Adyen

What is Adyen

Adyen is a financial technology platform that provides end-to-end payment solutions for businesses of all sizes. Its core purpose is to simplify and unify global commerce by offering a single system for accepting payments, managing fraud, and analyzing customer data. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Adyen was built to address the complexities of the modern payment landscape. The platform supports online, mobile, and in-person point-of-sale transactions, allowing businesses to create a seamless customer experience across all channels. It acts as a direct acquirer, which means it connects directly to card networks like Visa and Mastercard, giving businesses more control and better data insights.

Adyen Features

Adyen offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to manage the entire payment lifecycle.

• Global Payment Processing: Accept a wide range of payment methods from around the world, including major credit and debit cards, mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and local payment options specific to different countries.
• Unified Commerce: Connect online and in-store payment systems into one platform. This provides a single view of the customer, enabling cross-channel loyalty programs, returns, and personalized experiences.
• Data and Insights: Access detailed reports and analytics on all transactions. Adyen's data tools help businesses understand customer behavior, identify sales trends, and optimize payment performance.
• Risk Management: Protect your business with an integrated fraud prevention tool called RevenueProtect. It uses machine learning to identify and block fraudulent transactions in real-time without affecting legitimate customers.
• Financial Products: Adyen offers additional financial services built on its banking infrastructure. This includes issuing physical and virtual payment cards for business expenses and managing payouts for marketplaces and platforms.
• Point-of-Sale (POS) Terminals: A range of modern and reliable payment terminals for in-person transactions, fully integrated with the online platform.

Adyen Pricing Plans

Adyen uses a transparent, interchange-based pricing model. Instead of fixed monthly subscription tiers, the cost is calculated per transaction. This pricing consists of a processing fee plus a fee determined by the specific payment method used (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, PayPal). This structure is consistent across all regions, making it predictable for global businesses. The model is designed to be straightforward, with no setup fees, monthly fees, or closure fees. Custom pricing is available for large enterprises with high transaction volumes, which can be discussed with their sales team.

Adyen Free Plan

Adyen does not offer a free plan or a standard free trial for its payment processing services. The platform is built for established businesses that require a robust and scalable payment infrastructure. To get started, businesses must contact the Adyen sales team to discuss their specific needs and go through an application and onboarding process. They do provide a test account environment for developers to integrate and test the platform before going live with real transactions.

How to use Adyen

Getting started with Adyen involves a few key steps to ensure a proper setup for your business.

1. Contact Sales: The first step is to reach out to the Adyen sales team through their website to discuss your business model, transaction volume, and market needs.
2. Application and Onboarding: You will need to complete an application and provide necessary business documentation for verification and underwriting.
3. Integration: Integrate Adyen into your website, app, or physical store. This can be done using their flexible APIs, pre-built SDKs, or plugins for popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, or Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
4. Configuration: In the Adyen Customer Area (their dashboard), you can configure your account. This includes setting up payment methods, customizing risk and fraud rules, and creating reports.
5. Go Live: After testing the integration in the test environment, you can switch to the live environment to start processing real payments from your customers.

Pros and Cons of Adyen

Pros:

• Single Global Platform: Manages all payments, channels, and regions in one place, simplifying operations.
• Direct Acquiring: Connects directly to card schemes, often resulting in higher authorization rates and better data.
• Unified Data: Provides a complete view of customer transaction history across online and offline channels.
• Extensive Payment Methods: Supports a vast number of local and international payment options.
• Strong Security: Advanced risk management and fraud detection tools are built into the platform.

Cons:

• Complex for Small Businesses: The platform's extensive features can be overwhelming for small merchants or startups.
• Requires Technical Integration: While plugins exist, a full integration often requires developer resources.
• No Free Plan: There is no free tier or simple self-signup process, which can be a barrier for smaller companies.

Adyen integrations

Adyen offers a wide range of integrations with popular e-commerce platforms, ERP systems, and business software. These integrations help businesses connect their payment processing with other critical operations.

• Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Integrate Adyen payments directly into your Salesforce-powered online store for a seamless checkout experience.
• Adobe Commerce (Magento): A dedicated plugin allows for easy integration with Magento stores, supporting online and omnichannel payment features.
• Shopify: Connect your Shopify store to Adyen to process payments through a reliable and scalable gateway.
• Oracle NetSuite: Integrate payment data with your ERP system for streamlined accounting and financial reconciliation.
• Wix: Add Adyen as a payment provider to your Wix website to accept a variety of payment methods.
• BigCommerce: Use the Adyen plugin to enable global payments on your BigCommerce storefront.

Adyen Alternatives

• Stripe: A direct competitor known for its developer-friendly APIs and easy setup. Stripe is very popular with startups and online businesses, offering a similar range of payment and financial products.
• PayPal (Braintree): A well-known payment provider that is very easy for small businesses to adopt. Braintree, a PayPal service, offers more advanced merchant services similar to Adyen and Stripe.
• Checkout.com: Another global payment solution provider that focuses on enterprise-level clients. Like Adyen, it offers a single platform for payments, data, and fraud management with a focus on international transactions.
• Worldpay: A traditional payment processor with a large global footprint. It offers a wide range of services for both online and in-store payments, often catering to large, established corporations.

Adyen API

Yes, Adyen provides a comprehensive and well-documented API that allows developers to integrate its payment functionality into any application or system. The API covers everything from processing payments and managing subscriptions to handling payouts and mitigating fraud.

To get API credentials, you must first have an approved Adyen account. Once your account is set up, you can create a web service user within the Adyen Customer Area. This user will be assigned an API key, which is used to authenticate your API requests. You can find detailed documentation and tutorials on the Adyen Docs website.

Here is a simple example of a cURL request to create a payment session, which is used to initiate a checkout:

curl -u "ws@Company.YourCompanyAccount":"Your_API_Key" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-X POST \
--data '{ 
  "merchantAccount": "YourMerchantAccount",
  "amount": {
    "currency": "EUR",
    "value": 1000
  },
  "returnUrl": "https://your-shop.com/checkout/",
  "reference": "Your_Order_Number"
}' \
https://checkout-test.adyen.com/v69/sessions

Adyen Affiliate program

Adyen does not have a traditional affiliate program where individuals can earn commissions by referring customers through a link. Instead, they operate a Partner Program designed for technology companies, system integrators, and digital agencies that build solutions for merchants. Partners can integrate Adyen's technology into their own platforms or help their clients implement Adyen's services. Benefits of the program include technical support, co-marketing opportunities, and revenue-sharing agreements. To join, interested companies should contact the Adyen partnerships team through their official website to discuss a potential collaboration.