When should I use a pre-authorization rather than a direct charge?
If the transfer of funds is to be initiated later, but you now want to ensure the customer has the required funds and in fact reserve these funds, you should use a pre-authorization rather than a direct charge.
For example: make a reservation (e.g. hotel), place a pre-order, and so on.
For example(merchant): place a hold on the funds until the order is shipped, and so on.
Can I offer payments with card installments to my customers?
You can offer your customers the option of paying with card installments (automatically splitting the total purchase amount into smaller equal payments) as long as the following criteria are met:
You registered your Viva account in Greece
The customer’s card supports installments
Please note: If offering installments, the value provided by the merchant is not the number of installments the customer will select, and it is not mandatory for the customer to select installments at all. The process is as follows:
You indicate the maximum number of installments you wish to offer to the customer
It is then up to the customer whether they pay with or without installments
If the customer decides to pay with installments, they are able to select the number of installments (up to the maximum specified by you)
What should I do if I sell to international shoppers?
Make sure you present Smart Checkout in the language of the customer. For each payment, just pass through to Smart Checkout the language that you want it to presented in; use the requestLang parameter.
Make sure you offer local payment methods that are familiar to your customers (please see the following question below).
What local payment methods can I offer to my customers?
The local payment methods that you can offer to your customers depend on the country in which you registered your Viva account and on your MCC (Merchant Category Code). Some of these payment methods will have been automatically activated for you by us (e.g. Apple Pay), other payment methods can be activated by yourself (e.g. PayPal), for others you need to get in touch with us to activate them for you.
Can I indicate my preferred payment method?
You have the option to specify the payment method that will be already selected for the customer to pay with; the customer will still have the option to pay with any other payment method.
Can I allow customers to enter their desired amount to pay?
You can allow buyers to enter a custom amount on the checkout form. You should set the disableExactAmount parameter value to true for enabling this feature.
How much effort does it take to do the integration?
The integration is very simple and minimal effort is required from your side.
Keep in mind to perform a proper redirect and not use an iframe. Using an iframe will disable certain features, it will also result in a poor user experience, and thus overall reduce significantly your conversion rates. Customers are accustomed to being redirected to a payment page to conclude their purchase online.
Also, no effort is required for Smart Checkout updates, as Viva handles any enhancements to offer new features and additional payment methods on an ongoing basis.
If you need more information or encounter any issues, don't hesitate to contact one of our representatives.