Friday, June 29, 2012

Payment Processing Gateway

Payment gateway is a special service designed with a built in billing processor that allows and systematize the collection of credit card information and its transmission across the Internet. A payment gateway, which is a digital equivalent of a credit card processing terminal, is a software application that offers the functionality of a credit card company, allowing merchants to accept credit cards online and thus fulfill the merchant's payment services needs.

In the E-commerce site one has to consider the following factors for their payment gateway..
1) Easy transaction for your customer.
2) Less commission.
3) Availability of many payment options.
4) Easy integration.
5) Refund and cash back policies.

Types of Payment Gateway: Payment gateways come in two styles


  • The most commonly used style of Payment Gateway is a secure order form that takes the customer to a third-party site for ecommerce credit card processing and payment into the merchant's individual merchant account.
  • The second style of Payment Gateway is merchant-side application program interface or API. This is a code integrated into the server that is hosting the merchant's ecommerce site.

Advantages of Payment Gateway :


  • Reduces the geographical barrier in ecommerce. Merchants can accept credit card payments from customers located anywhere in the world in seconds.
  • Provides convenience to online shoppers. Customers can pay online with ease and speed.
  • Helps customers to know instantly whether their credit card payment has been accepted or not. This real time monitoring of online payment has saved a lot of time on the customers end.
  • Guarantees 100% safe and secured online payment transaction. The charge back facility that comes with online ecommerce credit card payment offers the consumer money back guarantee if the service fails to satisfy the customer.
  • Widens the business horizons of merchants by offering unlimited access to the global market.
  • Saves the infrastructure cost of setting up a shop. Payment processing online also cuts down the manpower cost.
  • The order and payment processing is very fast.
  • Saves the hassles of payment through check and also the time taken for check clearance.
  • Facilitates shopping even at odd hours.

If we look around for the payment gateways we have the following giants ICICI Bank, CITIBank , PAYPAL, CCAVENUE, EBS, Direct Pay, Transecute etc. If we talk about Cost almost each gateway costs some installation cost along with commission on each transaction. The transaction cost is somewhere between 4-7% of the transaction amount but on higher volume one may negotiate with them.

Top 10 Payment gateways in India in 2012 are:

CCAvenue: .The biggest 3rd party player in India. Offers variety of payment options which no other player come even close. It is the most popular gateway used in India. It offers a plethora of payment options and processes almost all kind of cards, supports direct bank transfer and USD payments. No other gateway can match the services offered by the gateway. Though the gateway is completely reliable but it is also the most expensive service in the market.

EBS : The plans are cheaper compared to most payment gateways. They were very responsive and offers multiple custom plans as well as some discounts. The services offered by EBS are next to CCAvenue.EBS is equally reliable and offers plans cheaper to other gateway services. It offers multiple plans along with some discounts one can pick from. If you do not like any of them then you can select from the custom plans offered as per your needs. Probably the second best player after ccavenue.

Transecute: Transecute is yet another payment gateway that is gaining popularity in recent times mainly because of the services it offers. The best part is it does not charge any setup fee or withdrawal charges. The rate per transaction is 5% and it supports master and visa cards. The application is claimed to be processed within 15 days and one can withdraw weekly. Apart from that, in case a transaction is reversed the gateway also refunds the commission charged.

DirecPay: DirectPay is a Times group endeavor and is known for its fast and reliable services. The gateway offers multiple plans based on the amount one is willing to pay for setup as well as the kind of retail store one has setup.

Paypal: Most people will suggest  Paypal and it is one of the most popular gateways over the internet. However, it is suitable for to deal with international clients. The gateway is not suitable for purely Indian market customers as it does not deal in Indian currency and hence one has to pay additional currency conversion charges along with the per transaction charges..

ICICI Payseal : It is an ICICI bank venture and their rate per transaction charge is also very less. The only thing is the gateway requires java technology to integrate it and the company sometimes take long to set the deal.They are probably the only bank who offer to small enterprises as well.

ABC Payments: ABC payments is another payment gateway by IndiaMART. The gateway enables to accept online bank transfers, credit cards and prepaid cash card payments from the customers. Apart from that it also offers free shopping cart, invoice management etc.

