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Branding Management Guide v1.1

Added on:  11/21/16     Updated on:  03/20/24
Table of Contents

Introduction


This guide is designed to help users learn how to brand supported resources used for communication between companies that are represented within the payment gateway.

Intended Audience


This guide will be useful for payment service providers and resellers that want to familiarize themselves with branding of supported resources.

Overview


In the merchant services industry, businesses use a set of marketing and advertising methods to distinguish themselves from competitors and make a positive impression on their clients and business partners. These methods include branding - creation of an entity’s visual representation.

In the gateway, branding is done via the branding module. It allows users to create a branding profile for each company represented in the gateway. Each branding profile is a set of forms that allow for branding of specific resources that a company may use to interact with other companies within the system. A strict hierarchy is present in the gateway that determines how interaction is done.



As some companies may not be aware of the hierarchy, it is important for them to receive information from the entity they are familiar with. Thus, customers receive information from merchants, merchants receive information from resellers and resellers from portfolios. For more information about the merchant services industry, please follow this link.

The gateway allows for branding of three groups of resources:
  • Web resources - web pages that can be customized using branding functionality.
  • Print resources - documents such as statements and receipts that can be customized using branding functionality.
  • Notification resources - email notification templates that can be customized using branding functionality.

Each group of resources allows for customizing of two types of elements:
  • Data elements - values that control which content is rendered within a particular resource.
  • Style elements - values that control visual representation of a particular resource.

Data and style elements that can be customized using branding functionality are specific for each resource. Let us look at these elements in more detail.

Brandable elements


Data Elements


Depending on the resource, the following data elements can be customized:
  • Company name - business name of an entity's company.
  • Parent company name - business name of a parent entity's company. It can be used if a company is a subsidiary of the larger entity that needs to be mentioned when notification resources are rendered. For example, PaySoftware is a subsidiary of Pay Solutions Inc.
  • Portal URL - URL used by the users associated with an entity to access the system.
  • Processing URL - URL used by the users associated with an entity to submit transactions.
  • Portal name - name of the company; derived from the Company Name field of the branding profile.
  • Merchant services contact information - information used by merchants and resellers to resolve business issues.
  • Technical support contact information - information used by merchants and resellers to resolve technical issues.

Style Elements


Depending on the resource, the following style elements can be customized:
  • Main Logo (Web) - logo of a company for customizing web resources.
  • Main Logo (Print) - logo of a company for customizing print resources.
  • Powered By (Web) - optional logo of a payment service provider (PSP) for customizing web resources.
  • Powered By (Print) - optional logo of a payment service provider (PSP) for customizing print resources.
  • Color schema – colors for backgrounds, headers, sections, etc.
  • Icons – a set of images for branding icons. Icons are used for customizing a membership portal.

The Powered By (Web) and Powered By (Print) logos can be used in two cases:
  • If a payment service provider is a well-known and established company, merchants and resellers may want to use the logo of the PSP to improve their image in the eyes of their clients.
  • If a payment service provider wants to inform other companies or cardholders about itself as a key player in the industry or business process.

To learn how to manage branding settings, review a respective tutorial.

We will explain the branding functionality with the help of use cases for each brandable resource. For our use cases, we will use the following examples:
  • SuperShop X – a chain of stores that accept one-time payments. It is represented as a merchant within the gateway.
  • SuperShop – a company that provides franchises to open stores under its brand. It is represented as a reseller within the gateway.
  • SuperGym X – a chain of fitness centers that accepts recurring payments. It is represented as a merchant within the gateway.
  • SuperGym – a company that provides franchises to open fitness centers under its brand. It is represented as a reseller within the gateway.
  • PaySoftware – a POS software development company that provides its services to SuperShop and SuperGym. It is represented as a reseller within the system.
  • Pay Solutions Inc. – a payment service provider that provides a technical platform for processing transactions. It is represented as a portfolio within the system.

Now that we have familiarized ourselves with data and style elements, it is time to learn how to brand resources supported by the gateway.

Web resources


The following elements can be customized for all web resources:
  • Main Logo (Web)
  • Powered By (Web)

The following elements can be customized only for specific web resources:
  • Company name
  • Portal URL
  • Portal name
  • Color schema
  • Icons

Onboarding application


The Onboarding application is a set of forms a user logged in as a merchant sees when the onboarding API is used. The branding profile allows for customizing the onboarding application at portfolio and reseller levels. The following elements can be customized using branding functionality:
  1. Main Logo (Web)
  2. Powered By (Web)
  3. Background (light)
  4. Background (dark)
  5. Borders
  6. Footnotes/Errors
  7. Buttons
  8. Body Background
  9. Header Background





After you are done with branding of the onboarding application, it should look similar to this:



For more information about Onboarding API, please follow this link.

