In the e-commerce industry, the vast majority of online transactions are paid for by credit card. With this established as the norm, customers have come to expect that if you are selling something online, they will be able to pay by credit card. While as a business owner, you may not see the necessity for this, it is important to put yourself in your customers' shoes. When you start to understand why customers prefer to pay by credit card, you will also gain more insight into their purchasing habits. The more you know about your customers purchasing behavior, the more you can target your marketing campaigns to provide customers with something that will interest them.

Shopping Online Is Convenient

Many people choose to shop online because it is convenient. They don't need to leave their home or office in order to search for the products they want. By shopping online, they can visit several stores simultaneously and compare prices. In addition, customers do not need to sit in traffic, find parking or wait in queues in a store in order to purchase what they want. For online customers, it is all about getting a product with minimal effort.  You may think that it is just as easy for customers to make a bank transfer online; however, they first have to leave your site, log into their internet banking, load your company banking details and then make the payment. While it is not a huge amount of effort, it does still take some time. Compare this to an e-commerce site that accepts credit cards. Without having to leave the site, customers can simply input their credit cards details and have the purchase confirmed in a matter of minutes.  Online shoppers are looking for convenience as a high priority and credit cards as a method of payment provide this. This is one of the reasons that it is important that you make sure you can accept credit cards on your e-commerce site.

Make Sure Your e-Commerce Site Is Technically Advanced

Customers expect that if you are operating online, you have the latest technology available. It doesn't help to have a website that showcases all your products but still requires customers to make cash purchases or bank deposits. The e-commerce sector is highly competitive and as a business, you need to be offering your customers quality and convenience. If you don't, it is very easy for them to simply leave your site and shop elsewhere.

Keeping Track of Purchases and Payments

Many customers like to purchase on a credit card as it is easier for them to keep track of their purchases. This is especially important for small businesses. People can make multiple purchases and then settle everything through one account at the end of the month. Customers generally know what credit limit they have on their cards and often won't mind maxing this on a purchase. When customers purchase on credit cards, they know that they can easily settle the amount at a later date or pay it off in part as they are able to.

Taking Advantage of Credit Card Loyalty Programs

Many credit card companies provide their customers with loyalty programs. Usually for every $5 or $10 that customers spend on their credit cards, they are rewarded with points. The way that the points are allocated varies from program to program but the principle is generally the same. The more a customer spends on their credit card, the more points they earn. Over time as the points accumulate, customers can cash them in for a variety of benefits. Many customers will therefore prefer to make purchases on their credit cards so hey can earn as many points as possible. Sometimes people will make large purchases simply to be able to benefit and earn points on their loyalty program. In a way, it actually encourages customers to spend more. You will only be able to take advantage of this kind of buying behavior if you have the facilities to accept credit card purchases on your e-commerce site.

Largest Purchasing Group

A smart business owner cannot ignore the statistics that show that at least 75 percent of all purchases are made using credit cards. With more and more people choosing to purchase with credit cards, this is a market too large to ignore. Imagine all the customers that you could be losing out on by simply not having a card processing service on your e-commerce site.