Concrete5 Bank Transfer eCommerce Payment Method

Posted: 10/01/13

Want to offer bank transfers as a means of paying for goods online? There's no way to do this in Concrete5 eCommerce, unless you hack the default gateway.

The problem with hacking the default gateway, is that an update to Concrete5 eCommerce will overwrite your changes. Bank details are embedded in the code, which means that if the customer changes their account, I have to update the code again. All of this can be avoided by using a modified version of the gateway, which can be configured in the dashboard with the right details.

While I was there, it seemed like an idea to not only show the details in the page, but also to email them to the buyer. This way, the buyer has little excuse for not knowing the bank details.

Whether or not it's a good idea to display your bank details on your website is a question that is a subject of much debate. For example, UK motormouth Jeremy Clarkson got into a spot of bother a while ago by publishing his details on line. Then again, a personal account probably isn't the sort of account you should be using for online trading.

It seems prudent though, to only show them to people who are making a purchase. To my mind, this is no different to the millions of invoices that are sent out every day which include bank details and payment slips on them. Hell, every time you receive a cheque, you're getting a copy of someone else's bank details. When was the last time you worried about who you gave a cheque to (unless you know it's going to bounce!)

The decision is up to you, the store owner, and the only advice I can give is to talk to your bank first.

The obvious question is why isn't this addon in the Concrete5 marketplace? The answer is that the concept of storing & revealing bank details wasn't one that the C5 crew were comfortable with. No amount of awesome code was going to get round that issue, so after passing all the usual peer review process, the addon was rejected.

If you would like a copy of my Concrete5 Bank Transfer Payment Method for eCommerce, it's here.