By Whitney Troxel
The digital age has opened up new doors for businesses, allowing them to capitalize on a global market. Despite the potential revenue benefits, those unfamiliar with international markets may feel overwhelmed by the idea of conducting business across borders. However, there are numerous resources available to help entrepreneurs make informed decisions and maximize their success abroad.
By leveraging a multi-currency processing (MCP) solution, any business — from small retail stores to large multinational organizations — has the chance to open up new markets and tap into greater customer engagement around the world. In this post, we’ll explain why MCP is an invaluable tool for any company that wishes to maximize revenue and expand their global reach.
What is multi-currency processing?
Multi-currency processing is a system that allows businesses to price their goods and services in various foreign currencies while still settling and reporting payments in U.S. dollars.
This means domestic customers can purchase your products U.S. Dollars (USD), but international customers can use their native currency, whether it’s the British Pound Sterling (GBP), Euro (EUR), Japanese Yen (JPY), and more.
Companies seeking to expand their international presence can benefit immensely from this option, as it eliminates the need for pricey infrastructure and new bank accounts in each target country.
How MCP works
When utilizing an MCP service, you can select which currency to use for the transaction in one of three ways:
- Automatically detecting geolocations — With geolocation technology, businesses can detect the customer’s location and automatically suggest a currency based on that location. This is a great way to simplify the payment process and provide a great customer experience by showcasing localized payment options.
- Providing a drop-down menu of currency choices — Customers can select the currency they’d like to use based on the options you provide. The only downside to this option is that customers might not see or understand that they can select a different currency.
- Manual key-entry of credit card transactions — Businesses can manually enter the customer’s credit card details directly into the payment gateway for a card-not-present (CNP) solution and choose the most appropriate and cost-effective way of processing payments.
Not every MCP provider offers all three options. You’ll need to decide which options make the most sense for your business and find a provider that can serve your specific needs.
Advantages of implementing MCP
Companies must never undervalue the importance of providing localized payment options. Allowing customers to pay in their own currency is a great way not only to increase potential revenue, but also gain customer trust and loyalty in the following ways.
1. Reduced currency conversion barriers for customers
MCP is ideal for companies looking to break down currency exchange obstacles that may arise for their international customers. Instead of having to utilize third party services or pay overseas transaction fees, customers can pay in their native currency.
Businesses are not only able to avoid any related expenses associated with converting currencies, but are also able to provide a better customer experience, reduce cart abandonment rates, and complete more sales.
2. Greater market reach and expansion opportunities
Through MCP, businesses can price their products and services in a variety of different currencies while still having all payments sent directly to them in USD. This provides an invaluable opportunity for companies to explore foreign markets without taking on the financial burden or responsibility of setting up a local entity.
Plus, businesses don’t have to worry about the hassle of setting up multiple bank accounts or currency exchanges, enabling them to expand rapidly and with ease.
3. Improved payment approval ratios
Foreign payments can sometimes be blocked due to the perceived risk of overseas transactions. With MCP, customers pay in their own currency. This minimizes any potential confusion or uncertainty about the transaction. As a result, businesses are able to increase their payment approval ratios and maximize their revenue.
4. Simplified settlement and reporting
One of the major advantages of MCP is that all payments are settled and reported in USD. This simplifies the reconciliation process and makes accounting and reporting easier because you are not dealing with multiple currency conversions or bank accounts.
Pricing products in multiple currencies
MCP can also be utilized to price your product in local currencies as well. This allows you to tailor your offerings to regional economies and consumer sentiment. This flexibility is crucial to gaining a competitive advantage, building customer relationships, and maximizing revenue in a globalized world where no two markets are alike. There are two main pricing models.
Dynamic multi-currency pricing
With dynamic multi-currency pricing, prices are automatically updated based on real-time foreign exchange rates. This ensures that prices remain competitive and helps businesses avoid losses from currency fluctuations. However, it does require close monitoring to ensure prices do not become disproportionately high or low.
Fixed multi-currency pricing
With fixed currency pricing, businesses opt for stability and simplicity. This model allows you to analyze foreign exchange rates over the last 3-12 months and build that rate into the pricing of your product(s). However, businesses utilizing this approach need to manually update prices if currencies fluctuate significantly.
Final thoughts
Multi-currency processing is essential for businesses hoping to maximize their revenue potential. It allows customers from different countries, with different currencies, to purchase products with ease and convenience. By implementing multi-currency processing, businesses can leverage the benefits of dynamic or fixed pricing and meet customer needs no matter where they are in the world.
If your business is looking to begin taking advantage of this technology, contact Nexio today and start seeing the rewards that come with global reach!