A merchant account is a special type of bank account needed to process credit cards.
What is a gateway? Do I need one?
A gateway is a service the allows your site to integrate with your merchant account to collect transactions in real time. You need a gateway if you want to have credit card orders verified at the time your customer checks out of your store. A payment gateway manages the actual verification and processing of online credit card payments.
Is a merchant account included with your store?
ChurchSiteDirect does not provide a merchant account with your store. If you already have a merchant account, contact your merchant account provider to find out if it will integrate with your store. If you don't already have a merchant account, we can help set one up for you.
How do I setup my website to use my merchant account?
Your merchant account provider will give you the login information for the gateway your merchant account will use. Go to the Store tab of your site manager, select Payment Methods/Merchant Account and select the gateway you were given in the drop down list of gateways and click the Set button. Then enter in the login information for your gateway and click the Test button. If everything is setup correctly the test should pass. Once it does, go to your store and order an item to verify that you have everything setup correctly.
What is a virtual terminal?
A virtual terminal is a website provided to you by your gateway provider which will allow you to process credit cards manually. You can use the virtual terminal to process refunds and credits and to manually process credit cards you get via phone orders or other means.
Does the ecommerce package include a shopping cart?
Yes. The online store system access package includes everything you need to setup an online store. Each store includes a product catalog, integrated shopping cart, secure checkout and online order management.
What else is included in each ecommerce site?
In addition to the shopping cart we provide you with a complete ecommerce admin environment. This includes a customer database, order history, order reports, product import, and full export capabilities.
Do I have to have a merchant account and gateway to setup my store?
No. Our stores can be used with a wide variety of payment methods such as PayPal. You can also setup a store to take orders and then bill your customers with a printed invoice from our system. Either way, each store is fully equipped to process and collect orders for your products.
Is your shopping cart secure?
Yes. We utilize SSL throughout the checkout process to ensure that a customers personal information is always encrypted. Viewing order details from within your store is also done through an encrypted SSL link. Also, all credit card information is kept encrypted on the server.
How are orders processed on my site?
Most of the system is automated. To get started all you need to do is go to the store manager and enter your products into your store catalog. This will automatically setup them up for your shopping cart and make then available for ordering via your site. When orders are made you will be notified via email. Simply login to your site and click the store manager to view and process orders.
Ecommerce & Shopping Cart