Use case

Let us review a situation in which SuperShop X wants to use PaySoftware’s POS software product. SuperShop X needs to go through the process of merchant onboarding and obtain an account to process transactions. In this case, PaySoftware provides SuperShop X with the Onboarding application to apply for an account. When opening the Onboarding application, SuperShop X should see the logo and colors of PaySoftware. PaySoftware should create a branding style of the Onboarding application by defining a set of elements unique to the ones configured at portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Main Logo (Web) and a set of colors in PaySoftware’s branding profile at reseller level. The Powered By (Web) logo of Pay Solutions Inc. can be optionally configured in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level.

In addition, the branding profile allows to indicate in General/Onboarding section a unique domain name at the Reseller or Portfolio level to be used as onboarding pages URL. The Pages URL field is optional.




Use case

Let us review a case when Pay Solutions Х Inc. and Pay Solutions Y Inc. are resellers that use PaySoftware gateway for merchants onboarding and transaction processing (they belong to a single Portfolio). Pay Solutions Х Inc. wants to use the URL of its own domain when sending the link to the onboarding pages to new merchants. At the same time, Pay Solutions Y Inc. does not have an own domain name and wants to use the PaySoftware domain URL for onboarding pages. Thus, Pay Solutions Х Inc. can customize the onboarding pages URL by filling the optional Page URL field in the reseller branding profile. Pay Solutions Y Inc. should leave this field empty and the value of Page URL will be taken from the PaySoftware portfolio branding profile.


Logon page


Logon page is a set of web pages that are available for portfolio, reseller and merchant users without and after authentication. The set of web pages includes:
  • Logon page
  • Password reset page for a human user
  • Password reset page for a service user

The branding profile allows for customizing the logon page at reseller and portfolio levels. The following elements can be customized using branding functionality:
  1. Portal URL
  2. Main Logo (Web)
  3. Portal Name




After you are done with branding of the logon page, it should look similar to this:



Use case

Let us review two situations when the logon page needs to be branded and when there is no need to brand the logon page.

1) PaySoftware does not provide the functionality that allows SuperShop X to receive information about transactions (e.g. transaction history, merchant statements, etc.) from the POS software itself. In this case, PaySoftware can give SuperShop X access to the merchant console, which is a part of the gateway, provided by Pay Solutions Inc. Thus, SuperShop X can log in to the system and pull off the information it needs. PaySoftware should create a branding style of the logon page by defining a set of elements unique to the ones at portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Portal URL and Main Logo (Web) in PaySoftware's branding profile at reseller level.

2) PaySoftware provides the functionality that allows SuperShop X to receive information about transactions from the POS software itself. For this situation, there is no need to brand the logon page as SuperShop X will not need to use the gateway.

Hosted Payment Page


Hosted Payment Page (HPP) is a set of pages a cardholder sees when the HPP mechanism is used as a part of processing API.

The branding profile allows for customizing HPP at all levels within the system. The following elements can be customized using branding functionality:
  1. Main Logo (Web)
  2. Powered By (Web) - derived from a company name
  3. Processing URL
  4. Portal URL

For more information about HPP mechanism, please follow this link.

Use case

Let us review two situations when SuperShop X is a classic chain of stores and when SuperShop X is a franchisee of SuperShop.

1) SuperShop X sells its goods and services online to cardholders using HPP mechanism. In this case, customers should see the name and logo of SuperShop X when opening the payment page. SuperShop X should create a branding style for its hosted payment page by defining a set of elements unique to the ones at reseller, portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Company name and Main Logo (Web) in SuperShop X's branding profile at merchant level. The Powered By (Web) logo of Pay Solutions Inc. can be optionally configured in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level.

2) If SuperShop X is a franchisee of SuperShop, SuperShop X's payment pages can be branded to represent the logo and icons of the SuperShop brand. For this situation, SuperShop should create a branding style of HPP by defining a set of elements, unique to the ones at portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Company name and Main Logo (Web) in SuperShop's branding profile at reseller level. The Powered By (Web) logo of Pay Solutions Inc. can be optionally configured in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level.

