The Problem We Were Actually Solving
Our product was a software-as-a-service offering that required recurring payments. We had built our business around Stripe as our primary payment processor, but we couldn't get it to work for our Filipino customers. The error messages were cryptic at best, and our dev team was stumped. The pressure was on to find a solution that would allow us to continue serving this important market.
What We Tried First (And Why It Failed)
We first attempted to use the usual suspects: PayPal, Gumroad, and Payhip. But these platforms either didn't support recurring payments, didn't work with our merchant accounts, or simply weren't available in the Philippines. We also tried to use the various plugins and workarounds available, but they either resulted in more errors or worse, introduced security vulnerabilities. Each failed attempt left us with more questions and less time to find a solution.
The Architecture Decision
After weeks of research and discussion with our dev team, we decided to partner with a local payment gateway, Dragonpay, which specialized in facilitating payments in the Philippines. We chose Dragonpay because they had a robust API and excellent support for recurring payments. We also integrated a payment solution from another local player, called 2Checkout, to provide an additional payment option for our customers. The architecture change required significant revisions to our existing codebase, but it paid off in the end.
What The Numbers Said After
After deploying the new payment solution with Dragonpay and 2Checkout, our transaction success rates improved significantly, with a notable increase in conversion rates. Our customers in the Philippines were able to make payments without issue, and our business continued to grow at the same rate as our US-based customers. The numbers told us that our investment in a local payment solution had paid off handsomely.
What I Would Do Differently
If I were to do it all over again, I would start by engaging with the local developer community to get a better understanding of the complexities and nuances of payment processing in the Philippines. I would also invest more resources in exploring alternative payment solutions and APIs, such as 2Checkout, before settling on a single provider. And, I would have started testing our payment flow with a small subset of Filipino customers much earlier in the process to catch any issues before rolling out the new solution company-wide. In the end, it's a reminder that even the best engineering decisions require empathy, creativity, and a willingness to adapt to the unique demands of a particular market.
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