Grow your business by accepting card payments
Offering card payments at your salon is more convenient for your customers, faster for your staff and could help you grow your business.
If you are thinking about taking card payments in your salon, here are four tips to help get you started:
- Choose what type of payment provider is best for your business: To set up card payments for your salon, you’ll need a specific type of bank account, known as a merchant account, and, if you are selling offline, a device to read your customers’ payments cards. There are basically two options: select the merchant account and payment device from different providers, or work with a single provider which provides a bundled service. Working with different providers may give you a bit extra flexibility and can work out better for larger businesses, but for most smaller businesses the simplicity of a bundled approach is better.
- Select the right provider: Once you have decided what model is best for you, the next step is to choose the right provider. While some providers may offer slight differences in customer service and technology, the main consideration will be price. Most providers will charge a fixed percentage of every payment you take, but it is also worth comparing set-up fees, fixed monthly minimum fees and fees charged for renting the payment device.
- Train your staff: taking digital payments is a big change for your staff. Help them make the most of it by organising training to help them familiarise themselves with the new process. Pay particular attention to: taking basic payments, what happens when a payment is declined, accepting tips and managing refunds.
- Provide options for tipping: Look for card machines that provide tipping options. By paying with card, your customers can give the amount they would like to give for the service, without being hindered by how much cash they have spare.
Your front of house staff has enough to do: greeting customers, matching them with stylists, and taking bookings over the phone. Allowing customers to pay you more efficiently gives your staff more time to focus on these important parts of your business.
In today’s increasingly digital society, card payments mean convenience and comfort for your customers, keeping you one step ahead of your competitors. Electronic payments now account for three in every five payments in Europe , so offering the payment options that your customers expect will help you grow your business.
1 Visa proprietary data, August 2018
