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Internet acquiring is a technology that allows you to accept payments from your customers' bank cards over the internet. In fact, it is a virtual payment terminal integrated into your website or mobile application. Thanks to this technology, customers can pay for goods and services online from the comfort of their homes, which significantly expands business opportunities and increases convenience for customers.
In today's market conditions, the availability of Internet acquiring has ceased to be a competitive advantage and has become a necessity for most online businesses. According to the Ukrainian E-Commerce Association, more than 78% of online stores in Ukraine already use this technology, and the volume of the e-commerce market in 2023 exceeded 4 billion dollars.
The Internet acquiring market in Ukraine is actively developing. The key players include both Ukrainian banks with their own solutions and international payment systems. The average commission for transactions ranges from 1.8% to 2.5%, depending on the turnover and the selected provider. It is important to note that most modern solutions support the acceptance of payments not only in hryvnia, but also in major world currencies - dollars and euros.
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The process of Internet acquiring includes several participants, each of which performs its own role:
The standard process of payment via Internet acquiring goes through the following steps. The client selects a product or service on the website and proceeds to payment. Then he fills in a form with his card data (number, expiration date, CVV code) or uses saved data. The system generates a request, which is encrypted and transmitted to the acquiring bank.
The acquiring bank checks the received information and sends the request to the payment system, which, in its turn, contacts the issuing bank. The issuing bank verifies the availability of funds on the client's account and sends a response on approval or rejection of the transaction. This whole process takes from 2 to 5 seconds, which ensures a high speed of service.
In terms of technology, modern Internet acquiring uses several levels of protection. The 3D Secure protocol provides additional verification of the cardholder's identity, and the PCI DSS standard guarantees secure storage and transmission of card data. Most Ukrainian providers support these technologies, which allows us to speak about a high level of payment security.
In today's market there are several main types of Internet acquiring, each of which has its own peculiarities:
Classic Internet acquiring is the integration of a payment solution directly onto a company's website. Payment data is processed on the page of the payment system to which the buyer is redirected. This method is the most common among Ukrainian online stores due to its relative ease of implementation and high level of security. Integration takes from 3 to 7 days on average, depending on the complexity of the existing system and the chosen provider.
Mobile acquiring allows payments to be accepted via a smartphone or tablet using a special card reader (mPOS terminal). This solution is especially popular among small businesses and entrepreneurs who often work out of the office - for example, courier services, roadshows, fairs and festivals. The cost of mPOS-terminals in Ukraine starts from 1000 UAH, and the commission for transactions is usually 2-2.8%.
Cloud solutions for acquiring are services operating under the SaaS (Software as a Service) model. They allow payment acceptance to be quickly connected without the need for complex technical integration. Such systems often include additional functions - sales analytics, subscription management, creation of regular payments. Among the cloud solutions popular in Ukraine are Fondy, WayForPay and Portmone, which offer fast connection (from several hours to 1-2 days) and commission from 1.8% per transaction.
Fast payment systems are a relatively new type of Internet acquiring, which allows you to pay for purchases using QR codes or payment links. Such systems are convenient for social commerce, when purchases are made via social networks or messengers. The advantage of this method is ease of use and low commission (usually 0.7-1.5%), but it is less common among Ukrainian users than traditional card payment.
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The introduction of Internet acquiring has a number of significant advantages for business, but it also comes with certain disadvantages, which are important to consider when making a decision to connect. Let's consider the main pros and cons of this technology.
Among the key advantages of Internet acquiring for Ukrainian entrepreneurs is an increase in sales. According to research by the European Business Association, the introduction of online payment can increase the conversion rate of an online store by 30-40% and increase the average check by 25%. This is due to the elimination of the barrier between the purchase decision and the actual payment.
Another important advantage is a significant expansion of the geography of sales. Without being tied to physical payments, you can sell goods or services throughout Ukraine and beyond. This is especially relevant for companies working in IT services, online education or digital content.
Internet acquiring also provides additional opportunities for analytics. Most modern systems offer detailed statistics on transactions, allowing you to track purchasing habits, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and other important indicators.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Sales growth by 30-40% | Commission from 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction |
| Access to international market | Technical glitches and dependence on internet connection |
| Customer convenience | Fraud and security risks |
| Payment process automation | Integration and support costs |
| Detailed sales analytics | Difficulty of refunds for some systems |
From the disadvantages it is worth noting the need to pay a commission for each transaction. In Ukraine, this amount varies from 1.5% to 3.5%, depending on turnover and the provider chosen. For businesses with small margins, this can be a significant cost.
The implementation of Internet acquiring is especially relevant for the following types of business:
Even for small businesses with monthly turnover of 50000 hryvnias or less, the introduction of Internet acquiring pays off within the first 2-3 months due to an increase in the number of customers and the average check.
There are several dozens of Internet acquiring providers on the Ukrainian market, so it is important to know the key criteria for choosing a suitable solution. First of all, attention should be paid to the size of the commission. On average for Ukrainian companies it is 2-2.5%, but it can be lower in case of a large turnover. Some providers offer individual conditions for businesses with a monthly turnover of 500,000 hryvnias or more.
The speed of crediting funds is another important factor. This varies from instant crediting to 3-5 banking days for different providers. For businesses with a high turnover of goods or services, it is critical to receive funds as quickly as possible.
