Apple Pay Integration: Forecasts for Your Next Magento Store

Synopsis: Apple Pay is the integral payment method embedded in Apple.inc devices. Users navigate through the add-to-cart process with a subscription product. Look at the checkout page and confirm that the Apple Pay button shows up there, below the Proceed to Checkout button.

Assembling Apple Pay With E-Commerce

Apple Pay for eCommerce synchronizes with the main selling points behind the new P2P payment technologies like the ease of use, brand recognition. It gives us a single unified system for both retail purchases and peer-to-peer (P2P) payments space transfers. Apple Pay makes iPhone users pay with their phone devices, without requiring tangible cards. It also supports major payment providers like American Express, MasterCard, and Visa etc. Therefore, it works at any place that requires contactless payment.

Understanding the Embedded Technology: NFC, RFID

What is RFID?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is the next generation of Auto Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) technology which helps you automate business processes. This technology helps in auto-identification, tracking of items with a tag on them which sends data to readers through radio waves.

What is NFC?

These tags work on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. It looks like a small chip that can erase input, which we can write some personalized features. These chips are highly secure and feature quick certification linked, affordable chips, high bandwidth, and consume low energy. It is widely used in advertising, consumer electronics, gaming, healthcare, retail, social media, etc. Modern smartphones feature NFC coupled with RFID for efficient payment systems, wireless pairing, access control, and high-end customer loyalty.

Where Are NFC/RFID Tags Applicable?

RFID tags are paper-thin with strong adhesive on the back and water-resistant transparent PET film on the front. Can be used for Smart advertisement, Goods and device authentication, Call requests, vouchers and coupons, Call to action, SMS, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi pairing, Connection handover, Product authentication, Mobile companion tags, Electronic shelf labels and Business Cards.

What Can Apple Pay Do For Your Magento Application?

A customer expects multiple options to pay while they shop online with debit cards, credit cards, Unified Payments Interface, or any other mobile-friendly payment method. Integrating Apple Pay into your Magento application will accelerate its performance during checkout drastically. It will save the time of your customers by skipping the shipping and payment field details. They will simply have to use their Touch ID to authorize any transaction. Merchants who integrate Apple Pay with their Magento marketplace will have something better to offer to their customers. It simplifies and optimizes the payment process for the customers. It enhances transaction security and improves the shopping experience.

Uses and Benefits of Apple Pay Express Checkout Extension

Apple Pay assists users in making online payments with one click. It supports American Express, Visa, Master Card, Union Pay etc. Enhanced Security, Fast & quicker checkouts, Supports greater privacy, Maximize sales potential are other offerings.

Google Pay vs. Apple Pay

Apple and Google have identical offerings. Both are contactless mobile payment systems that use Near Field Communication (NFC).

• Apple uses Touch IDs, while Google uses PIN authentication to make nifty payments. While Google opts for traditional PIN-based authentication, Apple’s system is easier to use and more significant. If the merchant has a contactless-enabled register, customers will be able to transact using Google Pay, Apple Pay, other mobile wallets, or contactless credit cards.

• Note 1: One caveat with Google Pay is that in-store contactless payments are only available on Android devices.

• Apple uses Tokenization, where it uses a customer’s card details, contacts the issuing bank directly upon confirmation, receives a device and card-specific token called the Device Account Number (DAN), stored on a secure chip on the device. Google saves customers’ card details on their servers, issues a virtual card to their device – Google Wallet Virtual Card. The device only transmits the virtual card during the payment. The vendor never sees the customer’s real card, which is secured in Google’s secure servers.

• Google saves card details on its servers, tracks users’ transactions, saves order details but Apple never tracks users’ transactions. It is not a payment intermediary like Google, instead of a payment medium alone. An Apple Pay-enabled phone is a carefully curated device that acts like a credit card in itself. Fingerprint scan security and the ability to remotely disable the phone offers a bit of protection; in worst cases, if someone does get access to the Apple Pay phone, users can take this matter up with their bank, no Apple.

• Apple negotiates deals with banks, limits the number of cards used with Apple Pay, cannot monetize their users, charges per-transaction fees to the banks that it partners with.

• Note 2: But when Google does not charge any transaction fee, and Apple charges a per-transaction fee, why should users pay with Apple Pay? The simplest response is due to security.

• Google is often easier to pay both modes of payment (Apple and Google) make minor improvements in convenience and major improvements in security. Why the industry should make a trade-off? It is a potential discussion criterion though!

Features Apple Pay

Apple Pay Security: It is the basic protocol behind the usage of any mobile application. Merchants deploy multiple layers of authentication to alleviate their fears, retain existing customers, and acquire new ones.

• Near Field Communication (NFC): It is the principle behind contactless payments on mobile devices, relieving the need to have tangible assets. It can be decomposed into NFC chips and Touch ID fingerprint identity sensors.

• Multiple Security Levels (Tokenization): Customer identity is verifiable via Touch ID after storage of their card details in the App Passbook. It is connected with a merchant cash register for generating the security token for authentication purposes. They however never have any data related to customer identity or their credit card.

How to Start Offering Apple Pay Payment?

It is relatively easier to start offering Apple Pay. Contact payment provider, request to accept Apple Pay and they will set it up for you. Download the Apple Pay symbol, showcase it on your store, and register your terminal. Show your customer that you accept Apple Pay. You do not require to pay any additional cost to add Apple Pay. You can as well accept many more forms of payments at no additional cost.

Configuring Apple Pay in Magento

Popular payment gateways like Stripe, Authorize.net, and Braintree etc. accept Apple Pay. Also, developers make use of third-party Magento extensions for integrating the Apple Pay payment options. Here’s an example of integrating Apple Pay with Stripe:

1. Register with Stripe Apple Pay for the web
2. Install the extension of Stripe in your Magento database
3. Log in to the Magento backend administrator dashboard
4. Go to Stores > Configuration > Sales > payment Methods
5. Scroll down to Stores > Configuration > Sales > Payment Methods
6. Scroll down further to Subscribe Pro | Apple Pay section
7. Select Apple Pay Express Checkout Configuration from amongst different payment options
8. Expand it
9. Turn on the “Enabled” setting
10. Select Merchant Country Code
11. Select Apple Pay Merchant Capabilities
12. Select Apple Pay Supported Networks
13. Click on the Save Configuration button
14. Connect the extension with the Stripe account
15. Save the configuration
16. Navigate through Add to Cart process with a subscription product on the Apple Device.
17. View the Cart page, watch out for the “Apple Pay” button to appear below the “Proceed to Checkout” button.
18. Apple Pay for Magento 2 website should be fully functional now.

Conclusive: Stay Updated, Stay Relevant

A seamless payment gateway is a prerequisite for an e-commerce store. As we cut across the importance and potential of Apple Pay Extension into Magento 2 e-commerce application, we underline being one of the best Magento development companies in India. We have expertise in implementing such custom features and functionalities and developing e-commerce stores from scratch. As we keep a check on the demand for this service, if you want us to create a Magento store or integrate Apple Pay in the Magento website, leave your email and we’ll update you on the status!