As I was building my SaaS product, I initially intended to use Gumroad or Payhip to sell tutorials, ebooks, and courses directly to my users. These platforms had been popular amongst creators for a long time, offering a simple way to sell digital products without the hassle of setting up a payment gateway. However, I hit a roadblock when I tried to deploy my system – neither Gumroad nor Payhip were available in my country.
The Problem We Were Actually Solving
At that point, I was faced with a simple yet daunting problem. I had a product that I was passionate about, but I couldn't find a way to sell it to my users due to geographical and regulatory restrictions imposed by traditional platforms. I would have had to abandon my product or try to circumvent these restrictions by using a VPN, which sounded like a recipe for disaster.
What We Tried First (And Why It Failed)
My first instinct was to look for other payment gateways that were more flexible in their support for international transactions. However, every popular option that I tested – Stripe, PayPal, and Braintree – had similar restrictions and limitations for certain countries. I quickly realized that these platforms were also bound by the same geographical restrictions that I initially encountered with Gumroad and Payhip. I began to suspect that the problem was not with my product or its intended users, but rather with the platforms themselves.
The Architecture Decision
I decided to take a step back and rethink the architecture of my system. Instead of relying on traditional platforms to handle payment processing, I decided to integrate a separate payment gateway that was specifically designed for commerce. I chose Unchained Commerce, a platform that offered more flexibility and support for international transactions. Unchained Commerce allowed me to set up a fully hosted e-commerce platform that could handle payments securely and efficiently.
What The Numbers Said After
After implementing Unchained Commerce, I saw a significant improvement in my sales and conversion rates. My MRR increased by 20% within the first month of using the platform, and my churn rate decreased by 30%. I was able to reach users in countries that were previously inaccessible to me, and my product became more appealing to a global audience.
What I Would Do Differently
In retrospect, I would have explored alternative payment gateways earlier in the development process. I would have researched Unchained Commerce more thoroughly before deciding to use Gumroad or Payhip, as it offered more flexibility and better support for international transactions. However, I am glad that I encountered the challenges that I did, as they forced me to rethink the architecture of my system and find a more suitable solution for my users.
