Get More Orders from US Shoppers

The US ecommerce market provides big opportunities for international merchants.  According to Internet Retailer, the US market expanded 13% in 2013, with over $262 billion being spent online.

International merchants find that offering alternative payments such as echecks is the fastest  way to increase sales from US buyers.  Echecks capture sales from customers that don’t’ have cards, are maxed out on cards, or simply prefer to pay with an echeck rather than a card.

Electronic checks are the most popular alterntative payment method for US shoppers.  Millions of Americans regularly pay for goods & services with electronic checks.  

Difference between ACH and Check 21 Checks

ACH electronic check processing is a good choice for merchants that can keep revokes (chargebacks) under 0.5% as required by NACHA the governing body of the ACH network.  A chargeback is a transaction that is revoked by the buyer who claims that the transaction was not authorized.

Echecks using Check 21 technology is a good solution for high risk merchants that need more flexibility on chargebacks.   Check 21 is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code and check laws rather than ACH rules.  As a result, echecks using Check 21 have a higher tolerance for chargebacks than do ACH echeck accounts.

The user experience for echecks is the same whether the transaction is processed through the ACH network or through Check 21. 

At checkout, the customer enters bank routing and account numbers.  The information is validated through a variety of databases and the transaction is completed. Check 21 transactions clear faster than ACH. 

However, with both technologies, transactions do not clear in real time.  Merchants that ship products find it prudent to wait a day before shipping to be sure the transaction clears.

If a return does occur, the transaction can automatically be resubmitted.  Most people don’t mean to bounce a check.  They simply make an error when calculating the amount of money in their account.  Resubmitted transactions result in good orders 90% of the time.

Echecks for High Risk Merchants

Echecks are a particularly good payment option for customers in high risk processing categories.  Processing rates for echecks are lower than for cards.

For merchants that offer recurring billing plans, such as subscriptions, echecks help stabilize revenue streams.  Payments made through bank accounts are more stable over time.  People rarely change bank accounts whereas 20% of cards are reissued each year.

Settlement of funds from echeck merchant accounts are sent by wire to your international bank.  Funds can also be deposited directly to a US settlement account, if you have one.

Conclusion

When you accept checks online, you get more sales from US shoppers.  Echecks are a trusted alternative payment method used by millions of Americans on a regular basis.

More than 30% of US internet sites accept checks online. To compete in the US market, international commerce merchants need to offer shoppers more than one way to pay.  Or risk losing sales to competitors that do.  

Are you interested in electronic check processing to get more orders from US shoppers?

Contact info@nationalACH.com today.