The holiday shopping season is officially in full swing. Early bird shoppers have clamored to check gifts off their lists while others still bide their time, hoping for the best deal. The holiday season — and the “sale season” after — will bring an increase in customer traffic to your business. However, just getting them in the door isn’t enough. You need to understand what challenges stand between your business and actually concluding customer interactions with sales. Here are some important points to remember about potential customers this season:
- They are low on patience. They deal with long lines, congested traffic, and less-than-kind fellow customers.
- They are low on time. Balancing work, holiday planning, family commitments, and more means that your customers may not have the time to stand in long lines or dig through messy displays.
- They want to know your return policies, price-matching policies, coupons, and sales upfront.
- They are well-informed about whether your products or services are priced competitively.
With all of these factors weighing against you, how can you help adjust your operations to increase your likelihood of success? One easy and innovative way allows you to reduce long lines and waits. By adding mobile credit card processing, you can establish kiosks, or designate employees to accept payments throughout your location, thereby giving your business adaptable flexibility as you navigate this busy time. When you add mobile processing, you don’t have to rearrange your floor plan, or deal with logistical complications that come from full cash register stations. You simply equip a mobile phone credit card reader and embrace the benefits of added payment stations with a zero space footprint.
You can also utilize mobile processing in innovative sale strategies. For example, parking lot tents for flash clearance sales, Black Friday support, and even a rapid checkout for customers with few items can all be creative ways to make this technology work for your business. When you make it as easy as possible for customers to get in and out, you increase the likelihood that they will take the time to complete a sale.
