May 27, 2020 
eCommerce brands always survived on contactless payments or e-payments or instant payments. It helps brands across the globe to ensure smooth transactions irrespective of regional boundaries and payment processing systems.
It is obvious that eCommerce brands have played a key role in bringing e-payments into the frontline and today even physical stores accept one or other modes of e-payment as a mode of payment to direct buyers.
In this global pandemic context contactless payments remain a helpful solution to avoid cash payments and physical contacts in shopping. Let us briefly see what the leading modes of contactless payments and their benefits are.
What is an e-Payment Solution?
E-payment is nothing but the transaction of funds via an online or digital system. It eliminates the use of cheque or cash. Technically, it is an electronic data interchange between senders and receivers’ banks or funds.
E-payment is an inevitable part of the eCommerce industry as everything from a-z of shopping happens contactless via digital platforms and digital money transfer.
These are the popular e-payment solutions used in the eCommerce industry, worldwide.
QR Codes
QR code scanning is getting widely popular for its ease of use and instant transfer capabilities. In this system retailers display a QR code at the checkout page and the buyers can scan the QR code while making a purchase.
Upon scanning the code via a handheld device like a smartphone, the fund transfer gets initiated. This is one of the leading contactless payment modes used by many eCommerce platforms.
A highlighted benefit of QR code payment is that it is contactless and requires no technical expertise as even laymen shoppers can use it, instantly.
Online Transfer
In online transfer mode the buyer needs to use the online transfer options provided by his bank. It includes either logging into online banking platform and initiate the fund transfer or use credit or debit cards for fund transfer.
To shop using online transfer methods, the customers need to have access to the bank’s online portal and most of the time the transfer happens after an OTP validation.
Third-party Platforms
There are a lot of third-party platforms that support the e-commerce industry to help contactless payments. Such applications work as a middleman between buyer’s and seller’s banks.
Some of these services are free of cost, while some of them charge a nominal processing fee. eCommerce brands can integrate one or any third-party application in their platform so that the checkout will initiate through them.
One disadvantage with third-party applications is that customers may have to pre-install them in their devices and get registered in it before proceeding to shop.
Payment gateways
Payment gateways are the pioneers in digital fund transfer. A payment gateway is a third-party application that is authorized to transfer funds between banks.
eCommerce platforms integrate one or many payment gateway solutions so that customers will be redirected into their checkout sections while completing the purchase.
Benefits of Contactless Payment
Digital payments are preferred over cash payments for several reasons, let us see a few of them in brief.
Efficiency and Speed
Digital fund transfer is fast and efficient. They reach the receiver’s bank account within no time. Customers prefer to buy from who delivers fast, thus receiving funds and initiating the delivery process instantly is super important in the eCommerce industry. Digital funds help instant transfer with less effort and high efficiency.
Security
Digital transactions are a highly secure mode of the transaction as advanced technologies help e-payments to be secured from any loss. Encrypted transactions remain hidden from any external hacking or visibility.
They are all anonymous and tracing your transactions for a third party is nearly impossible. It reduces the risk of fund transfer.
Contactless
In today’s context of the global pandemic of Covid-19, being contactless is mandatory. E-payment solutions help not to touch physical cash which is passed between countless users.
In digital payments no physical contact with cash or any other device apart from your own smartphone is required. This helps to be safe from the spread of diseases.
Global Transactions
If digital payments were not available, your shopping options would have been restricted within your physical reach.
With the emergence of e-payment solutions, now you can buy your products from any corner in the globe and safely checkout using digital transfer. This helps you to buy better products and the best price from any seller of your choice.
The Future of Digital Payment
Though digital payments are at an emerging stage, industrialists count this as the payment trend of the coming times. A lot of innovations are happening in the e-payment sector and future payment processing systems will be equipped with security, easiness, efficiency and speed, beyond our imaginations.
The growth of e-payment solutions will boost the eCommerce industry as a whole. Digital payments will soon overtake cash transactions and will remain the mode of payment of the future.
