Summary – BigCommerce Middleware Customization
Virtina recently triumphantly executed a project for a client based in Australia and New Zealand. The company is a superior name in the AUS (known as LatitudePay) and NZ (known as GenoaPay) BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) interest-free product circle. They are associated with some big brand names like Harvey Norman, Catch, The Good Guys, and Kogan.com, to name a few.
They needed support with BigCommerce payment plugin development which usually requires a team of dedicated developers. The idea is to make the check-out process smooth and the payment process easy peasy. They dealt with multiple platforms and had payment plugins integrated for other platforms except for BigCommerce.
Virtina successfully developed and submitted the plugin successfully for approval from BigCommerce. Once approved, it will be a golden feather in our cap, owing to the stringent guidelines the platform set for third-party plugin approval.
Cause for Payment Plugin Customization
The client dealt with supplying merchant stores with interest-free pay later options in 10 weekly installments with a spending limit of up to $1,000. They had pretty laid-back rules specified for their merchants and clients. They have worked with big names across Australia - brands and merchants alike. They pay the merchants in 2 business days.
They offer customers and merchants’ options listed below.
The rollout is relatively easy, with a simple sign-up process that takes under 2 minutes! There is the mandatory simple credit check. Submit a valid Australian Driver's License or Passport for an ID check. Add your Visa or MasterCard for the weekly payments. Wait for the site to approve your account. And Voila! It takes you to a highly functional site and a fantastic payment product. They also have a mobile app. But, there is always a but!
They needed to develop a payment plugin for BigCommerce. BigCommerce's strict policies became a stumbling block for the client. Having to meet all their security guidelines literally freaked the customer out. It is no mean feat. Developing BigCommerce plugins needs a team of specialists who have years of experience creating them. They also need to have in-depth knowledge of the platform and the checklist that it puts forth for the third-party plugin development.
Challenges Faced in Developing BigCommerce Payment Plugins
The Payments API enables payment processing through the store's connected payment gateway. Merchants can receive a payment for an order created using the Server to Server Checkout API Orders endpoint or the V2 Orders endpoint. The app's purpose is to fetch the order information from the BigCommerce system, feed it to the payment gateway service provider and bring a response from the payment gateway service provider about the payment status. However, for logging purposes, we will have to keep some basic information about the transaction in the app to track them in case of unexpected failures.
The app needed to retain the below information in case there are any unexpected failures:
The second challenge was that the plugin needed to capture the payments correctly. They have to process the refunds on point. Overall, the check-out, payment, or refund process should be over for the customer in a jiffy, without any tedious wait time.
The third and by far the biggest challenge was developing a plugin that ties nicely with the platform's faultless standards and complies with its certifications. The platform needs to approve the plugin in the play store. Only then can it be listed in the marketplace and made available to our client's consumers. They demand that GDPR is open to the general public.
They mandate PCI compliance certification from an external Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) for third-party service providers. Each billing app that uses the BigCommerce Payments API and collects merchants or shoppers' personally identifiable information (PII) must have its Privacy Policy sufficient to the European Union General Data Protection Requirements (GDPR) requirements.
A Solution Through Custom Middleware Plugin Development
Virtina planned to create a plugin the client could call its own. A custom app with LatitudePay API, GenoaPay API, Latitude SF – Direct, and Deferred. We wanted it to go live on the marketplace for the client's customers' benefit if it is a hit. If we get it right, we could help thousands of customers shop interest-free on a pay-later basis with an easy and secure payment process.
Configuring a payment solution that integrates well with the customer website with no hitches – that was our end goal and the answer to our client's woes. Meeting the platform standards to the T will ensure that the plugin gets approved and displays in marketplaces.
Results of the Newly Developed Middleware
We successfully created a plugin devoid of wait time, glitches, chargeback, and bugs. Our plugin is fast, effective, smooth to operate, and secure. Virtina is always mindful of the security of the plugins we create for clients. Thousands of customers' money, sensitive data, and time are at risk.
Customers need to select LatitudePay as their online and in-store purchases payment option. The latitude option would display on the Shopping Cart page. The billing address and shipping address would be compared against eligible countries and currencies. The plugin also has logs that show payment errors, failures, and timeouts.
Despite challenges, we could bring in a plugin that was beyond our expectations. If approved, it will be a breakthrough product for BigCommerce and the clients; of that, we are sure.
Benefits of Developing Custom BigCommerce Middleware
When the plugin gets approved, it will be a colossal win for Virtina. The fact that BigCommerce approval guidelines for payment processes are stringent works in our favor. If we can get through that firewall, all the client's patrons could install the plugin from the play store. The client receives a new plugin. At Virtina, we will be ecstatic to have our plugin installed on millions of customer websites, helping businesses grow.
