There are many things to consider when buying and selling items online. Whether you have a large eCommerce operation or a side-gig selling products on eBay, protecting yourself and your customers against fraud should be a central part of your business plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that in mind, Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is a way to verify the identity of anyone initiating a purchase online. In fact, the European Union (EU) has included this particular process in its revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) regulations<\/a>. It\u2019s now a requirement for merchants conducting sales in the European Economic Area (EEA) to enable SCA methods during checkout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we\u2019ll provide an overview of what SCA is and how it can impact WordPress users. We\u2019ll also take a look at some SCA-ready plugins and services. Let\u2019s dive right in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n When it comes to the regulation of online and digital activities, the EU has been quite active recently. One example is the recent General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR)<\/a>, which has had an impact on websites and businesses of all types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turning its attention to online payment security, the EU enacted a law in September 2019 that requires merchants to use SCA at checkout if the customer\u2019s bank or card issuer is a part of the EEA. This means that verification of the customer\u2019s address or card CVV alone is no longer enough to verify their identity and complete a transaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SCA employs Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)<\/a>, meaning that customers will have to fulfill two of the three verification methods available: <\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, if you\u2019re a merchant in the US, you don\u2019t have to comply with the SCA requirement unless you are actually registered in the EEA. However, making sure you are SCA-ready can help you retain customers. Otherwise, you may find that customers are unable to complete purchases if they are using an EEA-issued payment method. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Global online sales have hit $3.53 trillion in 2019<\/a>, and projections continue to trend upward over the next few years. With that in mind, even if you\u2019re a merchant that\u2019s physically located outside of the EEA, you can\u2019t really ignore SCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is especially true if you\u2019re using WordPress to host your eCommerce store. Since the combination of WordPress and WooCommerce<\/a> is the most popular eCommerce solution<\/a> on the market, it makes sense to pay close attention to how SCA is handled by both platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the best things about WordPress is that it opens up the opportunity to participate in the global market to just about anyone. If you\u2019re selling anything online, there\u2019s a chance you\u2019ll have customers in the EEA. Therefore, we recommend staying ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can do this by making sure your WordPress website is ready for SCA. In fact, many big-name eCommerce entities, such as Apple, have already implemented SCA methods<\/a>. Similarly, many of the most popular payment platforms have also made adjustments to accommodate SCA requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Staying on top of changes to the digital regulation landscape can set you apart if you\u2019re running or designing websites. Whether you\u2019re working for yourself or a client, knowing what plugins and services are already SCA-compliant can be a real time saver as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a number of well-known payment options that have already made an effort to be SCA-compliant. For example, WooCommerce has made it easy<\/a> to review the SCA status of all the payment gateways you can use with its platform, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Globally, PayPal is the third<\/a> most-used payment gateway, followed by Apple and Amazon Pay. Since 54% of customers surveyed said that having more payment options makes a difference in their checkout experience, and a lack of payment options is a major contributing factor to shopping cart abandonment, it\u2019s good that so many popular options are already SCA compliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you make sure that your site is SCA complaint, you\u2019re really shifting the burden of verification back to the card issuer. While some business owners have feared that the added steps during checkout will impact their conversion rates, this is a step that should benefit your site in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal of SCA is to decrease the frequency of payment fraud online. Consequently, ensuring that your WordPress site is SCA complaint is a smart move. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make sure you\u2019re using one of the SCA-friendly payment gateways from our list above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the Stripe WordPre<\/a>ss plugin<\/a> offers extensive documentation<\/a> on SCA compliance. In fact, once you configure the plugin for SCA, you can use Stripe\u2019s 3D Secure test cards<\/a> to make sure your checkout experience is working correctly.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Staying abreast of changes to eCommerce compliance requires excellent developer resources<\/a> and a secure, professional web host.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Strong Customer Authentication?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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SCA Impacts on WordPress Users<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SCA-Ready Plugins and Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ensuring That Your Site Is SCA Compliant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Keep Your Site Up to Speed With WP Engine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n