Within the world of retail, businesses are often divided into two categories: brick-and-mortar and ecommerce (online). However, with the rapid changes in consumer payment preferences, the lines between these two are starting to blur.
Small business owners are realizing the importance of being able to accept both in-person and fully online payments.
If you own a small venture and you’re not sure where to start, don’t stress. We’re here to help.
How to sell products or services anywhere
At this point in retail, having a website is a foregone conclusion. But it’s not enough to just have a website that shows your location and hours.
People expect brick-and-mortar businesses to offer their products for sale online as well.
They’re also expecting more options, whether it be:
A traditional ecommerce transaction where they pay online and the product is shipped to them
A case where they pay online and pick the product up in-person
People are increasingly expecting flexibility in their transactions.
It’s important for your business to meet these expectations.
But if the thought of overhauling your business model makes you feel anxious, we’ll show you how to easily and seamlessly sell your products anywhere your customers (and you) are.
In addition to the design of your website, it’s also important that your site loads quickly.
If users are leaving your site before your pages even load, that’s bad news.
Overly large images and graphics are the primary culprits for slow-loading pages. To ensure that your site loads quickly, make sure that you’re keeping images as small as possible.
There are numerous free image compression tools (e.g., compressjpg.com, Tiny PNG) that can slim down your image sizes and speed up your page loads.
You’ll also want to be sure to include strong product descriptions that will encourage them to buy. Note that GoDaddy's site builders use artificial intelligence (AI) to write product descriptions for you. That's one less thing for you to do!
Not offering a wide range of payment options can be a big turn-off for many visitors. With younger buyers now entering the market, payment preferences are shifting.
Gen Z is increasingly expecting mobile pay as an option.
According to Business Wire, Canadians under the age of 54 use credit and cash less often. Their preferred ways to pay? Digital wallets, prepay and other digital payment methods.
If you’re selling products or services on a website, then the payment options you should offer include:
Debit cards
All major credit cards
Interac debit for in-person payments
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Online pay links, especially for businesses without websites
Virtual terminals for over-the-phone payments
However, selling services in person — away from a website — will change your options when collecting payment on the go.
You have the option of mobile peer-to-peer payments through a mobile app or requesting payment through a generated URL or QR code.
There is, of course, the option of cash, but cash is rapidly plummeting as a payment of choice.
One easy solution to that last step is GoDaddy Payments, from a trusted advisor to small businesses.
Sell online and/or in-person — customers can even order online and pick up in store
Keep more of your profits with the lowest credit/debit card transaction fees in the industry at 2.3% + 0 cents CAD per transaction*
Money is deposited into your bank account the next day
Accept all major debit and credit cards, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay
Manage all payments, deposits and orders — whether made online or in-person — in one place
Your inventory is synced in real-time across all points of sale, which keeps you from overselling
There are three elements to GoDaddy Payments:
1. A credit card payment processor
A payment processor handles all of your credit or debit card transactions for you.
It acts as a mediator between your store and a financial institution or merchant account.
The payment process involves authorizing all credit card or debit card transactions via your merchant accounts and transferring the funds so you receive your payments quickly. The faster the business gets paid, the better its cash flow.
2. A POS payment system
A point of sale (POS) is the location where you exchange your goods or services for payment. It can be done:
Using a device in a physical location such as a store
Online through your ecommerce-enabled website
For example, GoDaddy’s POS system is an easy and fast way to accept credit card payments anywhere and everywhere.
It seamlessly integrates with GoDaddy’s Online Store if you have one, so your online and in-person sales are organized and accessible in one place.
Your customers can buy online and pick up in-store or book online and pay in-person.
GoDaddy’s sleek and powerful Poynt Smart Terminal (or POS device) comes ready to use with everything built-in for a convenient in-person checkout process.
The unit comes with free three-day expedited shipping, a one-year limited warranty and 30-day refund.
It includes
GoDaddy Payments processing
A paper receipt printer
A barcode scanner to scan product UPC codes and QR codes
There is no bulky setup, and it’s lightweight enough for in-store mobility.
It also comes with dual screens — a dedicated screen for you, and one for your customers — to make it faster and easier for your customers to checkout, tip and sign.
Every checkout is PCI secure, with payouts as fast as the next business day.
GoDaddy Payments accepts all major credit cards digitally or in-person, as well as Interac debit (in-person transactions only). The hardware can be delivered to your home or business free within three days.
Additionally, GoDaddy Payments offers contactless in-person Apple Pay and Google Pay transactions. This is a plus, as 42% of Canadians say their preference for digital and contactless payments is here to stay.
3. Other ways to accept payments
What happens if you don’t have a website or a brick-and-mortar store?
GoDaddy Payments offers a Virtual Terminal that allows you to accept credit card payments right from your computer, smartphone or another device with an internet connection.
It’s a safe, simple way to get paid when your customer isn’t standing in front of you.
Virtual Terminal processes payments quickly and securely. You receive the funds as soon as the next business day.
The Online Pay Links feature of GoDaddy Payments makes it easy to create a link you send to your customer.
Accept payment without needing a website
Create and share the pay link — via social media, text message, email — in minutes
Takes the customer to a secure checkout page to complete their transaction
Add a product image and your logo for a polished look
Connect your custom GoDaddy domain for five-star branding
Keep more of what you make with the lowest transaction fees in the industry*
When it comes to selling products, it’s important to be strategic about where you sell.
If your products or services are hyper-local, then it may suit your business best to offer those products locally, such as through your own storefront or at farmer’s markets and pop ups.
In those cases, you'll need a simple, secure way to accept payments. A point-of-sale (POS) device with mobile payment capabilities would be perfect in that scenario.
If your products or services aren’t limited to a single region, then an ecommerce website would make the most sense.
You’ll want to consider integrating social media marketplaces into your ecommerce strategy as well. Read this post for details on selling from Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook.
Know where your customers spend their time and be there to meet their needs.
Hopefully we’ve given you some ideas to help you get your business rolling.
Websites are expected of all businesses nowadays but it’s important to be everywhere your customers spend time.
The economy continues to shift quickly, so having multiple routes for doing business — whether in-person, over the phone or online — will help your business remain successful
*Lowest pricing compared to leading providers Square, Stripe and Shopify for Canadian ecommerce, in-person and keyed-in transactions.