The reliability and reputation of the provider play a crucial role in the choice. Before connecting, it is worthwhile to study reviews of other entrepreneurs, find out the company's history and check the availability of the necessary licenses. In Ukraine, only registered financial institutions or their official partners can legally work with payments.
Among the popular Internet acquiring providers in Ukraine are:
When choosing a provider, you should also pay attention to the supported payment methods. In addition to bank cards, modern systems often offer payment via e-wallets, Apple Pay, Google Pay and other methods. The more payment options available to your customers, the higher the likelihood of successfully completing a purchase.
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The process of integrating Internet acquiring may vary depending on the technical complexity of your site and the chosen provider, but in most cases involves a few common steps. To start working with any Internet acquiring provider, you will need to prepare the following documents:
Connection to the Internet acquiring system usually takes from 1 to 14 days, depending on the complexity of your business and the promptness of submitting the necessary documents.
Once the contract with the provider is finalized, technical integration begins. Most modern systems offer several ways of connection:
For online stores on popular platforms, integration is often reduced to plugin installation and basic parameter configuration, which takes from 30 minutes to several hours. Custom integration via API may require from 2 to 5 days of programmer's work, depending on the complexity of your system.
When integrating Internet acquiring, certain difficulties often arise. One typical problem is setting up the correct transmission of order data. It is important that information about the composition of the purchase, cost and customer contact details is correctly transmitted to the payment system and back to your site.
Another common difficulty is related to setting up payment status notifications. To work correctly, you need to set up processing of callback notifications from the payment gateway so that your system can automatically change the order status after successful payment.
After integration is completed, make sure to test the system in demo mode. Most providers provide an opportunity to make test payments without actually debiting funds. This allows you to identify and eliminate possible problems before working with real customers.
Payment security is one of the key aspects when implementing Internet acquiring. It is important for Ukrainian entrepreneurs to realize that the security of transactions is ensured both at the level of payment systems and at the level of your website. The main international security standard for payment systems is PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), which all Internet acquiring providers must comply with.
The PCI DSS includes more than 300 security requirements divided into six main categories. Compliance with this standard ensures that the payment system provides reliable protection of customers' bank card data. All legal Internet acquiring providers in Ukraine have a PCI DSS compliance certificate, which is updated annually.
An additional level of protection is provided by 3D Secure technology, which is used by most Ukrainian banks. When paying using it, the client is redirected to a secure page of the issuing bank for additional authorization. The modern version of this technology - 3D Secure 2.0 - analyzes more than 100 parameters of the transaction to determine its legitimacy, which significantly reduces the risk of fraud.
The following technologies are also used to protect customer data:
Among the main types of online payment fraud are the use of stolen cards, phishing and the creation of fake clone sites. To combat these threats, Internet acquiring providers are introducing systems of ford monitoring, which analyze each transaction in real time for suspicious activity.
According to the Ukrainian Interbank Payment Cards Association, thanks to modern protection measures, the level of online payment fraud in Ukraine is less than 0.02% of the total volume of transactions, which corresponds to European security indicators.
Formation of the cost of Internet acquiring services includes several components. The main component is the fee for making payments, which depends on many factors. In the Ukrainian market, the average fee is 1.8-2.8% of the transaction amount, but this figure can vary significantly.
The main factors affecting the amount of commission:
In addition to transaction fees, some providers charge additional fees. These may include: connection fee (one-time payment from 0 to 5000 UAH), monthly subscription fee (from 0 to 1000 UAH), payment refund fee (usually a fixed amount of 20-50 UAH per transaction).
Average tariffs in the Ukrainian market as of 2023-2024 are as follows:
To optimize your Internet acquiring costs, it is recommended to analyze your sales structure and choose the most appropriate charging model. For example, if you have a low average check and a large number of transactions, it is more profitable to choose a provider with a fixed fee per transaction instead of a percentage rate.
Working with several providers at the same time is also an effective way to reduce costs. For example, one service can be used for standard payments and another for subscriptions or regular payments. This approach saves up to 15-20% on acquiring commissions.
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The Internet acquiring market in Ukraine continues to develop actively, and several significant trends can be expected in the coming years. One of the key trends is the introduction of biometric authentication when making payments. Technologies for recognizing fingerprints, face or voice significantly increase the security of transactions and simplify the payment process for users.
Another important trend is the development of contactless payments and mobile wallets. According to the National Bank of Ukraine, the share of contactless payments has grown from 30% in 2020 to more than 60% in 2023. This trend will intensify with the growing penetration of smartphones with NFC modules and the popularization of Apple Pay and Google Pay services.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are also being actively introduced into Internet acquiring systems. These technologies make it possible to:
For Ukrainian businesses, the introduction of Internet acquiring is becoming a critical factor of competitiveness. It is recommended to start by studying the specifics of your target audience - what payment methods your customers prefer, how important to them is the speed of payment processing, what devices they use to make purchases.
Based on this information, choose one or more providers whose terms and functionality best suit your needs. Do not focus solely on the commission - it is also important to take into account the reliability of the service, the speed of crediting funds, the quality of technical support and additional features.
According to analysts of the European Business Association, by 2026 more than 85% of all payments in the e-commerce segment in Ukraine will be made through Internet acquiring, which makes this technology an integral part of the infrastructure of modern business.
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