Membership portal


Membership portal is a self-service portal available to merchants’ customers within the system if the recurring billing module is used. The branding profile allows for customizing the membership portal at all levels within the system. The following elements can be customized using branding functionality:
  1. Main Logo (Web) (portal-logo.png)
  2. New Payment icon (pay-my-bill.png)
  3. Account Transaction icon (payment-history.png)
  4. Update Account Info icon (update-account.png)
  5. Payment Plan icon (view-contracts.png)
  6. View Renewal Terms icon (view-renewal.png)
  7. Document icon (view-documents.png)
  8. Logout icon (logout_icon.png)

Note that all of the elements above can be accessed via the following URL [server-name]/image/get/[icon-name]. For example, to download the image set as the main logo, the following URL has to be used: [server-name]/image/get/portal-logo.png



After you are done with branding of the membership portal, it should look similar to this:


Use case

Let us review two situations - when SuperGym X is a classic chain of fitness centers and when SuperGym X is a franchisee of SuperGym.

1) Suppose customers want to sign up for a 1-year subscription to visit SuperGym X. An agreement between each customer and SuperGym X is signed, and customers gain access to the membership portal where payments and management of their subscriptions are handled. In this case, customers should see the logo and icons of SuperGym X after logging in to the membership portal. SuperGym X should create a branding style of the membership portal by defining a set of elements unique to the ones at reseller, portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Main Logo (Web) and a set of icons in SuperGym X's branding profile at merchant level.

2) If SuperGym X is a franchisee of SuperGym, the membership portal of SuperGym X can be branded to represent the logo and icons of the SuperGym brand. SuperGym should create a branding style of the membership portal by defining a set of elements, unique to the ones at portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Main Logo (Web) and a set of icons in SuperGym's branding profile at reseller level.

Print resources


The following elements can be customized for all print resources:
  • Company Name
  • Main Logo (Print)
  • Color of section background

The following elements can be customized only for specific resources:
  • Merchant services contact information
  • Powered By (Print)

Receipts


Receipt is a digital or printed slip provided to a cardholder by email or via a terminal after the transaction is made. The branding profile allows for customizing receipts at all levels within the system.

The following elements within a receipt sent by email can be customized using branding functionality:
  1. Company Name
  2. Main Logo (Print)
  3. Powered By (Print)
  4. Color of section background

For a receipt generated by a terminal, the following elements can be customized:
  1. Company Name
  2. Main Logo (Print)






After you are done with the branding of receipts, they should look similar to this:





For more information about terminal receipt, review this integration note.

Use case

Let us review two situations - when Pay Solutions Inc. provides or does not provide options to brand receipts of SuperShop X.

1) Pay Solutions Inc. provides options to brand receipts of SuperShop X. When a customer visits SuperShop X and makes a one-time payment for goods or services, a receipt is generated by the gateway and sent to the cardholder’s email. In this case, cardholders should see the name, logo and colors of SuperShop X. SuperShop X should create a branding style of receipts by defining a set of elements, unique to the ones configured at reseller, portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Company name, Main Logo (Print) and a section background color in SuperShop X's branding profile at merchant level. The Powered By (Web) logo of Pay Solutions Inc. can be optionally configured in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level.

Please note that contact information of Supershop X is taken from the merchant’s business information which is not a part of the branding profile.

2) Pay Solutions Inc. does not provide options to brand receipts of SuperShop X. When a customer visits SuperShop X and makes a one-time payment for goods or services, a receipt is generated by the gateway and sent to the cardholder’s email. SuperShop X is obligated to inform its cardholders that the purchase is processed by Pay Solutions Inc. In this case, cardholders should see the name, logo and colors of Pay Solutions Inc. Pay Solutions Inc. should create a branding style of receipts by defining a set of elements, unique to the ones set at system level. This can be done by configuring Company name, Main Logo (Print) and a section background color in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level.

Please note, that contact information of SuperShop X is taken from the merchant’s business information which is not a part of the branding profile.

Statements


Statement is a set of financial summaries generated by the system. The branding profile allows for customizing statements at all levels within the system. The following elements can be customized using branding functionality:
  1. Company Name
  2. Merchant services contact information
  3. Main Logo (Print)
  4. Powered By (Print)
  5. Color of section background







After you are done with branding of statements, they should look similar to this:



For more information about statements, please follow this link.

Use case

Let us review a situation when merchant and reseller statements are generated by the gateway, provided by Pay Solutions Inc.

