How Integration Using Website Payments Standard Works

Website Payments Standard uses HTML buttons and forms on your website to redirect people to PayPal in order to pay you. People return to your website after they complete their payments.

The basic page sequence for Website Payments Standard requires people to log in or sign up for PayPal before they can complete their payments. Figure 1.1 , “Website Payments Standard Basic Payment Page Sequence,” illustrates the basic page sequence that people experience when they pay with Website Payments Standard.

Figure 1.1

Website Payments Standard Basic Payment Page Sequence

Website Payments Standard offers variations on the basic payment page sequence that is shown above. The HTML variables and their values that you include with the payment buttons that you place on your website, as well as the settings that you make in your PayPal account profile, control which variations the people who pay you see.

Note:

The most common variation to the basic page sequence occurs when the PayPal Account Optional profile setting is turned on. With the PayPal Account Optional page sequence, people who are not currently PayPal members can pay by credit card without first signing up for a PayPal account. For more information, see “PayPal Account Optional”.

The Basic Page Sequence for Website Payments Standard

This section provides a visual example of the basic payment page sequence for payments made with Website Payments Standard. In the example, Steve buys a photographic image from a fictitious online store named DesignerFotos. Steve has a PayPal account before he buys.

Note:

This examples illustrates the use of Buy Now buttons, which are described more completely in Chapter 3, “Single-Item Payment: Buy Now Buttons.”

Begin: Buyer is Ready to Purchase

The basic payment page sequence for Website Payments Standard begins when the buyer is ready to make a purchase. In this example, Steve browses the catalog of images on the DesignerFotos website. He finds the image he wants to buy and clicks the Buy Now button.

Figure 1.2

Basic Payment Page Sequence Begins on the Merchant Website

1: Buyer Logs In to PayPal

Steve’s browser redirects him to the PayPal website. Steve has an existing PayPal account, so he enters his credentials and clicks the Log In button. Buyers without PayPal accounts complete their payments by clicking the continue checkout link and following an alternative page sequence.

Figure 1.3

Buyer Logs In to PayPal

When buyers visit a merchant website for the first time or if they disabled cookies in their browsers, they may see the following alternative log-in page:

Figure 1.4

Buyer Creates a PayPal Account or Logs in

2: Buyer Reviews Payment Details

After logging in to PayPal, Steve sees the Review Your Payment page from PayPal. Steve can select the funding source for the payment from his funding sources on file with PayPal. Funding sources include bank accounts, credit cards, and debit cards. In addition, Steve can select the shipping address from his addresses on file with PayPal.

After Steve is satisfied with the payment options and payment amount, he confirms the payment by clicking the Pay $255.00 Now! button.

Figure 1.5

Buyer Reviews Payment Details

3: Buyer Views PayPal Payment Confirmation

After clicking the Pay Now! button, Steve sees a payment confirmation page from PayPal. Steve can:

l	View the PayPal confirmation number, which lets him track his payment within his PayPal account.

l	Click the View Printable Receipt link, which lets him print a receipt of his payment.

l	Click the Return to DesignerFotos button, which returns him to the DesignerFotos website and shop for more images.

Figure 1.6

Payment Confirmation Page on PayPal

End: Buyer Returns to Merchant Website

After reviewing the payment confirmation page, Steve returns to the DesignerFoto website by clicking the Return to DesignerFotos button.

Figure 1.7

Buyer Returns to a Landing Page on the Merchant Website

The landing page that Steve returns to on the merchant website was specified with the return variable of the Buy Now button that Steve clicked originally to begin the payment process.

The design of the merchant landing page is the responsibility of the merchant. Consider the following when designing your own landing page:

l	You must state clearly that the purchase made through PayPal was successful and that the transaction has been completed.

l	You must tell the buyer that the payment and transaction details will arrive in an email sent to the buyer.

l	Offer the buyer a few products that might be of interest based on what the buyer just purchased.

l	If you enabled Auto Return, let buyers view and print a receipt. The alternative payment confirmation page on the PayPal website disappears quickly and the page does not offer a View Printable Receipt link.

For more information, see “Auto Return”.

l	Provide a link or button that lets the buyer return to your product catalog and continue shopping.

How You Get Your Money

After a buyer makes a payment, your PayPal account lists the payment in your Account History, as shown below.

Figure 1.8

Account History: Recent Activity

Notifications You Receive About Payments

You can be notified of payments in four ways: email, transaction history, downloadable history log, and Instant Payment Notification (IPN).

Email

You receive email notification when:

l	a successful payment is made.

l	a payment is pending.

l	a payment is canceled.

If you want to stop receiving email notification:

1.	Click the Profile subtab of the My Account tab.

2.	Under Account Information, click the Notifications link.

3.	Under Payment Notifications, clear the I receive PayPal Website Payments and Instant Purchase checkbox.

4.	Click the Save button.

Transaction History

You transaction history is available from the History page. It provides information about your payments and other account activity. The status of a payment can be:

l	Completed: The transaction was successful and the money was credited to your account

l	Cleared: The payment cleared the sender’s account and was credited to your account

l	Uncleared: The payment has not cleared the sender’s account yet

To learn how to work with your transaction history, see the Order Management Integration Guide.

Downloadable History Log

You can download copies of your transaction history to your computer. You can specify a date range for the transactions and the file format of the downloadable history log.

To learn how to work with downloadable history logs, see the Order Management Integration Guide.

Instant Payment Notification (IPN)

Instant Payment Notification (IPN) is a mechanism by which you to receive transaction data. IPN posts information about individual transactions to a URL on your website that you have programmed to process this incoming data. To use IPN, you must activate it, because it is disabled by default.

If IPN is activated, you receive a notification in the following cases:

l	When a payment is first sent, indicating that the status of the payment is Completed or Pending

l	When a payment clears, fails, or is denied, if the status was pending

To learn more about IPN, see “Instant Payment Notification: notify_url” and the Order Management Integration Guide.

Other Integration Features Used with Website Payments Standard

Website Payments Standard works with other integration features not described in this guide:

l	Instant Payment Notification (IPN) and Payment Data Transfer (PDT) are HTML mechanisms that send information about payments to programs that run on your website. IPN and PDT are described in the Order Management Integration Guide.

l	Subscriptions and recurring payments, which are described in the Subscriptions and Recurring Payments Guide

l	Gift certificates that are redeemable for purchases made from your website. Gift Certificates are described in the Gift Certificates Guide.