A majority of customers across all demographics prefer card payments and other digital payment modes as opposed to cash transactions. Over the last decade, there has been a strong push towards switching over to a cashless economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic has further intensified this trend of cashless payments like UPI Scan and Pay. Whether you own a neighbourhood grocery shop, a specialty restaurant, or a mid-sized computer repair store, installing a digital POS machine has become a must nowadays. Of course, your choice of POS machine depends on several crucial factors, and you need to exercise careful consideration before making the final choice. Here are 6 important things to consider while buying a digital swipe machine for your business:-
- Payment Modes Enabled
What are the major payment modes that your customers frequently use? Taking a consensus on the most-preferred payment methods of your clientele is an important step before narrowing down on a digital POS machine for your business. Even if you need a simple machine only for card swiping, you need to decide what range of debit cards and debit cards would be accepted by the machine. Remember, the higher the number of payment modes enabled, the higher will be the cost incurred. So balance the tightrope between your budget and customer preferences before jumping the gun.
- EMV/PCI Security Compliance
While EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard, Visa, PCI stands for Payment Card Industry. Having either one of these vital debit/credit card security guidelines ratified approved on your EVM machine is mandatory. Nowadays, there are versatile POS machines that not only accept card payments but also other popular digital payment modes like UPI Scan and Pay and E-Wallets payment. In this case, make sure the payment gateway abides by the requisite data encryption norms.
Click here – Ethnic Meaning In Hindi | Ethnic का मतलब हिंदी में
- Portability and Ease of Use
Gone are the days of bulky, wired POS terminals. For most businesses big or small, the ideal digital POS machine is sleek, wireless, Wi-Fi connected, and easy to use. This especially comes in handy when you have to collect doorstep or on-site payments from customers. But a fuss-free, portable POS device is also a saviour when it comes to eliminating crowding and long waiting period at the checkout counter.
- E-Receipts Enablement
Traditional retailing used to involve the handing out of paper invoices. But the recent trend of contact-free payments has also nudged forward the requirement for electronic invoices or e-invoices. For instance, with UPI Scan and Pay, you immediately get a notification SMS and e-receipt in your inbox. Opting for a POS machine with in-built, automated e-receipts sending will save you a lot of time, money, and efforts. Furthermore, you can be assured of glowing reviews from customers, since research has shown that there is a high preference for hassle-free e-receipts as compared to messy paper bills. So you win both ways, on the operational efficiency front, as well as on the customer satisfaction front.
- Cloud Storage
One of the biggest advantages of the modern-day, cutting-edge POS machine is that there is no more tedious bookkeeping for store owners. It doesn’t matter what kind of establishment you own, or what your volume of transactions happens to be. There are Android POS devices with cloud storage, to meet the diverse requirements of various businesses nowadays. You can easily pick one that suits your transaction categories and report formats in the best possible way.
- Additional Options
Aside from the various conventional payment options enabled by the digital POS machine like QR code scanning, UPI Scan and Pay, Internet Banking, E-Wallets and Card Payments, there are many businesses that require customized payment options. These include payment modes like Buy Now Pay Later, Debit Card EMI, and payments using accumulated Loyalty Points. If you have a full-fledged loyalty program, or your business thrives on high-value purchases, you should ideally opt for a POS machine that allows your customers to pay for high-value merchandise in instalments. Especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ‘buy now pay later’ option has become very popular amongst customers.
Conclusion
The ultimate decision of buying a digital POS machine implies striking the right balance between what you can afford and what features you require. While some aspects like security compliance and ease of use are non-negotiable, others like loyalty points integration and portability are optional and are completely subjective to your requirements.
Click here – Solid Ways to Earn More in a Volatile Market