Contactless payments have been growing in popularity over the past few years. And, the COVID-19 pandemic has only made them more widespread. If you’ve been in any major store since the outbreak began in March 2020, you might have seen signs and notices asking customers to make contactless payments wherever possible for their own safety and the safety of others.
Contactless payments including contactless cards and smartphone features such as Apple Pay and Google Pay have become a more and more common sight across the world as people look for safer options during the pandemic. So, what makes contactless and other electronic payments a better option for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic? And, why are more and more small businesses realizing the benefits of accepting this payment method?
Limited or No Contact
The very nature of contactless payments means that the customer does not need to make any physical contact with another person or a card reader when they make their payment. Unlike handing cash over, this means that the risk of germs and bacteria is much lower.
In fact, cash has hundreds of different types of bacteria present on it at any time, and you never know where it has been before it ended up in your hands – making it a prime breeding ground for germs and a higher risk of contracting diseases than you may realize. When making contactless payments, the customer does not have to touch any cash or a payment reader, making it the safest option for hygiene and reducing the spread of disease.
Employee Safety
Another reason why more and more businesses have asked customers to limit themselves to making contactless payments wherever possible is to keep employees safe. Employees who are working during the COVID-19 outbreak are putting their health at risk to work every day, and most employers are concerned about making sure that their hard-working staff are able to stay well and healthy.
Since cash is covered in bacteria, accepting cash payments is not only a risk to the customers but also to the employees who usually have to handle a lot more cash than the average person throughout the working day.
Convenience
It’s not just the COVID-19 safety measures that have led more and more small businesses to start accepting contactless payments throughout the pandemic. The fact that it’s more convenient for everybody involved makes these payments a very attractive option for businesses in every industry. Contactless payments are often much faster than taking and counting cash or having customers swipe their card and enter a PIN.
As a result, it’s easier to get customers through the checkout process, making it a convenient option for both parties. This can also contribute to COVID-19 safety measures by making it easier for customers to complete their purchases faster, allowing other customers to enter the store.
Build Trust
Offering contactless payments can improve your business reputation and allow you to build your trust with customers more. Contactless payments are one of the latest and most modern options in payment technology, and customers tend to trust businesses more when they are seen to be keeping up with the latest advancements.
Not accepting contactless payments may leave your business with a reputation of being dated and old-fashioned, which isn’t going to appeal to young and modern customers who want the convenience of being able to make payments in a safe, fast way. In addition, offering contactless payments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic can help you build even more customer trust by demonstrating to your customers that they are the main priority when it comes to keeping everybody safe and secure during these times.
Improve Profit
Contactless payments make it easier for customers to make payments, regardless of if they have cash on them. In some cases, customers that make use of smartphone payment systems like Apple Pay or Google Pay will be able to easily make a payment using only their smartphone, which most people have on them all the time these days.
If you’re wondering how to maximize profit when it comes to accepting customer payments, allowing customers to make payments using contactless cards and smartphone payments is certainly one of the best options. NadaPayments has more information on how to maximize profit by accepting a range of different electronic payment options for your business. They also offer an electronic payment option that is easy to set up with little to no processing fees for credit and debit cards.
Accept Almost Any Card
Today, modern contactless payment systems will accept almost any type of customer card, including a wide range of popular credit and debit cards. Many pre-paid cards and other card types that your customers might use will also be compatible with contactless payment systems, which can make the process of paying much easier and more convenient for your customers. In addition, it can also help your business increase sales and profits by taking away the limits that are often placed on customers by using outdated payment systems or only accepting cash.
Offer Online Contactless Payments
Customers who like to make payments using Apple Pay or Google Pay can also have the added convenience of making their payments online. If your business operates either online-only or with both an online and a bricks-and-mortar store, this can be an excellent addition to your site that can help to reduce cart abandonment by simplifying and speeding up the checkout process.
Using Apple Pay or Google Pay, customers can easily make online payments in apps or at online websites using their phone’s passcode or Face ID on an iPhone. Since their card details are already saved, there is no need for them to search for their credit or debit card to make the payment or enter it into the site’s checkout area. Streamlining this often-time-consuming part of making an online payment to make it as effortless as possible can be an ideal way to increase the number of online sales that your business makes.
How to Encourage Customers to Pay with Contactless
Of course, not all customers are going to be thrilled about the idea of using contactless technology for making payments. However, with it being the safest option to choose from during the time of COVID-19, it’s a good idea to do whatever you can to encourage your customer to use contactless payment options, including signs and notices in store. However, don’t take away other payment options since some people will have strong preferences for cash and are willing to take their chances by using cash.
Others may be happy to pay with a debit or credit card but their card might not have contactless features. It’s important to keep these customers in mind and do whatever you can to put steps in place to protect them during the pandemic such as regularly cleaning card readers and offering hand sanitizer that customers can use after handling cash.
With electronic payments now expected as standard for businesses today, contactless payments are becoming even more popular. Along with being the safest payment option to make during the COVID-19 pandemic since it eliminates contact with card readers or employees, they offer a lot of convenience and benefits to both customers and businesses.
