Expand Your Business
With These Payment Options
The world is no longer a cash-only market. In fact, fewer and fewer people are carrying cash on their person in day-to-day life. This means to keep business going, you have to offer your customers a wider variety of payment options for your products or services.
You can expand your business even further by checking out the following payment options.
Mobile Credit Card Reader
So many people in the modern world choose credit and debit cards as their preferred form of payment. The majority of people expect small businesses to readily accept cards instead of cash. As technology continues to grow in every aspect of modern life, your business has to expand its technologies as well. One of your best options is a mobile credit card reader so you can take payments on the go and fulfill all of your customer’s needs.
Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processor
Along with the technological changes to business came one big societal change, business is no longer primarily conducted in person. In today’s society, so many customers are choosing to shop online or even place orders over the phone rather than physically shopping in your business storefront.
A virtual terminal is an online credit card terminal that allows you to take secure remote transactions through a web-based application. A virtual terminal allows your business to process not only credit and debit cards but electronic checks as well. All you need is a gateway ID from your chosen provider, a standard web browser, and access to the world wide web.
ACH Payment
The Automated Clearing House (ACH) is an electronic payment delivery system that allows merchants to process credit and debit transfers for banking institutions nationwide. ACH payments use a customer’s bank account and routing information instead of going through the middle man in the form of debit and credit cards. This means that there is a guarantee of payment for your business. While cash is not as popular as it once was, there are still plenty of Americans who do not have credit cards or simply prefer payment via their checking or savings accounts.
Apple Pay
The popularity of contactless payment has risen rapidly among both retailers and consumers in the past several years. If a consumer forgets their wallet their credit cards are available to both them and your business right on their phone or even their Apple Watch through Apple Pay. The customer simply needs to hold their device near the card reader and tap the card on their screen then the two machines exchange data to complete the transaction.
The information is secure on both ends and the customer will often need to verify their ID to their mobile wallet through electronic fingerprint, PIN, or facial recognition. These mobile wallets use major credit cards and are as secure as any other credit card transaction. Apple Pay also works with online purchases made by consumers through a variety of Apple devices. Apple Pay requires no additional service fees for merchants but does require a contactless payment-capable point of sale (POS) terminal.
Google Pay
For Android users, Google Pay is available. Much like Apple Pay, Google Pay works online and in-store. However, users with an Android must have the Google Pay app installed on their device. On the business end, Google Pay transactions operate the same as credit card payments.
Just like Apple Pay, Google Pay used in-store does require a contactless-enabled payment terminal with an NFC reader. The system does not charge merchants for accepting Google Pay. As Android is the primary operating system for mobile devices, Google Pay will allow your business to reach a large percentage of its customer base.
Paypal
While Paypal used to be for online transactions only, they have since expanded to in-store purchases with the PayPal app. The app has a QR code function where users can open their camera, scan the code, enter the amount payable, and send their payment immediately to the merchant. As a merchant, you simply need to generate a PayPal QR code through the PayPal app and then display it at your business. Consumers must have internet access to complete the transaction, so be wary of the service and connection available.
One of the best ways for a small business owner to boost sales and improve customer experience is by offering a variety of convenient payment methods to consumers. Many of these payment types support one-time purchases or a recurring billing system, depending on the goods or services offered by your business. This can mean improved functionality on both your end and your customers’. More ways to pay will help your customers fulfill all of their shopping needs, which will increase your profits and send your customer satisfaction soaring.
