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The Ecommerce Minute: Why Declines Occur

Watch episode five of The Ecommerce Minute to understand why payments occur and how to stop them from hurting your bottom line.

Updated:  

September 14, 2023

The Ecommerce Minute: Why Declines Occur

Episode 5: Why Declines Occur

Today, we're going to be talking about why payment declines occur. A decline occurs when a payment transaction is not approved by the payment processor or financial institution. There are several reasons why this can happen, including insufficient funds, expired or invalid payment methods, suspected fraud, incorrect payment details and technical issues.

Insufficient funds occur when the customer doesn't have enough funds in their account or has reached their credit limit. Similarly, expired or invalid payment methods such as credit cards can also lead to declines. Payment processors may also decline a transaction if they suspect fraud. This can occur if the transaction seems suspicious or deviates from the customer's typical transaction activity.

Incorrect payment details such as an incorrect card number or billing address can also result in a decline. And lastly, technical issues such as server errors or communication errors between the payment processor and the merchant's website can cause payment transactions to be declined.

As a reminder to reduce the likelihood of declines, merchants can optimize their payment processing settings. Use fraud prevention tools, offer alternative payment methods, monitor transaction activity and communicate with customers to understand the reason for the decline and offer assistance in resolving the issue.

Still have questions? The team at sticky.io is always here to help, so reach out anytime.