Paysignet: Paysignet not only supports almost all major international and domestic cards but also is by far the only gateway service that offers earn and pay facility. As per the facility, one has to pay only half the amount required to setup the account. The remaining half can be paid when you actually start earning from your website and funds are collected by the gateway.

HDFC Payment Gateway : The service is offered by HDFC bank. The services are reliable and the application is processed within 3 weeks. The transaction charges lay between 3.5-6% based on the plan selected.

IndiaPay: Last but not the least, IndiaPay also supports multiple payment options accepting almost all cards along with the option to collect payment from international clients. It also offers you a comprehensive API along with fraud and risk management services.

From above all CCavenue provides a wide range of payment options.As their integration is easy and its very easy to get the needed information on the CCavenue and based on the usage and reviews on various blogs and websites it is recommended to use CCavenue for the payment gateway.

Payment Gateway checklist: While choosing the payment gateway best suited to meet the payment services of the ecommerce web site, keep the following points in mind:

  • Address Verification System or AVS protection is a must for payment gateways in order to reduce the incidence of accepting fraudulent transactions. AVS does this by verifying the credit card holder's billing address with that of the credit card issuer's.
  • Payment Gateway Compatibility is very crucial. After  purchasing a shopping cart package for the ecommerce site, make sure that the payment gateway service is compatible with that.

A payment gateway acts as the mediator between the merchants shopping cart and the ecommerce credit card payments. Making the right choice of payment gateway is crucial as on this may depend the success or failure of the ecommerce venture.

For more details about eCOMMERCE PORTAL DEVELOPMENT and CONSULTING, please feel free to contact
Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745. For hosted eCommerce solutions please click here

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Joomla: An Effective Content Management System Tool

Joomla has become one of the most popular CMS because of the features it offers. Joomla helps in developing any kind of website and can create simple as well as complex websites . It provides better platform to create corporate applications and web portals. Joomla provides a complete Web Development support and its environment is very flexible which meets the needs of different user accordingly.

Characteristics of Joomla

  • Completely database driven site engines. Each and every element in joomla is stored in a centralized database.
  • The content that is displayed on the website can be scheduled as per the requirement of the web editors.
  • Another good feature by Joomla is the use of extensions. These extensions provide additional functionality to a site. Joomla provides different extensions which can be easily installed within a Joomla site.
  • Runs on any platform including Windows, Linux, several Unix versions, and the Apple OS/X platform. It also depends on PHP and MySQL database to deliver dynamic content.
  • Joomla CMS can be used with a great ease by any user with a little knowledge. New pages can be easily added and modified using the CMS system it provides. One can easily add content, images and can perform text formatting using the editor support in this.
  • A group of people working on the same site, then Joomla is a solution for that . Different authors of the site can easily upload their content instead of waiting for programmers or Designers. Uniform website template used in Joomla provide a consistent look to the whole site.
  • Fully customizable layouts - there are thousands of templates to choose from so it is easy to change the look and feel of the site without affecting the main content.
  • Joomla supports multiple languages.This feature will give user friendliness to your website because visitors can easily view the content in a language of their choice.
  • News feeds from various websites can be gathered using the News Feed Manager available in Joomla.
  • It is easy to give multiple user authentications in a Joomla website. Number of people can log on to the site simultaneously with their individual permissions. Similar feature in a traditional website will require a lots of development work by the developer, which can be easily done in a Joomla site.
  • Joomla offers a good template support. Joomla templates can be chosen based on the theme of the site. This template can also be changed in future whenever the site want to be makeover. Uniform template support will give the same look to all the web pages and all the new pages created in site will automatically adopt the existing template design.

A lot of internet users including bloggers, marketers etc use the web to publish content. Web content management has proved to be the way if one wants to create a website from scratch. Joomla is one of the best open source content management system for the same. Here are a few advantages of the Joomla Content Management System:
  • Joomla being a universal and open source management system can be adapted and used for almost any person that a person wants to.
  • Joomla can also be used for making blogs in a fairly simple way instead of using the WordPress.
  • It is also possible to add on to more features and functions using various extensions which will in turn make Joomla a lot more universal.
  • Existing extensions can be modified or new ones can be formed as required to suit your needs.
  • Customization of the core system is again a great advantage of the Joomla content management system.
  • The desired functionality can be achieved by changing a Joomla file easily.

