Is your business future-proof?

In 2017, we are more tech-savvy than ever before. Our phones are glued to our hands and have become a personal accessory which we colour coordinate. Even watches have become a computerised screen, offering us more than just the time but keeping us up to date with emails, text messages and prompting us with health reminders!

They offer us new ways to pay for our daily essentials, through contactless or fingerprint payment, whether that’s in a physical or web-based store. While we may still be a while off achieving fingerprint payments, the rise of contactless payments continues. We might soon become a completely cashless economy and these developments prompt the question – is your business future-proof?

Contactless payment has been with us since 2007. Since then, this payment method has gathered serious momentum, notably taking hold by November 2015 when the UK hit the billion-pound mark for monthly contactless transactions according to the UK Cards Association.

As of January 2017, there are now 104.4 million contactless cards in issue in the UK – an increase of 25% over the previous year. We also spent a total of £3,186.2m during January through contactless card methods alone!

We are attracted to contactless payment because of its queue-busting convenience. Simply tap your card, phone or watch to pay and you’re ready to go – with no waiting around. It is also proven to be relatively secure compared to other methods of payment such as Chip and Pin. According to the Financial Fraud Action’s Fraud: The Facts 2016 report, contactless cards and devices account for only 0.5 per cent of overall card fraud recorded during 2015.

It is therefore not hard to see why this swift and speedy solution is the payment method of choice for many – including your customers!

If you aren’t offering contactless payments, you could be in danger of being left behind as more and more customers make the switch. However, this can be easily remedied thanks to the multitude of companies who offer the facilities you need to put a solution in place. Providing this new form of payment could prove an essential marketing tool for your salon, as many hair and beauty businesses are yet to make this important change.

When making the switch it is always advisable to ask your customers if they would like to use contactless. This act of courtesy will either inform them of your forward-thinking attitude or act as an ‘in’ to curb the fears of any customers who may still be concerned about this progressive method of payment.