We know many people starting in Ecommerce use PayPal as their payment gateway. However, our recent experience suggests that this may not be the most efficient way of converting browsers into buyers.

The Website we looked at was initially set up with PayPal. After the shopping basket, the client was taken to the payment page. This page, part of the site, clearly indicated that Visa, Access, and PayPal were accepted. Clicking a link on this page took you to the PayPal payment gateway. However, through Google Analytics, we could see that this is where many potential buyers 'fell by the wayside'.

By asking 'Guinea Pigs' with no previous knowledge of the site to carry out a transaction, we discovered that many people were put off paying when they got to the PayPal page simply because they did not have a PayPal account. They missed the link that says, 'Don't have a PayPal account,' which would have taken them to a page enabling them to use their credit card.

After identifying this as an issue, the payment gateway was changed to Sage Pay, which primarily allows people to pay by credit card. It was found that the number of successful transactions increased considerably. As a bonus, Sage Pay now offers clients the option of paying with their PayPal account, which feels like the best of all worlds.

The final 'icing on the cake' is that the commission on credit card transactions is much less using Sage Pay, although there is a small monthly fee.

If you would like help with your Ecommerce or Website generally, please get in touch with the DigitalFlare team, who would be pleased to help you.