1.Background/ Problem Statement

A merchant is a person or business that sells goods or services. As online transactions become a larger part of the global economy, the ability to accept payments online becomes more important for businesses. Merchant payment products must be designed with both the merchant and the end user in mind.

Our blockchain-based Merchant Payment System enables users to easily pay merchants. To make payments to merchants, customers will need to enter some information and add amounts. This system assures customers that this system is more advantageous than cash, easy to use, and will provide benefits to the users. 

The blockchain is a decentralized storage system that stores data in a sequence of blocks connected by cryptographic hashing of previous blocks. In this project, the front-end involves Html, CSS, and JavaScript and the back-end involves ASP.NET. The IDE used is Visual Studio and the database is MSSQL.

1. Working of the Project

In this system, the admin manages all merchants in the system by adding, updating, and deleting merchants. They have access to a list of all customers and transactions, as well as the status of any modified or tempered transactions.

All customers and their transactions are accessible to the merchant. If a customer has a condition of part payment or pay later, it will be added to the system by selecting the user, and the merchant will be able to view all of the pending payment customers lists. If the customer fails to pay, the merchant will notify them. All customer feedback is available to the merchant.

Customers can pay the merchant by entering their bank information and amounts. They have access to all of their transactions as well as any pending payments that have not yet been fully paid. The customer can view all notifications sent by merchants. The customer can provide feedback and suggestions based on their own experience.

1. Advantages

• It is easy to maintain.
• It is user-friendly.
• It allows for partial payment.
• All the transactions are monitored.
• The status of a modified or tempered transaction can be found.

1. System Description

The system comprises 3 major modules with their sub-modules as follows: 

ADMIN:

• Login
• The admin can log in to the system using a username and password.
• Manage Merchant
• The admin can manage all the merchants and their details in the system.
• They are able to view, add, update, and delete merchants.
• View Customers
• The admin can view all the registered customer lists.
• View Transactions
• All the transactions made by customers will be listed here, along with the status of a transaction modified or tempered.
• View Feedback
• The list of customer feedback list can be viewed by the admin.

• MERCHANT

• Login
• The merchant can log in using a username and password.
• Profile
• The merchant can manage their profile and update required details.
• Change Password
• They can change passwords accordingly.
• View Customer
• All the customers will be listed in this module.
• View Transactions
• All the transactions will be seen, along with the status if a transaction is modified or tempered.
• Add Pending Payment
• If there is a condition of part payment or pay later, it will be added here by choosing the user.
• View Pending Payment List
• All Pending payment customers will be listed here.
• Sent Alert
• If the customer forgot to pay, the merchant can send an alert message.
• View Feedback
• Merchant can view feedback of all customers.

• CUSTOMER

• Register
• Customers will first need to register with their basic details.
• Login
• The customer can log in using a username and password. 
• Profile
• They can manage their profile and update required details.
• Change Password
• The customer can also change passwords accordingly.
• New Transactions
• Customer can pay the merchant by filling in bank details and amount.
• View Transactions
• All Transactions made by customers listed here, along with the status if a transaction is modified or tempered.
• View Payment
• The pending payment of that respective customer will be shown here and can pay.
• Notifications
• The alert sent by the merchant will be listed here.
• Feedback
• Customer can share their experience and suggestion.

1. Project Life Cycle

The waterfall model is a classical model used in the system development life cycle to create a system with a linear and sequential approach. It is termed a waterfall because the model develops systematically from one phase to another in a downward fashion. The waterfall approach does not define the process to go back to the previous phase to handle changes in requirements. The waterfall approach is the earliest approach that was used for software development.

1. System Requirements

1. Hardware Requirement

1. Laptop or PC

• Windows 7 or higher
• I3 processor system or higher
• 4 GB RAM or higher
• 100 GB ROM or higher

1. Software Requirement

1. Laptop or PC

• Visual Studio 2019
• SQL Server Management Studio’s latest

1. Limitation/Disadvantages

• If a transaction problem arises, the customer must contact the admin directly to get the issue resolved.

1. Application – This application enables users to easily make payments to merchants.

1. Reference

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228280377_Online_Payment_Gateways_Used_to_Facilitate_E-Commerce_Transactions_and_Improve_Risk_Management
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341208752_Study_of_Merchant_Adoption_in_Mobile_Payment_System_Based_on_Ensemble_Learning
• https://www.academia.edu/40277969/Electronic_payment_system_A_complete_guide