Q: I finished my Shopify store that sells various nutraceuticals. I signed up to the Shopify payments platform but after a month of processing they shut down my account. I am looking for merchant services but I don't want to switch to another platform for my store. I've already spent a lot getting Shopify ready to go.

I sell mainly immunity supplements on my Shopify store, but recently I added some upsells offering weight loss products..  I sell mostly straight sale but have optional continuity with a 10% discount for customers who sign up.  I was scaling nicely and processed 55k in my first month due to my good media buys. One morning I woke up and my Stripe account powered by Shopify payments was disabled and my store was closed because customers could no longer checkout. I’m looking for a new payment gateway but I really want to avoid having to switch my store away from Shopify.

A: The most important thing is to get your Shopify Store up and running again so you don’t lose your customers. To get that done, reach out to a payment processor who works with merchants in high-risk industries.

To avoid long downtime, your first line of defence is to open a PayPal account and pop it on your Shopify checkout page.  Getting a high-risk merchant account will ultimately be your best recourse although that can take a week to set up whereas with PayPal express you will be up and running in minutes.

Is PayPal a long term solution?

Similar to Shopify payments powered by Stripe, PayPal does not support nutraceutical merchants very well.  If you’re doing forced or optional continuity, it makes it even harder to work with these payment processors.

It’s a good idea to have PayPal setup as a backup or to accommodate your international orders. Orders outside the US will convert better with PayPal as it offers local currency conversion and payment methods that appeal to various markets.

If you’re scaling substantially outside the US, your high-risk payment processor has solutions to help you convert better globally but if the volume is very low, it wouldn’t be worth the extra time and fees to put that solution in place if you can simply rely on PayPal.

If your sales volume is low (under 25k per month) and chargebacks stay in acceptable limits, PayPal typically will let you run your nutraceutical store even if its not an industry they happily support.

But for now, since your store has been shut by Shopify payments, PayPal can be plugged in quick allowing you the time to get your merchant account and third-party payment gateway in place so you can start scaling your business without worry.

Which Payment Gateways does Shopify Support?

Shopify has a direct integration to authorize.net which is supporting by many high-risk payment processors.  This is a very simple and quick integration where you only have to enter a username and password and you’ll be ready to start accepting payments within the hour.

Some payment processors prefer to work with NMI and may even force you to use this payment gateway as they may have to input specific fraud settings for your business to ensure chargeback levels stay within acceptable limits.

If that’s the case, there are several 3rd party vendors that offer plug ins and ways to connect your Shopify checkout to NMI.  One example is CartHook, it not only connects to your Shopify checkout page and allows you to plug into the NMI payment gateway but it also has additional neat features that can increase your conversions on subscriptions and upsells.

You don’t need an API for integration as this solution is already integrated into Shopify.  A username and password will suffice to get started and accept payments using the NMI payment gateway.

What if I want to support alternative payment options?

If you want to add ACH as a payment option in addition to credit cards, you can apply with your payment processor to avoid an additional integration.  If you want to use an external vendor for ACH, same as credit card payments, there are several 3rd party plugs in you can look into.

Although you were shut down by Shopify payments, you can still apply to Stripe for ACH processing.  Adding the Plaid ACH solution to Stripe’s ACH will mean quicker approval times and payouts.  The transaction fees for ACH are very low in comparison to credit card fees, so this should be a no brainer. As customers in the US are becoming credit strapped, offering ACH in your online store is becoming a must to increase your conversions and capture more sales.

Where do I go from here?

Now that you have your PayPal account up and running so your store Is not closed, its time to start looking into finding a payment provider for your online store.

Many payment solution providers such as DirectPayNet work with Shopify merchants to find a merchant account that understands the challenges faced by nutraceutical merchants.

Also, most payment processors can suggest third-party payment providers and payment gateways that work for Shopify merchants.  Keep an open communication and don’t let integrations stop you from working with a payment provider that you feel comfortable with. As a Shopify store owner selling nutraceutical, you have limited options for payment processors, adding limitations because of complicated APIs isn’t necessary. Most payment gateways will be simple to setup through the Shopify admin panel.

Once you’ve got your credit card processing in place, don’t forget to think about adding ACH, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay and other alternative payment methods.  Buying traffic is expensive so ensure to offer as many convenient ways to pay for your customers.

Offering currency conversion outside the United States to markets like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom will improve the customer experience and your conversions outside the US.  Make sure your fulfillment is able to expedite orders quickly to avoid chargebacks from foreign orders.

Working with a trusted advisor like DirectPayNet will guarantee your  ecommerce website will thrive.  Crafting a payment strategy to accommodate your scaling nutraceutical store is a must to avoid bottlenecks in your business.  Contact us today to discuss credit card rates, shopify payment gateways and conversion optimization.