Most of us are pretty careful consumers. Any time we’re going to be spending a lot of money we do some research, ask a lot of questions and do whatever we can to find the best deal possible. It’s just smart business. We’re looking for the best return on our investment. And the owner of an online business that wants to sign with a company for credit card services is the same. Just as you will be taking a careful look at any company you will sign with to allow you to accept credit cards, be ready for those companies to take a close look at your business when you apply for service. Like you, they want to know that any company they are doing business with – especially business that involves such a critical degree of safety and security – is legitimate. So don’t be surprised or put off by any credit card processing provider that asks for basic information like how long your business has been in operation, what your monthly sales are and what sort of goods and/or services you offer. It lets them know you are someone they want to do business with. And it allows them to assemble a great package of services for you.

There are some numbers floating around out there that should compel any e-retailer without online merchant account services to reverse that policy.

First, while the retail sector is getting hammered this year by a sluggish economy, the rise in gas prices and the resulting increase in the cost of doing business, the online retailing world is quite healthy.

According to Shop.org’s “The State of Retailing Online 2008” report, Internet retailers are seeing a 17 percent increase to $240 billion in sales. The three largest gainers, according to the 11th edition of the study, conducted by Forrester Research Inc., were:

Apparel — $26.6 million

Computers — $23.9 billion

Automobiles — $19.3 billion

According to a Shop.org spokesperson the online shopping world is predominantly broken down into two segments – those who shop the ‘net looking for the lowest price and bargains, and those who do so for the convenience factor.

All of this is good news for online business owners with merchant services who, according to several retailing industry sources, are seeing more than 80 percent of everything bought online paid for using a credit card.

Second, that percentage is expected to rise in spite of the fact that the number of new Internet users is flattening out. The increase will come from Generation Y – that group that is between 18 and 29 years old. They are described by ReadWriteWeb.com thusly:

“The term ‘digital native’ applies to most Gen Y’ers. Those in Gen Y grew up around computers, the Internet, mobile phones, video games, and mp3 players. They are Web-savvy multi-taskers, able watch TV, surf the Web, listen to music, and talk or text on their phones, often performing several of these things at the same time.”

As such they have grown up looking at the Internet as a mainstream shopping medium. They have used it to reload cel phone minutes and to get music downloads. But as each wave of younger Gen Y members graduate from college in the coming years, most will be getting their first job and experiencing an increase in disposable income that is forecast to fuel larger online purchases.

If you have an e-business that is not set up to accept payments online what further rationale do you need that your site is destined to underachieve in the coming years?