Although we commonly associate money with banknotes and coins, this form of currency is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. As the 21st century progresses, cash and check payments are gradually disappearing from the marketplace. Transactions done through debit cards, credit cards, and digital wallets are the new normal.
This change in how we conduct business didn’t happen overnight. The first credit card was launched by Bank of America in 1958.¹ In response to the popularity of the BankAmericard (the precursor to Visa), Mastercard was born in 1966.²
The credit card system was computerized in 1973, bringing transaction times down to less than one minute.³ This transaction speed has continued to lower up to the present, where payments are processed in mere seconds. It’s no wonder both merchants and their customers rely so heavily on plastic and digital payments.
The advent of the internet around the turn of this century allowed merchants to provide payment terminals that are connected to financial networks at all times. These terminals are known as POS (Point of Sale), EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer POS), or PDQ (Process Data Quickly or “Pretty Damn Quick”) terminals. They allow customers to swipe, insert, or tap cards to capture information and approve transactions.
Many of these terminals now accept digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Microsoft Pay. Our reliance on smartphones makes it almost inevitable that digital wallets will become as ubiquitous as plastic.
The on-going transition to more and more payments with plastic cards and devices isn’t just a temporary phenomenon. There are well-established reasons why customers love paying with plastic cards and mobile devices.
Let’s look at five of the reasons customers prefer plastic and digital transactions over cash and checks.
1. Convenience
One of the primary reasons customers love paying with plastic cards and mobile devices is their convenience. Taking the time to go to the bank or ATM in order to withdraw cash seems like a nuisance these days. Hauling around a checkbook and filling out checks in person seem entirely antiquated.
People love paying with debit, credit, and digital wallets because they can skip visiting the teller and writing checks. As a society, we are at a point where we are almost more reliant on our phones than our purses or wallets. In fact, many people have their debit and credit cards tucked neatly into their phone cases.
Customers also find cards and devices convenient because their transactions go through instantly. As soon as they’re charged for a transaction, they can check to see if it registered through online banking. Waiting a few days to make sure a check is safely deposited is a drag for most modern consumers.
Business establishments and offices that don’t accept plastic and digital payments are quickly becoming inconveniences to their customers. Those businesses that don’t offer these forms of payment are also losing the opportunity to receive payments on the spot.
Inconveniencing your customers often ends up inconveniencing your business. " Weave Payments has replaced the majority of our monthly billing statements. And since we can bill {clients} directly through text, we save a huge amount of time billing them as soon as their balance is available, rather than spending three days a month billing in bulk. " -Cambria, Office Manager, Weave User
Text to Pay Enables Faster & Paperless Billing
2. Security
Consumers like to use cards and devices to pay for services because these methods make them feel secure. While most folks are aware of issues like credit card fraud, they still insist on paying with plastic and digital wallets. At first look, this behavior may seem contradictory. However, there are good reasons for finding these forms of payment more secure.
Because debit and credit cards are so pervasive, people are quite accustomed to them. Even if they weren’t technically as secure as cash or check payments, electronic payments would still appeal to customers on a purely psychological level. Luckily, there are tools in the marketplace that ensure the security of plastic and digital payments.
Card data flow and storage can be completely secure by working with the right payment processing platform. Businesses should partner with service providers that have attained the highest level of PCI certification. The best providers establish end-to-end encryption to protect consumer information.
The security of cards and devices appeals to customers for both legitimate and illegitimate reasons. It’s the job of businesses to provide and guarantee payment security to their clients.
3. Simplicity
Another reason customers rely on credit cards and mobile wallets is the simplicity of making these payments. There’s a certain minimalistic charm to plastic and digital payments. Consumers don’t have to carry around dirty cash and painstakingly dig through pouches in search of coins. They don’t have to ask for a pen or worry about making a spelling mistake while filling out a check.
All they need is a single card or app. In seconds, their transaction is approved and they’re on their way. The simplicity of these methods saves consumers and businesses significant amounts of time in the long haul.
Using plastic and digital payments simplifies personal accountancy as well. When consumers use cash, they often forget to make a record of how they spent their money. Some people have arrived at a point where cash purchases don’t even register with them as real expenditures. Once the cash is withdrawn from the bank, anything goes!
Businesses have the tools to further simplify transactions for their customers. With the right payment processing platform, businesses can provide their clients with an easy-to-use dashboard, send them electronic receipts, and offer an all-around simple experience that doesn’t involve cash registers and trips to the bank to deposit checks.
Plastic and digital payments pave the way for a simpler life.
4. Personal Appeal
Credit cards and digital wallets also appeal to customers on a personal level. While cash transactions are attractive to some because of their impersonal nature, transactions completed with plastic and mobile devices attract large swaths of consumers because of the way they can be customized.
With the right payment platform and terminal, purchases are followed up with customized invoices that include billing information, the company’s name, and even the company’s logo. These custom features form conscious and subconscious connections between businesses and their clients.
If businesses have the credit card information and permission of their customers, they can send personal texts to them in order to collect payments. To some, this type of billing seems intrusive. In reality, Text to Pay options are incredibly popular once businesses establish trust with their clients by using a secure payment processing platform.
It’s hard to get much more personable than sending Text to Pay messages. Consumers become more dependent on their smartphones every year, and their most intense and important conversations often happen via text.
When customers trust your business to reach them personally by text, they’re more likely to continue contributing to your revenue stream and demonstrate long-term loyalty.
5. Future Orientation
A final reason why consumers love plastic and digital payments is the future-oriented nature of our society. Thirty years ago, the internet was a tool accessible to a very small percentage of individuals. Today, it’s available on every commercial airline flight, in every McDonald’s and Starbuck’s, and in virtually every home.
The perpetual connection we experience is addictive, and customers crave the ease and novelty of making purchases with cards and devices. With a simple swipe or tap, customers have their purchases and are on their way or have their receipts and are waiting for items to be shipped from warehouses to their front door.
This trend away from cash and check is only going to continue with the pandemic making it even more obvious.
In short, the businesses anticipating a future of plastic and digital payments rather than cash or check are optimally suited for the coming economic and technological changes in our world. Customers consistently demonstrate the willingness to use new payment technology. In the last five years alone, most people have adapted to EMV chips and some have converted to the mobile wallets created by Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
Customers are ready for the future. Is your business?
Your Customers Will Love Weave Payments
This article discusses the reasons consumers love making payments with plastic cards and mobile devices. These payment methods are convenient, secure, simple, personable, and future-oriented. At Weave, our developers have designed a full payment processing solution that incorporates the things your customers value about credit cards and digital wallets.
Weave Payments is a single platform that’s bundled with our powerful communication suite. We partnered with Stripe, one of the largest and most secure payment processing companies, to ensure your transactions are handled transparently and in the safest way possible. Weave Payments accepts all major credit card brands and types, as well as most major mobile wallets, like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Microsoft Pay.
Weave Payments also offers businesses the ability to customize invoices and send Text to Pay messages to customers. The future of payment processing is here, and Weave Payments is the premier tool for helping your business meet that future.
Watch your free demo of all the unique features offered through Weave Payments.
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