Month: November 2023

A golden credit card, representing credit card payments and PCI DSS compliance

How to Achieve PCI DSS Compliance as an E-Commerce Business

Christoph Laurer Leave a comment

There are two important truths about PCI DSS in e-commerce environments: It’s easy to reach compliance. But it’s hard to maintain it. 

Well, in comparison, at least. Setting up a PCI DSS-compliant environment for credit card payments is never exactly “easy”. But many e-commerce companies will experience the upholding and the monitoring of measures to secure credit card data as a challenge – especially as the requirements evolve over time. In different phases of business development, e-commerce companies may find themselves struggling with: 

  • Putting up a profound strategy to uphold PCI DSS compliance over time. 
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of PCI security measures put in place. 
  • Discovering deviations from the standard required by PCI DSS. 
  • Educating their teams in putting the specifications into ongoing action. 

As an online retail business, this article may help you understand the requirements of PCI DSS, the challenges those requirements entail and possible actions to become compliant. It will: 

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A globe with pins all over it, representing local payment methods used in different countries

A Voyage Through the World of Payment Methods: How Your Customers Pay

Christoph Laurer Leave a comment

In e-commerce and online services, local payment methods grow in importance in many nations around the globe. On an international scale, the global credit card schemes have dominated online payments for a long time. But currently, they are in decline: Estimations state that in 2026, only around 16% of online payments will be conducted via credit cards.  At the same time, payment solutions by BigTech companies like Apple, Tencent and Amazon grow in favor. They are popular and well-known all over the globe. In addition, digital financing like Buy Now, Pay Later find widespread adoption on platforms. Customers flock to such payment options as they guarantee them greater financial flexibility in the face of high inflation and times of economic downturn. 

In any case, local payment methods are gaining steam: Some purely digital, some including offline interactions. Many such local payment methods have limited reach, only seeing adoption in specific regions or nations. However, sometimes a local payment method is able to expand beyond the confines of its region and become an international player. Today’s BigTech payment titans belong to this category.

Alternative payment methods encompass a variety of options, including: 

  • Bank Transfers 
  • Cash-on-Delivery
  • Direct Debit
  • Electronic Wallets
  • Voucher Payments 
  • And more…

The Payment Options Line-Up Reflects Local Payment Preferences  

Irrespective of their form, these alternative methods shape a country’s payment culture, which can vary greatly even between neighboring nations. Therefore, businesses looking to expand into new markets must consider local payment preferences. It’s estimated that up to 77% of transactions are made via alternative payment methods in some counties. 

This article is intended to assist companies in understanding the payment cultures of regional markets. It provides an overview and aims to offer businesses a starting point for their own in-depth research. The article will cover the following regions: 

  • Europe
  • Africa and the Middle-East
  • Asia and the Pacific
  • North America
  • South America

What payment methods do people in these parts of the world prefer? Let’s spin the globe a bit and have a look. 

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