Online Payment is Great to Have, but How Feasible?
Canadian companies have to provide easy payment choices on their websites if they are to satisfy consumer expectations in the competitive market of today. How realistic, though, is it to include payment processing to your current website? This thorough study looks at the choices presented on several website platforms, stressing important factors for application.
Our Findings at a Glance
According to our evaluation, for most Canadian companies, WordPress with WooCommerce shows the best feasibility; other content management systems (CMS) have certain restrictions. For companies with hardcoded HTML/CSS websites, the problems are significant enough that migration to a reputable e-commerce platform is usually the better option.
WordPress and WooCommerce: The Most Viable Solution
Seamless Integration Capabilities
The most user-friendly and complete payment integration solution for already-existing websites is WordPress with WooCommerce. The importance of integrating online marketplaces for companies aiming to increase their digital presence is acknowledged by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service.
Adding WooCommerce gives your company instant access to one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world, even if it already uses WordPress. This plugin-based strategy is especially effective for businesses that need to modify their e-commerce platform to satisfy particular operational needs.
Extensive Payment Options
WooCommerce truly shines when it comes to payment gateway diversity, offering integration with:
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Authorize.Net
- Braintree
- Square
This variety allows your business to select payment processors that align with your specific requirements and compliance needs. Even without WooCommerce, solutions like “PayPal Buttons” can be integrated into virtually any website, representing a simple way to accept credit card payments for your products or services.
Other CMS Platforms: Understanding the Limitations
Drupal Commerce: Higher Technical Barriers
Although Drupal Commerce provides e-commerce functionality, the ecosystem is far more constrained than WordPress/WooCommerce. For testing purposes, the platform has basic payment functionality; however, for real payment processing, additional modules are needed.
Because it requires more technical know-how and customization, this solution is less feasible for businesses with little funding for development. Businesses’ options are further limited by the smaller ecosystem of payment plugins and extensions.
Joomla: Very Limited E-commerce Ecosystem
For Joomla-based websites, the e-commerce options are even more restricted. The lack of comprehensive documentation and limited mainstream adoption means fewer payment gateway integrations, less community support, and fewer developers familiar with implementing payment solutions on this platform.
Although Joomla can technically integrate payments, most Canadian businesses looking for simple payment solutions find it impractical due to its limitations and complexity.
HTML+CSS and WYSIWYG Builders: Not Feasible for Direct Implementation
Security and Compliance Hurdles
Implementing payment options on hardcoded HTML/CSS websites or those built with WYSIWYG builders presents insurmountable security challenges. Without a robust framework, meeting essential security requirements becomes virtually impossible for most businesses.
The simple fact is that payment processing requires sophisticated security measures to protect sensitive customer data. Hardcoded or WYSIWYG-built sites lack the built-in security features needed to safely handle payment information.
Development Complexity and Excessive Resource Requirements
The development time and complexity required to implement secure payment processing on hardcoded websites is prohibitively expensive for nearly all businesses. Creating a custom payment solution would require significant development resources, specialized expertise in payment security protocols, and ongoing maintenance that simply isn’t worth the investment.
Migration as the Only Practical Approach
Given these challenges, we strongly recommend migrating to WordPress with WooCommerce or Shopify rather than attempting to implement payment solutions on hardcoded websites. The cost of migration is significantly lower than the development and security risks associated with custom payment implementation on non-CMS platforms.
For most Canadian businesses, migrating to a proven e-commerce platform represents a far more cost-effective approach with immediate access to secure, tested payment solutions.
Canadian Digital Standards and Compliance
Any implementation of a payment system has to follow digital security guidelines and laws. The focus on managing security concerns and applying tested solutions fits very nicely with the accepted security methods of WordPress and WooCommerce.
Companies using payment systems have to make sure their selected platform can be set to satisfy Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), which is easily reachable with current e-commerce systems like WooCommerce and Shopify.
Strategic Recommendations for Canadian Businesses
Based on our analysis, here are our clear recommendations for adding payment capabilities to your existing website:
- WordPress with WooCommerce: The highest feasibility option with a robust ecosystem, multiple payment gateway options, and strong security measures. If you’re already using WordPress, this is unquestionably your best path forward.
- Shopify: For businesses willing to migrate platforms entirely, Shopify offers an all-in-one solution with excellent payment processing capabilities built in.
- Other CMS Platforms: We generally don’t recommend Drupal or Joomla for payment integration due to their limited ecosystems and higher technical requirements, unless you’re already heavily invested in these platforms and have strong technical resources.
- Hardcoded/WYSIWYG Sites: For these websites, migration to WordPress/WooCommerce or Shopify is the only practical approach. Attempting direct payment integration is not feasible from both cost and security perspectives.
The Bottom Line
Your company should give security, compliance, and user experience top priority when choosing a payment integration approach. Maintaining PCI DSS compliance and adhering to government digital standards throughout deployment should especially be given particular focus.
Making wise decisions based on the present architecture, technical resources, and business requirements of your website will help you to effectively apply payment capabilities that satisfy your needs as well as those of your clients.
Ready to Add Payment Capabilities to Your Website?
At Alstra Solutions, we specialize in implementing secure, compliant payment solutions for Canadian businesses of all sizes. As a Toronto-based, federally registered IT firm and official Shopify partner, we offer comprehensive e-commerce integration services including WooCommerce and Shopify implementation, custom payment solutions, and ongoing website maintenance. Whether you need to migrate from a hardcoded site to WordPress or enhance your existing CMS with payment capabilities, our team of experts will ensure a smooth transition while maintaining the highest security standards. Contact us today for a personalized consultation and take the first step toward expanding your business online.