To help you distinguish the difference between WebView Payment Gateway and Native 3DS SDK, we sat down with our development team and provided some answers. See what our software developers Lea Rački and Kristian Stanić have to say about the fundamental difference and appropriate use cases for one and the other.
WebView Payment Gateway is a merchant service provided by an eCommerce application service provider that authorizes credit card or direct payments processing.
Native 3DS SDK is software for facilitating cardholder authentication that is embedded in a merchant mobile application. 3D Secure Mobile SDK is the mobile-device-side component of the 3D Secure system. Its role is to secure authentication during mobile-based purchases. When a cardholder initiates an In-App transaction, the 3DS SDK communicates with 3DS core components in order to authenticate the cardholder.
End users would appreciate more the user experience offered by Native 3DS SDK since it's more user-friendly. During the entire transaction flow, the user stays within the same mobile app without the need to be redirected to an external browser. This makes the payment flow more fluid.
The main difference lies in implementation. In the case of WebView Payment Gateway, the implementation process is much easier because the mobile developer does not need to take care of the data flow or manage the screens – it is already implemented within the WebView. The developer's only task is to display the Payment Gateway URL inside the WebView. On the other hand, Native 3DS SDK requires a more complex implementation. The reward? The application flows are far more customizable and adaptable for mobile phone displays – so it's worth it.
| Web 3DS SDK | Native 3DS SDK |
| WebView approach | Native approach |
| Easier to integrate into merchant app | More customizable UI |
| Quicker to integrate into merchant app | More customizable UX |
| Receiving, encrypting, and transmitting transaction data is done in the web | Receiving, encrypting, and transmitting transaction data inside the app |
| DS certificates and public keys configuration | |
| DS Logo images | |
| Support both native UI screen and WebView UI screen |
WebView is easier to integrate, but it's less customizable, and screens are not adapted for mobile phones.
Native 3DS SDK is a winner in this case. This is because all of the buttons, labels, loading indicators, and other UI components and customized and adapted to the screen size appropriately. The user stays within the same mobile application during the entire transaction flow, and there is no redirection to external browsers making the transaction processing smooth and fluid.
As mentioned, the user experience in the case of Native 3DS SDK due to enabled customization and its responsive nature. Also, 3DS mobile SDK returns a more detailed transaction status (completed, canceled, timedout, protocolError, runtimeError) and is able to return a list of detected security warnings so that the merchant can implement customized reactions to given detections and transaction statuses.
3DS SDK collects data from mobile devices specified in the official EMVCo documentation. In terms of common data elements, some of them are platform, device model, timezone, IP address, longitude, and latitude. Data collection also takes into consideration the OS, so there are Android specific (device ID, IMEI, country code, network name operator, phone type...) and iOS-specific (user ID, system font, language, timezone..) data elements. All data is collected in order for ACS to analyze if the initiated transaction is risky. In case the ACS flags the transaction as not secure, the 3DS Mobile SD will demand an additional authentication step.
A typical use case involving WebView Payment Gateway would be the one where UI and UX do not play an important role.
Well, the opposite – when UX and UI play a significant role. Better user experience enables you to reduce transaction abandonment rates and increase transaction volume. In case a merchant wants to provide their customers with a more customizable UI, such as landscape and dark mode, as well as security checks (securing external communication on its own, DS certificates, and public keys configuration). 3DS Mobile SDK can return a list of detected security warnings enabling the merchant to implement customized reactions for given detections.
Both approaches offer secure transaction processing, while Native 3DS SDK enables the checkout process to be fluid through user experience improvements. By implementing our Native 3DS SDK, you are provided with an EMVCo certified solution and up to date with the latest regulations. Moreover, you are opening doors for a more tailored approach to in-app purchasing and transaction processing to your customers, which comes with increased transaction volume and lower cart abandonment rates compared to the WebView Payment Gateway approach.
As a dedicated guide for eCommerce app owners and merchants this eBook covers m-commerce security best practices and provides turnkey solution for in-app payments security.
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