Definitive Guide for E-Commerce Businesses to Display RBI Mandated Information

Confused about the enormous number of steps you have to fulfil to get your e-commerce website approved for a payment gateway?

We understand that it can be overwhelming to prepare such a big load of information, and we’re here to make it easy for you

Merchant onboarding is the process of connecting a merchant (you) to a processor, payment gateway, or acquirer platform.

Earlier, merchant onboarding was a lengthy manual process — applicants had to fill out paper forms, attach supporting documents, and submit them to underwriters for verification. Once approved, the underwriter would issue the Merchant Identification Number (MID).

With the rise of digitalization, this entire process has become seamless and paperless. The Paytm Payment Gateway now enables merchants to integrate instantly and start accepting digital payments through a fully automated onboarding system.

Additionally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced specific Payment Aggregator (PA) and Payment Gateway (PG) guidelines to enhance transparency and prevent fraud. These guidelines require validation of key details on a business’s website during onboarding.

Therefore, to ensure timely settlement of payments after your account verification, it’s crucial that your business documents and website comply with these regulatory and verification requirements.

Guidelines on Merchant Onboarding on Payment Gateways

You, as an e-commerce business, need to have these 7 sections on your website to be compliant:

• About Us
• Contact Us
• Product/Services Catalogue + Pricing
• Product/Service Purchase Flow (Add to Cart option)
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Returns, Refunds & Cancellation Policy

Therefore, having updated and easily accessible information on your website or app is essential for a smoother and faster application approval process.

1. About Us

In simplest terms, it’s a page on your website explaining what your business does.

Ideally, your About Us page should include your mission statement, a brief company description, corporate history, and more.

Beyond why you do what you do, let people know what you actually create or sell in clear terms. Even though this page is about you, it’s more about why people should buy your product or service from you.

Setting a face to your brand helps to humanize it. Even if you only highlight the founders, your About Us page can be a chance to build your personal brand. You can also share how your story and experience make you and your company an excellent fit to serve your market.

Lastly, don’t forget to incorporate your corporate values.

2. Contact Us

Great contact forms typically:

• Are simple to find, so a visitor can instantly get in touch should they need to.

• Explain why someone should contact you, and describe how you can help solve your visitors’ problems.

• Have an email address, physical address, and phone number so visitors can quickly find the correct information.

• Have a short form using fields that’ll help you understand who’s contacting you.

• Have a call-to-action to provide visitors with another option if they choose not to complete the form.

• Showcase your thought leadership, whether that’s by including a list of recent blog posts or articles about your business in the press.

• Link to active social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to give visitors a way to engage with you.

3. Product/Services Catalogue + Pricing

An ideal product/services catalogue depicts all the products that you have to showcase and sell in a visually appealing way.

Good categorization ensures that users can easily navigate your website and find exactly what they’re looking for.

Product images are essential as they create an impression on the buyer. An image enhances the description of your product.

Product descriptions are a crucial part of the catalogue. They present your product’s USP and help the audience understand that your product is authentic and unique.

Don’t forget to list the price of the product clearly and boldly. It’s also vital to mention whether the price is inclusive of GST or not, as it helps establish a relationship of trust between you and the visitor.

4. Product/Services Purchase Flow (Add to Cart option)

Ideally, a product purchase flow should be clear and straightforward. Here’s how:

• The user should select the products from the store page and add the desired products to their cart.

• After adding products to the cart, they should proceed to checkout to complete the ordering process.

• They should provide their details like name, email, mobile number, and address on the checkout page. After giving the details, the user should select the payment method to complete the order’s payment.

• Once the payment method is selected, the user should be taken to the order completion page. This should display their Order ID and Transaction ID along with the order details.

• The user should also be notified about the order details and payment receipts via email, SMS, and other mediums.

5. Privacy Policy

A Privacy Policy is a statement that indicates a firm’s or website’s policy on receiving and releasing information about a visitor.

It usually reveals what specific information is received and whether it is kept confidential, distributed, or sold to other firms, researchers, or sellers.

It should ideally be a part of the footer content on your website.

You need to reveal the types of personal data your site or app collects and how it is collected. Most approved companies use a list format for this section to make the information clear and easy to read.

A section should explain to your users how and why you use the information you collect. Explain how this data collection benefits them and how it is used by your business.

Let your users know whether you distribute their personal data to anyone else and under what conditions. Don’t forget to include a disclaimer as well.

Add a section within your Privacy Policy that covers the rights of users, such as the right to amend, delete, or review their data.

A Notification of Changes clause is usually included to inform users about updates to your policy — enhancing transparency and openness.

6. Terms & Conditions

All of the efforts you put into writing Terms & Conditions will be lost unless the user accepts them. Many apps and websites make consumers accept the agreement at signup or login.

Unless you don’t collect personal information, you’ll likely have to draft a separate Privacy Policy.

Generally, you want it transparent that you will not be responsible for damages arising from the use of your service. You’ll also want to inform users that their use of your app or website may come with risks.

If your service is specific and may be misinterpreted, specific disclaimers are also helpful.

The intellectual property section in Terms & Conditions helps you pursue infringement claims and terminate access if your IP is misused.

If you host advertisements from third parties, disclose those relationships even if unpaid.

Subscription services (like SaaS apps) must incorporate payment terms — including frequency (monthly, quarterly, annual) and termination clauses.

Complete your Terms & Conditions with an invitation for users to contact you if they need clarification.

7. Return, Refund & Cancellation Policy

Your Return Policy should include:

• The number of days customers have to initiate a return.

• How they should initiate a return.

• Terms of returns (unworn, original packaging, etc.).

• Limitations (non-returnable items like software or undergarments).

• The form of refund (original payment mode, store credit, etc.).

• Who pays return shipping costs.

• Any restocking or deduction fees.

Security and Risk Management

Risk is the leading cause of uncertainty on most grounds. A robust risk management system is necessary to meet the challenges of fraud and ensure customer protection.

The Paytm Payment Gateway has assigned adequate information and data security infrastructure and procedures to prevent and detect frauds.

We also have a mechanism to monitor, handle, and follow up on cybersecurity incidents and breaches. These are reported immediately to DPSS, RBI, Central Office, Mumbai, and also to CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) as per notified details.

Conclusion

So, hesitate no more. Practice caution and make your online business effectively hack-proof.

For any queries related to the onboarding process, contact us at onboarding.support@paytmpayments.com and get started with the Paytm Payment Gateway now!