A Quick Guide to Shopify Payment Gateway Integration

For any business that is operating around the digital landscape having a payment gateway is important. Apart from that the payment gateway has to be secure enough to tackle online threats.  As sensitive information is passed via the gateway a robust platform needs to be chosen for e-commerce operations and what better than Shopify?

Being one of the most widely used e-commerce platforms, Shopify offers several options for payment gateway integration, and the entire process is simple. Here, we take a look at how Shopify payment gateway integration is done. In case you are not comfortable undertaking the task yourself, there is always an option of hiring Shopify payment gateway integration services from domain experts like CartCoders.

What exactly are payment gateways?

A payment gateway is a medium between the buyer, seller, and the financial entity that handles the transactions. It is basically used for online stores to provide a seamless buying experience to customers. When a buyer places an order on your Shopify store, the payment gateway transmits the information via a secure channel to the respective financial body for processing.

In general, payment gateways follow Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance standards to ensure maximum data security. In case you find the payment gateway lacking this compliance, it is better to stay away from using it to avoid transactional fraud.

Step-by-Step Guide to Shopify Payment Gateway Integration

Integrating a payment gateway with your Shopify store is a very crucial step that enables the store to accept payments. Here, we take a look at the general payment gateway integration process 

Choosing a payment gateway for your store

Before you start the integration process it is important to choose a payment gateway provider that suits your store’s requirements. There are several factors to consider such as transaction fees, the number of supported countries, and other important features before choosing one.

Merchant account set-up

After you select your preferred Shopify payment gateway integration provider, you have to set up a merchant account with them. This account will enable you to receive payments and manage transactions as well. You just need to provide your business and banking details and follow the instructions to create your merchant account. 

Configuring payment gateway 

Once your merchant account is active you can configure the payment gateway settings through your Shopify account admin dashboard. 

Follow these steps:

1. Go to “Settings” and select “Payment Providers.”
2. Navigate to the “Accept Payments” section, and click on the “Choose third-party provider” or “Alternative payment method” option
3. Select your payment gateway provider from the options available in the menu
4. Fill in the required details like API keys or account IDs provided by your payment gateway provider
5. Save to update your payment settings
6. Test the payment flow

Make sure to test the entire payment flow once the integration process is complete. Shopify provides a testing mode option to check whether transactions are going through successfully without processing real payments.

Here’s how you can test the payment flow:

1. Turn the testing mode on in your payment gateway settings or Shopify admin
2. Create a test order and then proceed to the checkout page
3. Select the payment method which is synched with your integrated payment gateway
4. By using the test card details complete the transaction
5. Once the payment is processed check whether the order status is updated accordingly in your Shopify admin

Troubleshooting Integration Issues

Although the integration process is complex and free, there are chances of you encountering generic issues or troubles in integrating your chosen payment gateway. Here are a few tips that can help you address integration issues and troubleshoot problems if any:

Firstly, go through the documentation and support resources that are provided by your payment gateway provider. It often contains tutorials on how to troubleshoot integration issues with Shopify.

Next, check for any notifications or messages in your Shopify admin. These messages may give you exact information about the issues you are facing and also suggest solutions to resolve them.

In case nothing works out get in touch with both the Shopify and your payment gateway provider’s support teams for guidance. They can identify specific Shopify payment gateway integration issues and provide relevant guidance.