Retail
For retail businesses, the ability to process payments is critical. However, it is often more challenging than many startups and small business owners realize – today’s consumers expect the merchants they patronize to accept a very wide range of payment types, but doing so requires planning, the right equipment, and a trusted retail merchant services provider.
At National Processing, we’re proud to partner with solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, SMB owners, and more to provide cutting-edge retail merchant services that offer flexibility and the opportunity to live up to your customers’ expectations.
Ready to experience the NP difference? Get in touch with us today.
What Is Retail Payment Processing?
Retail payment processing is exactly what it sounds like – accepting the form of payment your customer offers and then processing it.
- With a cash purchase, processing is simple. You take the cash and make change if necessary.
- With a check, processing is more complex – the customer writes the check, you verify ID and then run the check through a check verification service.
- Processing credit and debit card purchases is even more complex and involves so much more than physically swiping a card.
Processing anything more than cash requires access to retail merchant services. That’s true whether you run a brick-and-mortar shop or you’re building the world’s next hot e-commerce store.
Retail merchant services help you connect the dots, so to speak, ensuring that you can accept debit, credit, gift cards, and other forms of payment, while simultaneously working with banks and card providers, fraud protection and prevention agencies, accounting for the various fees involved in retail payment processing, and more.
Why choose National Processing as your retail merchant services provider? Contact us today to learn more.
With the right retail payment processing system:
- Your customers can transfer funds to you in exchange for goods or services.
- You can support higher transaction volumes, which enables you to serve more customers, whether online or off, and build a stronger business.
Understanding the Various Components of a Retail Payment Processing System
While your options will certainly vary from one retail merchant services provider to another, it’s important to understand the different forms that these systems can take. That ensures you’re able to choose the right system for your specific needs, while also ensuring the scalability required for growth and development over time.
Accepting and Processing Cash
The simplest and least costly type of retail payment processing system is handling cash. You incur no additional fees for accepting cash, although you do have hassles, like bank deposits, buying change, and more. Today, cash is used primarily for low-value transactions, and most consumers don’t carry more than $50 on them at any time. More and more consumers don’t use cash at all, preferring to rely on debit and credit cards, instead.
ACH Payments
Automated clearing house, or ACH, payments are becoming more and more popular today. They take the place of paper checks and money orders and provide a seamless means for consumers to pay a range of charges, from utility bills to mortgage payments. In this arrangement, the consumer provides the service provider/retailer with their bank information, and the retailer then automatically debits the account. ACH payments are convenient, simple, secure, and work well for high-value payments and recurring payments.
Accepting and Processing Debit and Credit Card Payments
The most widespread form of payment today, debit and credit cards can be used in physical retail locations, or to purchase goods and/or services online. These systems offer fast, efficient processing, convenience for both retailer and customer, and plenty of flexibility. Consumers also value the additional safeguards built into credit cards in particular, such as fraud and theft protection, which has led to the majority of people in the US being cardholders of some type.
Mobile Payment Processing
Mobile devices like the smartphone and tablet have transformed the world. Consumers use their smartphones to find retailers and service providers near them. Retailers use tablets and smartphones as part of their POS system, in some cases, as the entire POS system. Mobile devices offer flexibility, convenience, and ease of use while ensuring that you can accept multiple payment methods to support your customers. It’s about more than mobile card readers – mobile wallets now offer contactless payments and electronic funds transfers.
Choosing the Right Retail Payment Processing System for You
Every business is unique. And yet, each must find ways to accept payments from their customers. Your choice of retail merchant services provider plays a central role here – the right partner can enable you to accept a wide range of payment methods, from cash to credit cards to mobile wallet-based payments, and everything in between.
The right retail payment processing system will offer:
- Flexibility
- Ease of use
- Low barrier to entry
- Low fees and processing costs
- Fast processing times
- Mobility
- An easier approach to customer engagement
Sound like a tall order? It can be, but with National Processing, it’s simpler than you might think. We back our ground-breaking technology with the retail merchant services you need for success and to support your customers.
Our goal is to empower you to grow and thrive on your own terms, with the support that can only come from a forward-thinking, modern retail payment processing system. We invite you to learn more about our mobile and store payment processing technology, our rates and fees, and what sets us apart from our competitors. If you’re ready to accelerate growth and success while accepting the payment methods your customers prefer, get in touch with us today.
