What's the difference between a merchant account and a payment gateway?
At first glance, a new entrepreneur would be forgiven for believing that ecommerce only involves a merchant, their website, and a consumer interested in purchasing products and services. Dig a bit deeper, however, and it soon becomes apparent that online retail is a good deal more complex and includes two very important additional players: The merchant account and the payment gateway. Understanding what both are, as well as how they relate to each other and to your workflow, is essential if you intend to sell items via the internet.