Why Consumers Need Contactless Payments Now

Our world is now one where people are thinking about what they’re touching. Who touched that before me, and what were all of their touchpoints leading up to it? Even as we go back into stores and restaurants, we don’t want to be touching anything we don’t have to.

Whether it’s paying for my morning coffee at Dunkin’ with their mobile app or Apple Pay or paying for lunch by ordering ahead on a website, preordering and curbside pickups are how we are getting back on track.

What Are Corona-Free Payments?

Before the coronavirus pandemic, none of us would have thought anything of physically entering a PIN on a POS device or exchanging cash by hand. Therefore, stores were set up to take cash, cards and even checks. But since the virus broke out, those businesses that have been able to quickly pivot, or to retrain their customers to leverage technology they already had, are seeing the best way through the current situation.

Here are your options for offering Corona-Free Payments:

eCommerce Website and Mobile App

Many businesses that had originally decided to stay away from eCommerce because of all the logistics challenges may be changing their minds in order to survive. Allowing customers to buy online or via mobile app and then pickup in store or curbside allows you to offer the benefits of eCommerce without the shipping headaches. Expanding your digital presence to incorporate sales transactions will be key in regaining traction with your customers, and in some cities and towns, this may be the quickest route to getting back to business. With the right payment setup, you can also use your website as a virtual terminal to process call-in orders.

As we increasingly return to what back to normal means in this post-coronavirus world, you can let customers use your mobile app in-store as an option for contactless payments.

NFC Contactless Payments

More and more cards are being equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) chips that can be waved in front of an NFC reader for payment. If you have the equipment to take payments in this manner, you may need to educate your customers on choosing this contactless option over physically dipping or swiping their cards.

Accept eWallets, Like Apple Pay and Google Pay

Most smartphones today natively offer Apple Pay, Google Pay or other eWallets, which can then be used for paying on your website, in your mobile app or via an in-store NFC reader. In addition to being contactless, this increasingly popular payment option is convenient for your smartphone-dependent consumers.

Corona-Free Payments for B2B

With the coronavirus pandemic necessitating that so many people work from home, the success is causing come companies to rethink their office spaces and remote working policies altogether. If you have a B2B business, you need to rethink your reliance on physical payments. As people look to avoid paper, switching to electronic invoices and allowing your customers to pay electronically via ACH deposit or credit card will speed up your time to get paid while also eliminating physical contact.

Survive Today and Thrive in the Future with Corona-Free Payments

Whether your customers are consumers or other businesses, their worlds have been changed by the coronavirus pandemic. The full depth of how it is changing our lives is yet to be seen. But to meet their needs and to safeguard your business for the future, you need to identify the best ways to provide them with Corona-Free Payments.

The Dawn of Corona-Free Payments, or Why Consumers Need Contactless Payments Now