Skip Navigation
Scroll Up

Five Payment Integration Models for Your Software

We recently hosted a webinar where we spoke with serial software entrepreneur, Mark Wilson. One particular point of interest was Mark’s process on deciding which payment model to use for his software. There are five payment integration models, each with their own pros and cons.

Mark has had an exciting career in the software space, but it was during his time as CEO and Founder of TermSync that he needed to evaluate payment integration strategies for his Accounts Receivable platform.

Mark knew that payments were rapidly becoming a key feature of their software, but the ways in which to best implement such a strategy could easily become a stumbling block if not properly evaluated. This led to his partnering with Wind River Financial, and together we reviewed five ways to integrate payments to determine the best option for his platform. You can review the webinar in its entirety to learn how Mark decided which model worked best for him.

Choosing the Right Payment Model

Above is an excerpt from the webinar where we introduce the five payment integration models for your software. These approaches vary based on several factors, the most important of which is related to user experience of the merchant as well as which roles are managed by the software provider and payment processor. The level of revenue for the software platform provider increases with each step.

  • Agnostic Model – The agnostic model is used by around half of all software platforms with payment integration. This strategy allows their clients to interface with any payment provider, however, it generates no revenue for the platform.
  • Referral Model – Within a referral model, clients can choose whichever payment provider they wish, although the software provider may refer a few preferred vendors. The software platform can generate a revenue stream but still relies on a payment processor to handle key user experiences such as sales and support.
  • Shared-Sales Model – When a software company decides to leverage an exclusive partnership with one payment provider to power payments, they can offer their clients a much more streamlined and consistent experience. This model also provides opportunity for increased revenue.
  • White Label Model – In a white label approach, a software provider has elected to control a large amount of the payment processing user experience. They are partnering with an exclusive payment processor who is strictly behind the scenes. This allows for significant control, more involvement and a higher revenue potential.
  • ISO Model – If a software platform desires to be its own payment processor, they can follow the ISO model. In this scenario, they have ultimate control over every aspect of payment processing, underwriting, compliance and fraud. This strategy offers the highest amount of potential revenue but comes with significant regulatory compliance and risk.

If you’d like some further reading on these payment integration models, we also have a white paper that breaks down each payment model in more detail. Or if you have a more specific question, feel free to contact us directly.

[su_button url=”/contact” background=”#5a6e16″ size=”10″ center=”yes”]CONTACT US[/su_button]

Share This Article
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linked In