Opening a business, whether large or small, can seem like a daunting task, especially considering that your customers will need to pay you for your goods and services, and these days, you have many different options available to you when it comes to methods of payment that your business can accept.
Make It Easy
Paying shouldn’t require much effort on the part of the customer. This is where it can be important to adopt a streamlined system that allows you to accept payments in many different forms. Systems such as Heartland payment processing can provide an easy-to-understand way that various payments can be accepted and processed. In many cases, accepting credit or debit cards, cash, and checks is necessary to ensure that no customer has to go out of their way to pay for your product or service. A difficult experience of any kind will always give the customer hesitation when it comes to becoming a repeat buyer.
Keep Accepting Cash
No matter what you may hear in the news, cash is still used in the United States as well as the rest of the developed world. There are no fees required to accept cash, and in the long run, cash customers are optimum because of that lack of fees. Being cognizant of where every penny goes is essential to the success of a business.
Credit and Debit Cards Are King
Plastic is king when it comes to preferred payment methods. Almost everyone in the United States has a credit or debit card of some kind, and many of these cards also feature the somewhat recent addition of the EMV chip. The EMV chip helps to prevent fraud and increase the overall security of credit and debit card information. If you are a brick-and-mortar business, it is essential that you accept all cards and that you also adopt a payment acceptance system that has the technology required for the EMV chip to be properly used.
Electronic Transfers Are Convenient
In an online-based business, the ability to accept payments using an electronic transfer, or automatic clearing house (ACH), directly from a bank account can make the difference between keeping a customer or losing a customer. People want convenience, and electronic transfers provide that for individuals.
App-based Payment
Most people have probably heard of Venmo, Paypal, and CashApp. These are just a few of the many available options that customers have to send payments. These methods are especially beneficial for online-only or small businesses. They allow the customer to use a debit or credit card or a bank account to fund payments all over the internet as well as in person by using a portable card reader. This makes it possible for you to accept payments 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You will be far less likely to lose any customers based on the business’s inability to accept their preferred form of payment.
Importance of Gift Cards
Gift cards are an incredibly popular way for individuals to give gifts. It is a good idea to offer gift cards or gift certificates for purchase in your business as it produces many benefits. Not only are you making a sale, but the gift card itself will likely bring in a customer, and many customers may end up making purchases that exceed the value of the gift card. Some of these consumers may become repeat buyers, which is key to the success of your business. Because of this, you should adopt a system that will help you to establish a way to accept gift cards as a form of payment.
No matter what method your customers use to make purchases, the importance of making payments simple and easy can be the difference between turning a customer into a regular or producing positive word of mouth about your business within your community. There are so many factors involved when starting any kind of business, so it is also important to keep your wheels turning at all times. There are always aspects that can be improved, whether it be for the customer experience, the employee experience, or the experience of the business as a whole. The success of an endeavor like this depends on so many factors, so ensure that you accept many different payment methods for ease of service.
