Storis’ eStoris Platform Helps Support Shifts in Consumer Behavior

August 13, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

In eStoris’ latest Release 4.2.6, two key payment processing enhancements help retailers as they navigate an influx of online ecommerce orders: Online Payments on Open Orders and Pre-Authorized Credit Card Processing.

Online Payments on Open Orders caters to a seamless retail experience. Retailers using eStoris can now send a URL to any customer to complete full or partial payments. This link can be used regardless of whether the order originated in-store or online. As retailers engaged with customers remotely, the Storis team found an influx in use-cases for this enhancement. The first use case arose from remote selling. Sales associates can create a Sales Order in Storis and then send the customer a link requesting payment via email. This is being used by retailers during phone sales and virtual showroom appointments.

Second, many customers had deposits on open orders and didn’t want to go into the showroom to make subsequent payments. This enhancement can be used to collect order balances. Partial payments can also be accepted to begin the process of accepting order deposits. Finally, for customers that did come in store, this payment link could be sent to their mobile device for a contactless payment experience.

The other key enhancement seen in eStoris 4.2.6 is Pre-Authorized Credit Card Processing in partnership with Shift4. When a credit card is entered into eStoris, Shift4 will immediately pre-authorize the card to determine if the card is legitimate, if the account has available funds, and if the customer has not exceeded their credit limit. The pre-authorization occurs automatically, even in scenarios where the payment is not immediately processed. This enables the retailer to confidently move forward with Sales Orders.

During a recent webinar with the Greater Metropolitan Furnishings Association, Tony Mitchell, ecommerce director for American Furniture Warehouse’s eStoris website discussed the importance of technology partnership to meet the evolving needs facing the market, such as these new eStoris enhancements. He commented, “the most important aspect of adapting to shifts in consumer paths to purchase is to take theoretical technology development and translate it into retail strategy.”

eStoris Product Manager Pete Dressler added, “the pandemic has exemplified the creativity of our retailers. They have adapted to challenges facing the market and continue to exceed customer expectations. During this time, we have collaborated with our partners as scenarios evolved and worked to deliver tactical solutions to solve a number of these new market demands.”