Advantages of Joomla:
Joomla has become the most popular open source CMS tool and is increasingly accepted by most of the organizations all over the world. Joomla has few edges over other CMS tools. Here are some of the advantages of Joomla discussed.

  • Variety of templates: A lot of templates are also available online to customize your website.
  • SEO: Joomla has inbuilt features for generating unique SEO friendly URLs and adding Meta tags to your websites pages.
  • User friendly: One of the major advantages of using Joomla is it does not require sound technical knowledge to manage and maintain websites.
  • Easy set up: It is very easy to install and set up. Many web hosting services providers offer a single-click install and get your new website ready within few minutes.
  • Components and Modules: Joomla, comes with pre-developed components and modules that cut down development time and cost in key areas.
  • Large Contributors: Due to the large number to contributors a lot of modules are available for popular features, free of cost or at a small nominal fee.

Applications of Joomla:
Joomla can be used in many ways,

  • Corporate Web sites or portals
  • E-commerce and online reservations
  • Small business Web sites
  • Non-profit and organizational Web sites
  • Personal or family homepages, etc.
  • Maintain complex business directories
  • Reservation systems
  • Online magazine, news papers
  • Custom product catalogue, etc.
  • Real Estate Website.
  • Online Commerce
  • Hotel and Tourism Websites.
  • Small Business Websites.
  • Government Applications.
  • Corporate intranets and Extranets.
  • School and Church Websites.

As Joomla is user-friendly software, organization can build and maintain the website itself.The possibilities are endless... Joomla! can be used to easily manage every aspect of your website, from adding content and images to updating a product catalog or taking online reservations.Once Joomla! is installed, configured, and running, it is simple for even non-technical users to add or edit content, update images, and to manage the critical data that makes your company or organization go.

For more details about JOOMLA Content Management System, please feel free to contact Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745. To purchase the CMS templates, please check here

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM


A web content management system (web CMS) is a bundled or stand-alone application used to create, manage, store, and deploy content on Web pages. Web content includes text and embedded graphics, photos, video, audio, and code (e.g., for applications) that renders other content or interacts with the user.
CMS or a 'Content Management System' quite literally allows you to control and manage the content within your web site - without technical training. Using this uncomplicated system you can very easily add, delete images and edit text in your web site on the fly.

Many companies find it difficult to keep their web site content as up to date as they would like. Often there are delays getting new content online, the site stagnates and your clients get to see outdated information. That’s why so many companies are turning to CMS.

Benefits of a content management system

  • Security
Security is an important issue, particularly for intranets. A CMS can facilitate better content security. It can control who is allowed to publish to the website, and who is allowed to see what content.

  • Self control
It is nice to have control over the investment, the feeling of empowerment to control the website is a good one. In particular for an organization or business that is dynamic and needs things to happen fast.

  • No Need to be Tech-Savvy
People with average knowledge of word processing can create the content directly. No HTML knowledge needed.

  • Daily Update
To stay in the market a fresh content should be changed on a regular basis. It is very easy and can be done every day by the site owner.

  • No page limit
In CMS rather than Static Website that have UNLIMITED number of page there is no such kind of limit.
  • Systems Make Site Updates Easy

When using a CMS, sites can be easily updated from any computer; the user only needs to have the login page and a password. Without a content management system the user needs to have the files on the computer they are using, which may not be practical in all instances.

  • Better communication with clients

Whether you're a retailer with an on-line catalog, a small business owner looking to grow, a writer looking for exposure, or any business or organization seeking to maximize chances for success, a CMS opens up new ways to communicate with the audience. Especially as e-mail systems become more and more clogged with useless junk mail, the customer can rely your content and get their useful information directly.

  • Dynamic:

Forums, polls, online shopping carts, news portals and other such dynamic content are its typical modules.

  • Your ranking is in your hand

A CMS allows to make changes to the site in real time, and these changes will be reflected in the search engine rankings. The site can more easily stay on top of the success and make quick adjustments when needed to continually improve the site's effectiveness.
  • Roles Based User Access

Almost all CMS allows for role based user access to the CMS website. Depending on the role assigned by the website administrator, one can either allowed or restricted access to certain parts of the website. This is useful to allow an author to write on the blog but not to publish it online. An editor can then look over the file, make amendments, and quickly publish the file on the website when done. This is very useful in a multi user environment when responsibilities need to be divided among different users.
  • Easy Availability Of Plugins And Widgets

Another important feature that makes a CMS prices less is the option to install plugins and widgets. There is an active community around almost all CMS platforms that help build plugins and widgets that extend the functionality that a CMS offers. A CMS may offer a specific set of features and functions, and the requirement could be for more. A plugin or widget can bridge this gap and provide features that do not come standard with the CMS.

