It’s Hip to Be Square…
Sorry to disappoint, but this is not a post about the infamous band, Huey Lewis and the News. Instead, it’s about an amazing new payment method called Square, that got its’ start right here in St. Louis. What’s so special about Square? Well, it allows you to accept credit card payments ANYWHERE you can take your mobile device (currently it works with Apple iOS and Google Android devices).
A couple weeks ago, our sister company, GnomeAcres, decided to take Square for a spin at the Etsy Art Sale & Holiday Open House at the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum. Immediately upon setting up the booth, before the event had even started, people started commenting about how excited they were to see that GnomeAcres could accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover & American Express).
And then the event began…
With the first sale also came the opportunity to try out Square. GnomeAcres started up the Square app on the iPhone (free download), plugged the Square Card Reader (free card reader) directly into iPhone, entered in the charge amount and swiped the customer’s card. It was literally that easy. The customer had the ability to sign the receipt using the touch screen (GnomeAcres had a stylus on-hand to make the signing process go a little smoother). There were many a “oooh” and “ahhh” that came from customers.
Another perk of Square is that it allows you to send a sales receipt via email or SMS to the customer. There’s even the ability to enter in notes on the receipt about what the item was that you sold. How do you know how much you sold? No problem. Square sends you an email receipt as well. You can also login to your Square account online to see all of your transactions.
You’re probably thinking, “What’s the catch?” Well, there is a small fee for every transaction you make, as there is with accepting credit cards on any platform. In the case of GnomeAcres, by the end of the Etsy Art Sale, exactly 75% of all sales were processed using the Square Card Reader. That’s 75% of sales that could have NOT happened if Square wasn’t around to make the “accepting credit cards” scenario such a breeze.
So, what are GnomeAcres plans for Square in 2011? To be as hip as they can be…
* Please note: This article was written based solely on the opinions of GnomeMedia. Experiences with Square could vary.
