Page 38 - AVN August 2015

STOP, THIEF | |By Nate Glass
What Do Buyers Want? A seasoned team provides some insights
The headline above may seem like a rhetorical question, and let’s face it, as a services provider for
e-commerce we here at CCBill ask ourselves that question quite a bit. No doubt countless online merchants do
as well. In a relatively short time period, we have gone from low consumer trust for paying for items online to
to The New York Times,
a complete “digital destination marketplace,” not only full of reputable payment processors, but one in which
consumers actively prefer to shop and pay for their goods and services in an online environment. With that
reality, the question really becomes, what is it that those buyers want? Or perhaps more importantly, how can
”From Pandora to Netflix
the new consumer is
merchants provide whatever “it” is?
accustomed to the
subscription model and
now embraces it.
everyone can be an online destination offering just
about any product ever, like Amazon. Or develop a
wallet pay system like Apple or Google. For the rest
of us, partnering with complementary businesses and
e-commerce providers can be the answer. So, if you
have a site that sells tangibles, and are looking to also
offer digital subscriptions, it’s important to seek out
partners that can help you achieve that goal. Many
payment processors have tools and features to help,
including CCBill.
Today’s e-Commerce In the new world of online, what the “it” buyers are
The Merchant Wants
As a provider of e-commerce services, CCBill supports
looking for might just be convenience. They also
many online markets, including the adult space. For
want responsive support, a quick sales process, and
years, many of our adult industry merchants have
self-service. More importantly, they are looking to
stated they would like to be able to offer digital
buy more from a single, trusted source. It really is
goods/subscription services along with tangible
just a natural evolution of what has been going on in
products through their websites, with a single
the brick-and-mortar industry for decades. There’s a
purchase. The same holds true for more traditional
reason supermarkets are successful. It’s because they
sellers of tangible products, as they would like to
offer an extensive variety of products, within one
supplement their sales with subscription services.
physical space. Should this approach also be applied
The thing we have found is that merchants and
to online storefronts? Consumers seem to believe it
businesses taking the step to offer both tangibles and
should.
digital subscriptions are the ones reaping the benefits
of more sales.
Here are some things to ask when looking for a
payment processor to help you integrate new types of
products:
The Consumer
• Can the payment processor help you reach
and interact with other organizations that sell
Experience Any way you look at it, e-commerce has had a
complementary goods?
• Is the payment processor positioned to help you
meaningful shift toward the consumer. The addition
easily cross-sell digital goods or tangibles?
of tablets and phablets, smart TV devices, streaming
• Does it present payment forms that can work for
media players, gaming consoles, and ApplePay are
the wide variety of devices that today’s consumers are
increasingly catering to the new consumers and their
using? And work in the multitude of geo-locations in
which those consumers are located?
desire for mobility and portability. Yes, technology
is a driving force, but it is complemented—or maybe
Those are just a sampling of some questions to
even superseded—by consumer purchase behaviors.
think about, and perhaps ones to ask of your payment
Consumers want access to content and/or products
from wherever they are, on whatever device they
happen to have on, and at any moment.
Making It Happen So we have seen that consumer behaviors are shaping
processor. But what about the answer to our initial
question: What do buyers want? Put simply, they
want everything.
Interestingly, we have also seen a revival in the
online sales, and merchants want to be able to offer
They want a purchase process that is highly
subscription model for online content. Consumers
different types of goods to attract and retain their
convenient. They want one online “store” that can
today have become comfortable with buying,
buyers. That’s not exactly earth-shattering news.
offer them a variety of tangible products and digital
accessing and connecting to a breadth of new and
But when you really look at the market, some things
goods—and increasingly, one that can store their
existing media, whenever and however they want.
are rather eye-opening. For instance, according to
payment information. They also want to be able to
From Pandora to Netflix to The New York Times, the
a Consumer Payment Choice study performed by
buy a complementary product with the click of a
new consumer is accustomed to the subscription
TSYS, almost half (48 percent) of the respondents
button. And they want to make the purchase in their
model and now embraces it. What does all of this
made a purchase with a credit card that they had on
native currency, and have the payment form in their
mean? While it’s impossible to get into the minds
file with the online retailer that they use the most.
native language.
of millions of individual consumers, one thing does
Additionally, more than one quarter of them (28
If you think all of that sounds a bit daunting,
become a bit more evident. The buyer visiting a site
percent) registered their credit card with the online
you’re likely thinking the same thing as many other
that offers intimates and toys is likely looking for a
retailer they use the most. That all speaks to one
merchants. However, with the right partners and
tangible product, sure. However, that same buyer
very publicized growing trend: e-wallets. We’ve all
e-commerce providers, meeting those consumer
could also be drawn to an online subscription for
seen what ApplePay has done, and Google has now
wants can be achieved, giving you happy, returning
content. Merchants that provide those sorts of up-sale
announced Android Pay. Plus, think of all the sales
buyers … and also more sales.
purchase opportunities are the ones getting ahead.
Amazon has enabled with its 1-Click feature.
After all, one source and one checkout makes for an
The point here is tech solutions are being built
easy purchase and a smooth consumer experience.
to specifically cater to the new consumers. But not TECH NEWS
This article was written by the staff of CCBill, an online payment
processing and merchant services provider based in Arizona.
38 | AVN.com | 8.15