Online payment for businesses: an indispensable payment facility

New payment methods: growing demand from buyers

The payment method is a key element in the customer experience. If it's too tedious, slow or insecure, it discourages many customers, and can represent a significant loss of earnings for the merchant. B2C companies are well aware of this, offering their customers simple, secure online payment methods that enable them to complete a transaction very quickly, with reduced risk of error.

However, this need for easier payment also exists in B2B sectors, which have long lagged behind when it comes to digitalization. In B2B, payment by cheque is still widespread, and this poses a number of problems: paper cheques take a long time to set up and send, which delays payments; delays (in sending, in cashing) make cash flow monitoring more complex; finally, physical means of payment are also not very flexible, compared with online payment, which enables invoices to be honored anytime, anywhere.

With the digital revolution, all sectors expect payment methods to be simpler to implement, faster and more secure. Since the pandemic, which accelerated the digitization of commercial exchanges, this need has grown. From a supplier or marketplace on the other hand, the fluidity of the chosen payment solution can make all the difference to buyers!

Online payment: what are the benefits for customers?

Paying by cheque is a long and tedious process. Paper checks are costly and take longer to process, both for the issuer and the recipient. It is also inflexible, leaving room for errors and late payments, which can undermine trust between buyers and suppliers.

The main advantage of online payment is that it saves time: no more delays in sending and collecting payments, no more trips to the bank, no more oversights and delays! To date, payment by credit card or bank transfer on an easy-to-use platform like Hero is the fastest and most efficient method.

The other big advantage is security. With online payment, the risk of error is considerably reduced! In addition, credit card platforms are subject to increasingly stringent security standards, which reassures customers and explains the growing use of these payment methods in B2B and B2C.

Finally, choosing an efficient, secure payment method is the key to building a relationship of trust with your customers. In fact, some platforms offer fully secure deferred or instalment payment solutions, a flexibility much appreciated by customers, with no risk of non-payment for the supplier.

What solutions are available?

Switching to online payment is a necessary step for suppliers who want to maintain good relations with their customers and survive the competition. If you choose a solution that is advantageous for your customers, with options such as fractional or deferred payment, they'll be all the more satisfied!

The most popular online payment methods today are direct debit, for recurring payments; Paypal, a practical alternative to credit cards; and, of course, payment by credit card. The latter can be made either via a distance-selling contract, linked to your bank; or via an online shopping tunnel solution, without a bank contract.

And among the most convenient online payment platforms, Hero, a checkout B2B offers fully secure payment facilities. With Hero, buyers can pay by deferred payment or in instalments if they wish, while the supplier receives the full amount. A perfect compromise between security and flexibility!