With many consumers choosing not to use cash anymore, and with the “touchless point of sale” trend growing as we emerge from pandemic restrictions, it is essential for those in hospitality to offer a variety of payment methods – including contactless. It is not only the norm, but fast becoming expected by consumers. Data from Barclaycard has shown that nearly nine out of ten UK card payments in 2020 were contactless, accounting for a staggering 88.6% of total transactions.
In the US, adoption of contactless payments has lagged due to the infrastructure and lack of issuers actually producing contactless cards. But more recently, many payments have moved either online or to virtual wallets, and contactless card usage has increased in the US as well. Mastercard research revealed a 136% increase in contactless transactions in the US in the full year to July 2020.
Giving the choice of paying with a simple one-stroke action is quick and efficient. Not only does it reduce the time spent in line waiting to pay, it also reduces the amount of contact between people and on surfaces. For hospitality providers, contactless devices can be installed at point of sale terminals, self-service kiosks and vending machines – making it easy to implement across the facility.
Our contactless offerings are not only fast, but they are also secure and support mobile wallets including ApplePay and GooglePay, giving both businesses and users confidence – as well as removing the need for customers to carry a physical wallet. Mobile wallets are also compatible with the mySYSTOPIA app, which allows users to link multiple payment cards. The app also ties in with loyalty and reward programs, promoting repeat business and providing valuable transactional data, key for boosting the bottom line.
Something that many hospitality operators share with us is their concern about increasing revenue as we emerge from the pandemic. One way this can be helped is by offering multiple payment methods – one of which, in our opinion, should be contactless.
To hear more about how we can help you transform your business operation contact us at info@systopiainternational.com.