You love your retail store and want your customers to feel the same. Perhaps you’ve put great effort into curating your storefront, ensuring that your inventory is always fresh, and keeping your staff trained in great customer service. What are you forgetting? It may seem like an unimportant detail, but your store’s ability to secure a smooth and enjoyable transaction at the point of sale is the final, essential task for properly managing your store. Having the best technology and the best credit card processing company can actually make a difference.
With this in mind, what about the point of sale has changed, or is changing, and what can your store do to capitalize on the change? First and foremost, you’ll want to ensure that you are able to accept as many payment types as possible. If avoidable, never put up a barrier between you and your customer’s purchase by not accepting their preferred payment method.
The same principle is at play online, and what’s more, the digital realm means that customers are way more likely to start the purchase process and abandon it, leaving their carts full of possible purchases. Alternatives to the standard online checkout can bridge the gap, removing friction in the process so that your customers feel as comfortable as possible. Ensuring that you offer all the standard ways of paying, such as Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, and more is one simple way of doing that. Another good option is making sure that you have both an easy guest checkout and a simple way to make an account. Keep in mind that individuals will have different frictions. By enabling as many pay processes, you’ll be able to offer a comfortable experience to most people.
Possibly the most recent trend to overtake the online and in-store purchase experience is the ability for customers to benefit from the convenience of both. It may not work for every business model, but some physical stores offer a convenient purchase experience by enabling the customer to order and pay online and then pick up their purchase in-store. It combines the ease of online shopping with the instant gratification of not waiting for shipping. As social media sites begin to invest more effort in payments, this format will likely only become more popular.
An ongoing alleviation of these possible problems is feedback. Online or in person, you can build in a quick survey with just a few questions that suit what you’re concerned about improving. The keyword here is quick; you don’t want your quiz to be part of the negative feedback. It should never disrupt, should always be optional, and you can sweeten the pot by offering a reward of some sort.
To reach your customer, offering the best is crucial: the best products, the best technology, and the best credit card processing company are necessary to ensure the best experience with your store.