Limiting Physical Interactions with Contactless Payment
Contactless payment isn’t a new concept, but it is a tool that has become almost required for retailers during the pandemic. Handling cash or even passing back credit or debit cards can now pose a risk to both the retailer’s employees and the customers, setting the stage for contactless payment to be more widely adopted.
Powered by near-field communication, contactless payment allows customers to complete their transactions without having physical contact with an employee or a machine. All the customer needs to do is hold his or her credit card, smartphone or smartwatch near a point-of-sale terminal designed to request and read relevant financial details. These POS devices work by creating a small radio frequency field that activates the chip within these devices, allowing it to complete the transaction without any further contact.
This form of payment has proved quite valuable for retailers during the pandemic. According to the financial website The Financial Brand, a recent survey found that 67 percent of retailers now accept contactless payment, and 69 percent report having seen the number of contactless payments rise this year.
MORE FROM BIZTECH: Learn more about how tech will help businesses reopen safely.
On the customer side, a different study found that 70 percent of customers who make contactless payments cite sanitary concerns as their main driver, and research from Visa found that 63 percent of customers would switch to a retailer who offered contactless payment over an existing relationship, reports The Financial Brand. Small retailers stand to gain a lot by adopting the technology.
Sanitizing Tech to Keep Customers Healthy
Limiting in-person interactions is one facet of preventing the spread of the virus, but another is sanitization. While many shoppers have taken to carrying hand sanitizer in their bag, retailers can’t rely on customers to take the proper precautions. This is where sanitizing technology comes into play.
Several new offerings are now available to help businesses across industries provide access to sanitizers. ViewSonic has a product that shows a digital display as employees or customers use sanitizer, while Samsung makes a dispenser that is activated once it is approached. Both have displays that can be customized for educational purposes or to remind shoppers to maintain distance.