Method and apparatus for custom strategy specification in a hosted electronic transaction service system

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for customizing a hosted electronic transaction service system, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

• generating, at a merchant, a strategy, wherein the strategy specifies (a) one or more services for a host of electronic transaction services to perform in relation to an electronic transaction and (b) one or more actions, selected from an action library, for the host to perform during the performance of at least one service of the one or more services;
• transmitting the strategy from the merchant to the host of the electronic transaction services;
• and
• transmitting, from the merchant, to the host of the electronic transaction services, transaction information associated with an electronic transaction, wherein the electronic transaction is serviced according to the strategy and based on the transaction information and the one or actions are performed during performance of the at least one service;
• wherein the one or more services specified in the strategy comprise at least one service from a service type offered by the host and comprising (a) payment services, (b) stored value services, (c) risk management services, (d) fulfillment management services, and (e) distribution control services.

A network device that can customize a hosted electronic transaction service system, the network device comprising:

• a network interface;
• a processor coupled to the network interface and receiving network messages from the network through the network interface;
• and
• a computer-readable medium comprising one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:
• generating, at a merchant, a strategy, wherein the strategy specifies (a) one or more services for a host of electronic transaction services to perform in relation to an electronic transaction and (b) one or more actions, selected from an action library, for the host to perform during the performance of at least one service of the one or more services;
• transmitting the strategy from the merchant to the host of the electronic transaction services;
• transmitting, from the merchant, to the host of the electronic transaction services, transaction information associated with an electronic transaction, wherein the electronic transaction is serviced according to the strategy and based on the transaction information and the one or actions are performed during performance of the at least one service;
• wherein the one or more services specified in the strategy comprise at least one service from a service type offered by the host and comprising (a) payment services, (b) stored value services, (c) risk management services, (d) fulfillment management services, and (e) distribution control services.