1) The gateway generates financial summaries for SuperShop X in the form of merchant statements. The merchant statements are then emailed to SuperShop X. In this case, SuperShop X should see its logo, as well as the name, contact information and colors of Pay Solutions Inc. Pay Solutions Inc. should create a branding style of merchant statements by defining a set of elements, unique to the ones configured at system level. This can be done by configuring Company name, merchant services contact information, section background color and an optional Powered By (Print) logo in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level. The logo of SuperShop X should be configured in SuperShop X’s branding profile at merchant level.

2) The gateway generates financial summaries for PaySoftware in the form of reseller statements. The reseller statements are emailed to PaySoftware. In this case, PaySoftware should see its logo, as well as the name, contact information and colors of Pay Solutions Inc. Pay Solutions Inc. should create a branding style of reseller statements by defining a set of elements, unique to the ones configured at system level. This can be done by configuring Company name, merchant services contact information, section background color and Main Logo (Print) in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level. The logo of PaySoftware should be configured in PaySoftware’s branding profile at reseller level.

Notification resources (development in progress)


Notifications


Notifications are a set of email templates used to inform entities about specific events within the system. The branding profile allows for customizing email templates at all levels within the system. The following elements can be customized using branding functionality:
  1. Company Name
  2. Parent Company Name
  3. Merchant services contact information
  4. Tech support contact information
  5. Color of header background

Use case

Let us review a situation when SuperShop X logs in to the system via logon page and uses the merchant console to make a terminal order. Upon submitting the terminal order, an email notification is sent to SuperShop X. In this case, SuperShop X should see the name, contact information and colors of PaySoftware. For this situation, PaySoftware should create a branding style of email notifications by defining a set of elements, unique to the ones configured at portfolio and system level. This can be done by configuring Company name, contact information and a header background color in PaySoftware's branding profile at reseller level. If PaySoftware is a subsidiary of Pay Solutions Inc., the payment software provider's company name can be added by configuring Parent company name in PaySoftware's branding profile at reseller level.

Overriding mechanism


Each company represented in the gateway can use a set of data and style elements to create its own unique branding profile. To create a unique branding profile, it is necessary to understand how the branding module operates based on the system hierarchy.

There is always a default branding profile configured at system level that is automatically applied to all portfolios, resellers and merchants present in the gateway. The purpose of the overriding mechanism is to provide companies with the ability to override data and style elements of a default system branding profile and create their own unique branding style.

To brand an element for a particular resource, the overriding mechanism needs to be activated. To activate the mechanism, please follow these instructions:
  • Choose the corresponding merchant, reseller or portfolio and open its branding profile.
  • Click the “Override” button.
  • Click on the light bulb icons for data and style elements that need to be configured.
  • Enter new data and style elements in the corresponding fields.
  • Save the branding profile.

The overridden data and style elements are then aggregated together and the resource is rendered. If particular data and style elements need to be rendered from a branding profile of a higher level, the light bulb icons for respective elements should be left turned off.


Use case

For portfolio

Pay Solutions Inc. wants to brand email notifications about terminal orders and onboarding results. For this situation, Company name, merchant services contact information, Main Logo (Print) and header background color should be configured in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level. As a result, the overriding mechanism will override these settings from system level and email notifications will be rendered based on the settings from Pay Solution Inc.'s branding profile. These settings will apply for all of Pay Solution Inc.'s resellers and their associated merchants.

If some data and style elements are not configured in Pay Solutions Inc.'s branding profile at portfolio level, the branding module will aggregate the missing elements from the default system branding profile.

For reseller

SuperShop wants to brand hosted payment page (HPP) for SuperShop X. For this situation, Company name and Main Logo (Web) should be configured in SuperShop's branding profile at reseller level. As a result, the overriding mechanism will override these settings from system and portfolio level and HPP will be rendered based on the settings from SuperShop's branding profile. These settings will apply for all of SuperShop's merchants.

If some data and style elements are not configured in SuperShop's branding profile at reseller level, the branding module will aggregate the missing elements from the branding profile at the next highest level where configured – portfolio or system level respectively.

For merchant

SuperShop X wants to brand receipts that will be emailed to its customers. For this situation, Company name, Main Logo (Print) and Section background color should be configured in SuperShop X's branding profile at merchant level. As a result, the overriding mechanism will override these settings from system, portfolio and reseller level and receipts will be rendered based on the settings from SuperShop X's branding profile.

If some data and style elements are not configured in SuperShop X's branding profile at merchant level, the branding module will aggregate the missing elements from the branding profile at the next highest level where configured – reseller, portfolio or system level respectively.