Developing BigCommerce Custom Payment Gateway

While BigCommerce comes with a variety of built-in payment gateway options, there may be situations where businesses require a custom payment gateway to meet their specific needs. 

In this blog, we will explore the process of developing a custom payment gateway for BigCommerce and the benefits it can offer to businesses. 

• According to webinarcare, the global payment gateway market is 22.1 billion dollars yearly.
• GrandViewResearch states that the payment gateway market sees a growth of 22.2% every year on average.

Rebilly suggests that 93% of all transactions made via payment gateway are successful.

Benefits of Developing BigCommerce Custom Payment Gateway

Following are the benefits of creating a BigCommerce custom payment gateway:

Enhanced Security

One of the most significant benefits of developing a BigCommerce custom payment gateway is enhanced security. With a custom payment gateway, you can implement additional security measures such as two-factor authentication, fraud detection, and encryption to protect your customers’ sensitive information. 

This added layer of security can provide peace of mind to your customers and help build trust in your brand. Additionally, a custom payment gateway can help you comply with industry standards and regulations, such as PCI-DSS, which can further improve your business’s reputation and credibility.

Flexibility

Another benefit of developing a BigCommerce custom payment gateway is flexibility. By creating a custom payment gateway, you can tailor the payment process to your specific business needs. For example, you can integrate additional payment methods that are not available with built-in payment gateway options, such as cryptocurrency or mobile payments. 

You can also set up recurring payments, implement custom checkout forms, and offer other features that are not available with the standard payment gateway options. This added flexibility can help you meet the unique needs of your business and improve the overall customer experience.

Improved User Experience

A custom payment gateway can provide an improved user experience for your customers. By integrating a payment gateway that is tailored to your business needs, you can create a seamless checkout process that is easy to use and understand. 

This can help reduce cart abandonment rates and increase customer satisfaction. Additionally, a custom payment gateway can help you offer a more personalized experience to your customers, such as by providing customized receipts or offering loyalty rewards for repeat customers. This can help build brand loyalty and increase customer retention.

Competitive Advantage

Developing a custom payment gateway can give your business a competitive advantage in the market. By offering unique payment options and a superior user experience, you can differentiate your online store from competitors and attract more customers. 

This can help you increase sales and grow your business. Additionally, a custom payment gateway can help you build brand recognition and establish your business as a leader in your industry. This can help you attract more customers and build long-term relationships with them.

Step by Step Guide

In this guide, we will discuss the process by which you can create a custom payment gateway in BigCommerce. We will focus on two main things, first is the BigCommerce architecture, and the other is the flow of how the custom payment gateway should work.

BigCommerce Architecture

To integrate a payment gateway service provider with BigCommerce, developers need to use the API hooks provided by the payment gateway. However, unlike other open-source CMS solutions such as Magento or WooCommerce, BigCommerce does not provide access to its core files for native integration with custom payment gateways. On the other hand, Shopify provides access to its Payment gateway SDK and has a documented process for developing and publishing approved custom payment gateways. 

In the case of BigCommerce, developers can create a custom application using the dev tools account provided to every merchant who subscribes to BigCommerce. This allows developers to create their own BigCommerce apps, which are not published on the BigCommerce app store but can be used on any store in an implicit manner. This approach is different from other CMS solutions and requires developers to use the dev tools account to create custom payment gateways for BigCommerce.

Getting BigCommerce Order Data

To obtain BigCommerce order data, the Orders API endpoint is utilized right after the loading of the Thank You page is completed.

Challenge: The main challenge of this method is to identify the specific time of the order placement.

Solution: In order to recognize the specific time of order placement, store owners can utilize a tracking script that can easily be installed within the settings option of your BigCommerce dashboard.

Sending Order Information To Your Custom Payment Processor

We use BigCommerce order API to simply transfer the information regarding each order to the payment processor. For this action, the order API uses the hooks of the selected payment processor.

There are three pieces of information that are given to the merchant upon signing up for a merchant account on the website of the selected payment processor: the Callback URL, the Plugin Key, and the Action URL. 

After the information is saved the JS will simply push this data and forward to the servers in order to check with the payment processor in order to approve or disapprove the transaction from the merchant’s account.

Processing Payments

When a merchant’s information is approved by the payment gateway processor, the payment service provider’s server handles the transaction till there is a wait within the application’s response time. 

Challenge: BigCommerce hooks are used by the application to change the payment status after a response is received. However, Green Money made it difficult, as it requires nearly 24 hours before it starts the payment process and gets a response. As a result, BigCommerce’s payment status could not be instantly updated.

Solution: To solve this problem, we have to repeat the process of verification from the Green Money for every e-check payment which will require us to set up a cron job to make this verification process automatic and efficient.

Read More: Best BigCommerce Payment Gateways

Conclusion

In conclusion, developing a BigCommerce custom payment gateway can provide businesses with enhanced security, flexibility, improved user experience, and a competitive advantage in the market. By following the steps outlined in this blog, businesses can create a custom payment gateway that meets their specific needs and provides a seamless checkout experience for their customers. 

With a custom payment gateway, businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors, build brand loyalty, and increase customer retention. By investing in a custom payment gateway, businesses can improve their online store’s payment options and provide a better overall experience for their customers.

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FAQs

Why Would A Business Need A Custom Payment Gateway?

A business may require a custom payment gateway to meet their specific needs, such as integrating additional payment methods, setting up recurring payments, or implementing custom checkout forms.

What Payment Processors Can Be Used To Develop A BigCommerce custom payment gateway?

Payment processors such as PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.net can be used to develop a BigCommerce custom payment gateway.

How Can A Custom Payment Gateway Improve The User Experience For Customers?

A custom payment gateway can improve the user experience for customers by providing a seamless checkout process that is easy to use and understand, reducing cart abandonment rates and increasing customer satisfaction.

Is Developing A Custom Payment Gateway A Complex Process?

Developing a custom payment gateway requires technical expertise and careful planning, but it can be done by following the steps outlined in this blog.