Mobile Payments: Accepting Payments Their Way

Evan Brandell on 11/8/2021

The right devices and peripherals make all the difference.

There is no doubt that customer expectations for quick and efficient encounters in retail, hospitality and service industries have increased over the past decade, and mobile payment technology has enabled businesses to meet those demands. But, then, new consumer preferences emerged in response to COVID-19.

Businesses equipped with legacy countertop payment terminals will likely find that they need more flexibility to deliver the experiences their customers demand post-pandemic. Mobile payments give merchants across the range of verticals the freedom to adapt where transactions take place. For example, mobile payments allow retailers to cater to consumers who prefer in-aisle assistance or curbside service and the ability to adjust checkout processes.

What Merchants Need to Deliver the Payment Experiences Customers Want

How well merchants deliver in-demand payment experiences is becoming a competitive differentiator. Consumers gravitate toward merchants that make payments easy and as touch-free as possible. For example, when given the choice of tapping a contactless card on a mobile device or waiting in line to dip an EMV card in a countertop reader, a shopper will likely opt for the more convenient experience.

In addition to advantages for consumers, merchants also benefit from mobile payments. First, merchants have a wide range of mobile device options. Various mobile payment devices are available from payment vendors, but merchants can also leverage consumer devices — smartphones, tablets, and wearables — to accept mobile payments. Using consumer devices has its advantages. First, employees are familiar with them, so little training is typically required.

Consumer devices also enable businesses to manage devices in real time. For example, a taxi company with dozens of cars on the road can use a mobile device management (MDM) solution to see which devices are online, track them with geolocation, and have visibility into even the most recent transactions. Businesses can also leverage MDM solutions to fully manage devices, push updates, apply security patches, change configurations over the air, monitor battery life and device health, minimize downtime, and maximize productivity and revenues.

The most important goal for ISVs and point of sale (POS) solutions providers is to build a total mobile payments solution — devices, a secure and reliable payment platform, customer support, value-added services and more — that delivers the right features, the greatest value, and optimal ROI.

Making Mobile Payments Work

Because mobile payment devices travel around stores, restaurants, and other merchant locations with employees, it’s important to ensure that the solution you provide is suited to the environment. For example, make sure the solution includes:

  • Cases or housings for durability
  • Quickly and easily detachable card-reader devices compatible with cases
  • Hand straps or other accessories or peripherals for ergonomics and drop prevention

You should also help your clients protect their mobile payments solutions with tech support from day one. You’ll provide more value to your clients if they can proactively address issues rather than troubleshoot after deployment. 

Meet the Demand for Mobile Payments

Traditional payment solutions are often complex or require specialized equipment, and they’re not particularly user-friendly and mobile. But today, merchants must meet consumer expectations for secure, agile, mobile payment options.

To provide the in-demand solutions that enable merchants to keep up with consumer demands, deliver mobile payment solutions that address each need, from payment functionality to practical ways to use and carry devices. 

To learn more about how practical and convenient mobile payments can be, take a look at our new QuantumPay partnership with Infinite Peripherals, or email IPOS.BD@evopayments.com.


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