  • Why pay someone to do something you can do yourself right?
Plain and simple, in the long run you'll save money versus paying someone, whether they're a member of your staff or an outside consultant or service, to make all your changes and updates by hand.


For more details about Content Management System, please feel free to contact Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745. To purchase your hosting and domain, please check here

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

website, A Crucial tool for the Business.


It is a well-known fact that starting or maintaining a business is not easy. It is a constant battle to keep ahead of competitors and to retain existing and attract new customers. In this day an age, the Internet is a crucial tool for all types of ventures. Why should an organisation bother to have a website?

To varying degrees, many of  the people  think themselves as being technology savvy. They  are aware of key developments that are occurring in telecoms and ICT, and they might even own a few of the new-fangled devices that are on the market. However, for those business owners, for example as sole traders or companies, can be use the Internet to improve their businesses prospects.It  tends to take that position because they are not sure whether having a website would benefit their business, or whether the cost of going online is really worth it. Discussed below are some of  the key reasons why establishing an online presence should be an important consideration in overall business strategy.
  • Marketing
A Web presence is a great way to complement the existing marketing plan, The site can be used to inform customers about the  business's services and it makes word-of-mouth advertising easier.
  • .Provides additional avenues for sales.
Thanks to e-commerce, the Internet provides an excellent avenue to secure sales, without customers having to visit a store or office. Depending on the offering and target market, the Internet can offer the most cost effective means of securing that business, thus augmenting local sales.
However, even without the capability to complete electronic transactions online, prospective customers can research products and services prior to contacting an establishment to complete the sale.  Shop/office space is expensive, but developing more avenues through which sales can occur will give a business more options with regard to the emphasis it gives to its physical presence.
  • Gives the business Instant legitimacy.
As a customer,they should know about the company, from where they are going to buy,is legitimate and runs a reputable business. A well designed website lends legitimacy to the business and leads to increased sales.
  • 24/7 Access
Having a website can help broaden the scope of one's business. Customers shop and compare prices now more than ever before and the Internet offers a powerful, quick and efficient way to do so. The customers can go online 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get answers and information about the business, even if the business is closed for the day.
  • Resource
Being online also helps to to reach new clients as the website gives customers and potential customers all the information about the business they need. Online customers will have an immediate resource in their office for reference and referrals.
  • Customers Interaction
The best customers are repeat and referred customers. There is no better way to keep customers coming back than keeping in touch with them. Through the website interaction can be made with clients by way of online newsletters, polls or surveys, chat rooms and special deals. When keeping them in contact it shows customers are cared, one of the best ways to keep them coming back.
  • Audience Survey
The Web is two-way, interactive, and quick communication. When a visitor comes to the website they want to know about the products, services or information. How it can be find out exactly why they came or what they're looking for? To get a handle on the potential customer base a survey can be set up to figure out exactly what visitors are interested in. By finding out what they are looking for  can also learn what new trends are on the horizon or features need to add.
  • Educate
Use the Website to educate. Potential clients will want to know what can be done for them. Besides giving them information about the biz ,website provide resources to educate them on why they need the services.
  • Level the Playing Field
Look and act bigger than a biz really are. By using multiple e-mail accounts (e.g. Sales@, Info@, shipping@, etc) even a one-person business can look like a multi-person or multi-department operation through a company website. Having an online presence will enable to compete with much larger and better capitalized companies to promote the goods and services. A well designed website presents a more appealing image than a larger competitor whose web presence appears weak or amateurish.
  • LeaderShip
Companies who embrace an online strategy will quickly find themselves in a leadership position because of their increased exposure in the global marketplace. Companies that ignore the web run the risk of having their existing competitors and emerging "dot coms" exploit the web to their advantage.

However, in doing so, the site ought to be done well. Businesses are judged on the professionalism, relevance and quality of information provided on their websites. It therefore requires an on-going commitment to maintain them and to keep them up to date.

Just imagine the possibilities!


For more details about Web Solution, please feel free to contact Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745.