Payment in ecommerce began with a rather stable flow of payment using credit cards. As online payments grew so did options; debit cards and services like PayPal began to consume larger chunks of online transactions. Immediate payments could be made on a worldwide basis and ecommerce flourished in this prosperous online environment.

As competition has grown for credit management and transaction options so too has the thinking of credit companies. More than ever credit cards companies see credit as a means to capture a global currency. In fact, statistics indicate that credit or debit cards are now used to make payments (on and offline) more frequently than cash.

Credit card companies are seeking innovations that will make their credit options more interesting for their customers. For instance MasterCard is working with Cingular Wireless to test their PayPass method of payment by cell phone. The New York subway was among the first to try the new payment method.

So what does this have to do with ecommerce?

Ultimately it means that as innovations become more pronounced in online transactions you will want to ensure that your shopping cart solution can manage the changes and adjust to the upgrades. I anticipate most of the shopping cart firms will work overtime to adapt.

You may see a model of the Smart Card being used for transactions in the future if other technologies don't make it obsolete. Effectively a Smart Card can contain a microprocessor and can house multiple layers of personal data. Some can be recharged like a debit card while other Smart Cards are being used for governmental programs or by health professionals to store personal or health data.

At one point it was envisioned that everyone would have a Smart Card, which looks very much like a typical credit card, but as resistance to the idea of so much personal data being available on the card other credit technologies began to be developed. These options may be replacing the Smart Card in both performance and acceptability.

Make no mistake credit is an industry that is serious about providing solutions to the transaction requirements of consumers. You can fully expect the current trend of a listening ear by credit card companies to continue as they work to develop better transaction methods that fit the style and expectations of consumers.

The same struggle you face in marketing your website and seeking to drive customers to your online store is the struggle credit transaction firms face in meeting a mobile and global demand for better ways to buy your product.