Why You Should Accept E-checks (ACH)?
If you are used to accepting payments from customers through credit card only, then you are missing the great benefits that you can get if you accept ACH e-checks. ACH or Automated Clearing House is a payment option that involves movement or transfer of funds from a checking account into your merchant account. This payment method is becoming the most popular alternative to credit card payments especially after the credit card market suffered a big blow from the crisis. You can also perform accurate check verification electronically to protect your merchant account from bad e-checks.
If you accept ACH payments for your business, you will be able to capture 30 percent of consumers who cannot buy from the Internet because they do not have credit cards. This significant consumer sector utilizes checking account to buy products and services offline. So if you can accept ACH payments, you can effectively widen your customer base and open more opportunities for consumers to buy products and services on the Internet. The important thing is the number of people who use checks to purchase products usually increases during Christmas and holiday season. During holidays, check payment transactions jump to 42 percent which can be translated to millions of dollars.
So if you use ACH payment processing method, you will be able to compete online because your site provides alternative payment options. Although credit card payments are still popular online, the number of Internet merchants offering ACH processing and accepting e-checks is growing. You can take advantage of this growing trend by providing e-check option for your customers. The ACH payment method however is not only useful on the Internet. Your offline business can also benefit from e-check payments. Your customers can order products by phone and pay through e-check. That is why if you use ACH payment method, you can grab the Internet market and still get significant customer following in the offline market. These can only result to bigger profits for you.
There are risks involved in accepting e-checks. You can minimize risks by doing check verification before you accept an e-check payment. Check verification is not a complicated process. All you have to do is to use the ATM Verify tool of ACH payment processor. The ATM Verify can identify in real time if the e-check is funded or not. You need to input the customer account information on the check verification tool. Results to your query will be provided by the software within seconds. This way, you can effectively protect yourself from rouge consumers who pay using NSF checks.
As a merchant, your electronic payment processing method is not limited to credit card transactions. You can grab a significant portion of the market if you widen your electronic payment system using ACH processor. Once you accept ACH e-checks, you will be able to enjoy good sales because more people can transact with your website. Your offline business can also enjoy good sales because you can receive orders and accept payments from customers through phone.
