As the business world shifts from hard cash transactions to online solutions, salon owners need to keep up. Credit card processing is a vital factor in this transition, as it determines your ability to accept card payments and is a gateway to other online transactions. The security, speed, and convenience you present to your customers won’t go unnoticed.
Naturally, you may be concerned about the costs and complexities involved and the investment in the necessary equipment. Fortunately, such initial concerns are usually outweighed by all the benefits your business will enjoy once you have this processing system set up. This article looks at some of those benefits, shows ways to use card processing in salons, and makes recommendations to improve your hair salon’s business performance.
Benefits of Accepting Traditional Card Processing in Salons
Customers appreciate convenient payment processing services, and debit and credit card payments are the perfect platforms for them. Therefore, availing of such options in your hair salon comes with several key benefits for your customers:
Convenience
As mentioned, customers prefer a seamless payment experience that leaves them stress-free to enjoy their hair appointments. Hair salons are where your customers come for some pampering, fixing their looks, and socializing. Carrying cash or using some other cumbersome and unsafe payment process is not ideal and messes up their otherwise nice morning or afternoon. Therefore, allowing them to use their credit and debit cards adds to the convenience and pleasure of the experience.
Customer Preference
Some customers prefer places that accept contactless payments and will favor your salon when you accept credit card payments. Besides convenience, they may receive discounts, participate in raffles, or enjoy other incentives that credit card companies offer their customers. Additionally, they may not feel safe walking around with cash, thus making such contactless payments most suitable for them.
Safety
Cash payments have advantages, but the risks involved far outweigh the benefits a beauty salon handles cash enjoys. Customers feel unsafe walking around with all that cash, and beauty salon staff may make more errors while handling it. Additionally, it encourages theft and misappropriation of funds. Therefore, small business owners like yourself need to minimize such avenues for losses and other personnel complications by offering credit card transactions.
Fast Payment Processing System
Payments via credit and debit cards reflect almost instantly in your accounts. Additionally, you won’t need to count the money and calculate what change to give customers. Therefore, you’ll allow your customers to get on with their schedules faster and free up more time to attend to other salon duties.
Customer Tracking Capabilities
Credit card payment processing combines a POS terminal or POS software with salon software to produce valuable data on customer spending habits. You can tell who your loyal customers are and their preferences from their payments. Therefore, you’ll have a chance to present them with more compelling packages and other offers and enhance customer loyalty.
Increased Consumer Spending
Customers tend to spend more when making a credit card transaction. Cash makes them hesitate to dish out more of it, but the digital nature of cards frees them up to spend more. Therefore, they will go for more of your products and services while at the salon.
Better Inventory Tracking
Since all processed payments reflect all products and services rendered, you can easily update your inventory through your salon software and POS software. Therefore, restocking, purchasing the most popular products, and other inventory management duties become easier and more efficient.
Ways to Use Traditional Card Processing in Salons
The process begins when your customer determines what products and services to use at your salon. The customer then opts to pay using a credit or debit card through the merchant services payment gateway, integrated into your POS software.
Your salon POS system will have a card reader in which the customer can swipe their card to initiate the funds transfer. The credit or debit card data is securely transmitted and connects the customer’s bank or other online transaction accounts with your business account for the funds’ transfer. The final step at this juncture entails the customer authorizing the transfer by keying in their PIN or password. Once the transfer is complete, you will receive a notification of the same, as will the customer.
You will issue a receipt to the customer to complete and acknowledge the transaction. The merchant services provider then sends the funds to your business account. Typically, the transfer is complete within 48 hours.
Challenges Faced by Salons in Payment Systems
- Card payments are subject to processing fees
- It may take a while for you to have access to the money (usually 24 hours) when using credit cards
- High risk or fraud and scams
- Besides the transactional fees, you’ll also pay incidental fees such as chargebacks and service fees
Is Traditional Credit Card Processing What Your Business Needs?
Additionally, your business will realize more sales as customers spend more when paying with credit and debit cards. It is the case even with local businesses that have traditionally accepted only cash payments.
Furthermore, your business will suffer fewer human error costs and escape the risk of bad checks. Such problems afflict cash and check payment options but hardly ever affect this payment option, especially when you take steps to prevent credit card fraud. Trusting the services of a reputable credit card processing firm ensures you avoid such pitfalls.
It is worth noting that the streamlined inventory management and increased efficiency in payment processing free up your time and resources. This way, you’ll focus more on growing your small salon business.
Conclusion
Credit card processing for beauty salons is a wonderful idea that presents so many growth opportunities. This article outlines those benefits and explains how the process works. You’ll find that it is an indispensable part of your plans to take your salon business to the highest possible heights.
Paul Martinez is the founder of EcomSidekick.com. He is an expert in the areas of finance, real estate, eCommerce, traffic and conversion.
Join him on EcomSidekick.com to learn how to improve your financial life and excel in these areas. Before starting this media site, Paul built from scratch and managed two multi-million dollar companies. One in the real estate sector and one in the eCommerce sector.