Transact eMarket Guidelines
An eMarket is a Transact module that allows departments to collect money for approved services and fees via online storefronts and checkouts. Customers are linked out from a department website to a customized storefront where they can select and pay for items via credit card. The site is PCI compliant and funds are automatically deposited to the general ledger.
eMarket Types
- eMarket Storefront: eMarket Storefront solution is a user-friendly template with text, drop down, and radio button options for campus departments that do not have a storefront but would like to accept payments.
- eMarket Checkout: eMarket Checkout solution interfaces with existing department- websites that do not have a shopping cart/payment page feature to check out.
Quick Glance/What do I need to know
- Product/Allowable Services to display on eMarket Site
- Timelines for implementing a new eMarket and changes to an existing eMarket
- Cost to my department
- Department responsibilities
- Restrictions such as image sizes, text formatting and data collection
- eMarkets are not a point-of-sale (POS) system
Products/Services Permitted
Storefronts and checkouts may be used for a variety of approved services and fees such as:
- Conferences (Conference must not be zero cost)
- Membership fees
- Event or workshop tickets
- Applications/deposits
- Sponsorships
- Periodical subscriptions
- Merchandise (Department will be responsible for sales tax reporting.)
Products/Services Not Permitted
Storefront and checkouts are not intended for:
- Payments for student tuition and fees
- Course fees or course supplies for any class offered for academic credit
- Replacement for or in lieu of a point-of-sale system.
- To enter into contracts, sign releases, or sign consents. Legal documents must be approved and maintained separately from an eMarket transaction
- Donations. Donation acceptance should coordinated with the Ohio University Foundation.
- Student organization funds are not considered charitable entities by the IRS. We are unable to process charitable gifts (including online donations) to student organization accounts.
- Zero-cost events or registrations. OIT offers Qualtrics . The Office of the Bursar cannot provide guidance or training on this solution. Refer to the link provided for more information.
- Collection of p-card payments from other Ohio University departments. Use the internal billing authorization to reduce University cost and ensure accurate accounting.
- Events that include alcohol in the price of registration or as a prize for an event (i.e. win your weight in beer)
- Raffles/fundraising
Timelines
Development of and changes to eMarket sites will not occur during the first two weeks of each semester. Please plan in advance if new sites or changes to existing sites need to be made live at the beginning of a semester.
eMarket Storefront:
- New Storefront. The creation a new eMarket site is a time-consuming process. New eMarket requests may require 15-30 days to build and implement, depending on project complexity and current demand for other web payment processing sites. Plan accordingly and submit your request in a timely fashion.
- Existing Storefront: Changes to existing eMarkets may require 7-14 days for execution.
eMarket Checkout:
- New Checkout: An eMarket checkout site may require additional set up beyond the 15-30 days. Testing is required between the checkout site and your departmental site/vendor solution to ensure payments will process correctly. Testing can increase the timeline to implement.
- Existing Checkout: A change to an existing checkout site may require 7-14 days, as additional testing may be required. The timeline depends on the complexity of the change.
Departmental Cost
Departments will be responsible for the merchant service fees associated with the acceptance of credit card payments. At the time of this writing, merchant service fees average 2.1 - 2.5% of the total transaction amount processed in the eMarket. A monthly journal entry prepared by the Office of the Bursar charges the fees to your departmental account.
At this time, the Office of the Bursar does not charge departments for the setup of an eMarket.
Department Responsibilities
- Fully complete the eMarket request form[DOC]
.
- Incomplete forms will be returned and will delay the implementation of the eMarket
- Email ( cashier@ohio.edu ) or call (740) 593-4130 if you have any questions about the form
- Understand timeline constraints
- As previously mentioned, this is a time-consuming process. Producing a new eMarket cannot and will not be completed in a few days. Plan accordingly.
- Provide compatible image sizes and formats
- The Office of the Bursar will not reformat images. If you wish us to use an image from your department's existing web site, you need to provide that image, formatted as specified in the next section.
- Credit card chargebacks
- A disputed credit card transaction can ultimately lead to a chargeback. If a chargeback on one of your eMarket transactions occurs, the Office of the Bursar will contact you for additional information. You will need to provide supporting documentation of the sale to defend the credit card transaction. If not resolved, the transaction will be charged back against the department's general ledger account.
- Review of eMarket site for final sign off prior to go-live
- Departments must authorize the final eMarket look, lay out and design before the site will be made live.
- Reporting and reconciliation
- The department is ultimately responsible for reviewing any eMarket reports for accuracy and reconciliation of the department's general ledger accounts associated with the eMarket.
- Sales tax reporting
- The department is responsible for reporting required information to the University's Tax Manager for any sales tax collected on eMarket sales.
- Refunds of payments should be requested by the department or student organization - not the purchaser. Request by emailing cashier@ohio.edu with the transaction number, name of purchaser, and amount to be refunded. Refunds are processed within 3-5 business days. Once a refund is processed, an email notification is sent to the purchaser.
Restrictions such as image sizes, text formatting and data collection
- Images for use on the eMarket must adhere to the following restrictions.
- GIF or JPG formatted image
- For store logo, 965 x 225 pixels or less and less than 1 MB
- For items, 500 x 500 pixels or less and file size of 1.00 MB or less
- Large amounts of informational data from customers cannot be collected via the eMarket. This information should be collected on the department’s facing web site or through other means.
- Legal agreements (such as photo releases, waivers, etc.) cannot be collected via an eMarket. This information must be collected through other means.
Not a Point-of-Sale System
An eMarket is not a point-of-sale (POS) system, nor is it intended to replace a POS system. eMarket transactions are to be initiated by the customer only. Departments are prohibited from entering transactions for customers or collecting credit card information from customers for the purpose of initiating an eMarket transaction. An eMarket cannot be used in lieu of a University approvedcredit card terminal or POS system.
eMarket Request Form[DOC] - Request a new site or submit updates or changes for an existing site.
For more information email the OHIO Cashier .