abandonment by focussing on a few key changes to their payment page which can increase checkout conversion rates. Customising the payment page will limit problems and help cardholders feel secure. Although one would most likely expect that many of the below points are expected norms, I have often experienced frustration at the time of purchase and seen issues surrounding the merchants payment page which either led me to repeating the payment process or bailing out of the purchase all together.

Here are a few key pointers.

1. Payment page error handling

Alerting cardholders to commonly made mistakes on the payment page limits frustration. By using in-line error handling, the number of payment processing steps are also reduced. The transaction request does not proceed to the bank or the payment provider before a cardholder’s information is accurately entered. This prevents time being wasted between web pages, lessens cardholder confusion and reduces payment page abandonment. There is nothing more frustrating than the cardholder’s payment being rejected due to invalid payment data being entered and having to click the back button to start the process over again. Error handling on the payment page alerts the cardholder of data that either needs to be added or amended such as correct card number or CVV before proceeding with the transaction.

2. Numeric validation

Only allow numeric characters to be entered in fields intended for numeric characters. Stopping alpha or special characters from being entered into the text box during the entry of card details or payment information will reduce finger error.

3. Mod 10 Luhn check

The Luhn algorithm or Luhn formula, also known as the “modulus 10” or “mod 10” algorithm, is a simple checksum formula used to authenticate a variety of identification numbers like credit card numbers. Most credit cards use the Luhn algorithm as a way to distinguish valid numbers from collections of random digits. Designed to detect accidental errors, this is a quick way to eliminate credit card number errors before a transaction is submitted to the payment gateway.

4. Expiry date

Make it clear to the card holder which box is for month and which is for year. This can be indicated by placing a label next to or above a text box or by making month/year a selection choice in a drop down menu. The recommended option is to enable selection of the expiration date using two separate dropdown lists: one for month and one for year. Ensure only to display current and future years.

5. Validating the CVV length

Visa, MasterCard and Diners use a three-digit CVV number placed on the back of the credit card. American Express uses a four digit number placed on the front of the credit card. Validate that the CVV code contains the correct number of digits based on the credit card type. To do this you will work with two parameters: the card number and its CVV number. The main card number is used to determine the associated account linked to the card. The first six digits of the main card number identify the card issuer, for example, American Express or MasterCard. If the card is issued by American Express, the code you will check for is 4 digits long. For all other cards, the CVV code has 3 digits. If the CVV entered by the card holder is too long or too short to match the card then you can prompt card holder to amend before proceeding.

6. 1Click payments

A 1Click Payment enables cardholders to only enter CVV after the initiated transaction. This simplifies the checkout experience and reduces the amount of data the cardholder is required to enter on the payment page. The payment gateway will tokenize the card holder’s details during the initial transaction so that the merchant does not store any card data. For subsequent transactions, the card holder is only required to enter their CVV to process the payment, making the checkout process easier. At any point, the card holder can amend card details, which will update the token with the new card information.