As a business owner, you know that one of the most crucial areas to avoid friction is customer checkout. Anything that gives a customer pause before paying could result in a lost sale.
This applies to both brick-and-mortar and online stores, but it’s especially challenging online. Unlike a physical location, where customers are likely to give a store some grace because they’ve invested time and energy to shop in person, online stores cater to expectations of quick and easy convenience. Customers typically don’t feel like they’ve invested much energy in the online experience; they can just as easily navigate to another site.
So how do you reduce this friction?
Offering multiple payment options is one strategy that works. Some customers prefer cash, others a credit card, and still others a payment service provider like PayPal. If you accept credit cards, your website’s checkout functionality will need to cover the full range of choices that are available in the market.
Apple Pay is yet another option. This leading-edge form of payment enables customers to conveniently purchase products and services by paying with any one of various Apple products: an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or even Apple’s Safari browser.
If you’re thinking of expanding your payment options to include Apple Pay, your chief concern will be whether your payment processor accepts it. For instance, does Square take Apple Pay? Millions of merchants use Square, so this question is becoming more prominent as Apple Pay’s popularity rises. Keep reading to get answers to this and other questions about Square and Apple Pay.
Does Square take Apple Pay?
The short answer is yes: Square does accept Apple Pay. You can accept Apple Pay through all of Square’s near-field communication (NFC)-enabled payment terminals and online checkout products, including
- Square Reader
- Square Stand
- Square Terminal
- Square Register
- Square Checkout
Once you set up one or more of these products and enable payments via Apple Pay, customers can simply hold their device near the reader to complete the transaction. For online transactions, customers can choose the Apple Pay option at checkout on your site.
Do most businesses accept Apple Pay?
“There are many types of businesses that accept Apple Pay,” says Brian Lee, founder of Drill and Driver. “Most businesses indicate whether they accept this payment method by displaying some type of graphic in their storefront or on their website, so it’s clear to customers before they start shopping.”
How do I let customers know I accept Apple Pay?
Once you prepare your business to accept Apple Pay, Lee suggests making an announcement on your website and social media pages. This is especially important if you have a sizable customer base that doesn’t know your business accepts this payment method.
“If you have a brick-and-mortar store, display it clearly on your front door so customers will immediately recognize it,” Lee explains. “This way, customers will know they can have a convenient, contactless shopping experience.”
Is Apple Pay free for merchants?
Yes, Apple Pay is free for merchants — outside of the payment processing fees you already pay to other financial or tech service providers. “Accepting Apple Pay does not involve additional fees since it’s basically like paying with a card, only it’s contactless. There are also no additional application or registration requirements,” says Lee.
Why accept Apple Pay?
Lee says businesses can benefit greatly from accepting Apple Pay because it boosts customer retention and is an effective form of target marketing to iPhone users, who now constitute a vast swath of the world’s consumers. The system is especially convenient for consumers who forget their credit cards at home or in the car — or lose them altogether.
“But one thing they won’t forget is their iPhone, so use Apple Pay to take advantage of that fact,” says Lee. “The convenience factor is a powerful draw, and if you offer Apple Pay while your competitors lag behind, you gain a competitive edge. Even if they too offer Apple Pay, you want to avoid letting competitors gain an edge over your business.”
Lee says he understood the value of Apple Pay even before it was available, and he couldn’t wait for it to be released. “We know our customers love convenience, so as soon as it was available, I made sure to implement it in my business. I highly recommend it.”
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