How you choose to accept payments online can either fill you with joy or provide you with countless headaches.
A great payment gateway offers your customers a simple, secure and seamless way to pay while streamlining your admin process. On the other hand, a less ideal payment gateway might satisfy your customers’ needs while not meeting yours.
When it comes to selecting a payment gateway, make sure to consider your needs and those of your customers.
Thankfully, there are service providers that have developed tools which make the payment process a breeze for you and your customers.
We recently updated our SnapScan integration to offer you a payment gateway that’ll fill you with joy each time a customer makes a purchase.
What is SnapScan?
SnapScan is a payment service provider that helps businesses easily accept payments from their customers.
When the local fintech launched in 2013, they leveraged QR code technology to create a mobile payment product that allowed customers to pay small businesses using their smartphones.
Since then, SnapScan has broadened its range of payment tools to make it easier for small businesses to get paid wherever they do business, whether face-to-face or online.
SnapScan recently partnered with Shopstar to develop a simple, secure and seamless payment gateway for businesses that have built their online stores using Shopstar.
Why you should use SnapScan on your online store
Whether setting up your online store or looking for a new payment gateway, SnapScan can help you streamline your business. Here’s how:
1. Offer your customers multiple ways to pay with one tool
Abandoned carts are the bane of the existence of any business operating an online store. While you can’t force customers to complete their purchases, you can remove any hurdles that prevent them from doing so.
One of these hurdles is not offering customers their preferred payment method. As your range of customers varies, so too does their favourite way to pay.
SnapScan’s new payment gateway allows you to offer your customers a variety of payment methods. Customers can scan your QR code, pay using their Mastercard, Visa and Diners Club cards, or pay by bank (instant EFT).
Not only does offering multiple payment options ensure customers always have a way to complete their purchases, but using one tool to manage all these options simplifies your admin process. Enjoy a streamlined reconciliation process by keeping track of all your transactions in one place.
2. Improve your cash flow
As a small business, your cash flow plays an integral role in key financial decisions, including when you can order new stock and when you can pay suppliers or staff.
The quicker you receive the money you make from sales, the sooner you can place new orders and settle your invoices.
When you process payments using SnapScan’s payment gateway, you’ll get access to your money quickly. SnapScan settles every business day, which means you won’t have to wait around for your hard-earned cash.
Businesses who bank with Standard Bank will enjoy next-business-day settlement, while businesses who use other banks will receive their settlements in 1-3 days.
3. Only pay when you earn
Running a business is not only tough, but it can be hard on your pockets when you’re first starting out. There are many tools and services you need to ensure your business is able to function.
During those months when sales are slow, paying for a service that you’ve barely used can be a tough pill to swallow. That’s why you’ll love SnapScan.
It’s free to sign up for SnapScan, which means you can explore their services without worrying about being charged. There are also no monthly or settlement fees. You only pay a transaction fee when a customer pays via SnapScan.
SnapScan’s rates are dynamic, which means your transaction fees will decrease as you earn more. Your transaction fees are based on your previous month's turnover, starting at 2.95% (excl. VAT) and decreasing to 2.55% (excl. VAT).
4. Enjoy personalised, human support
As a small business owner, you’re often running your business on your own or with limited staff.
Every second counts when you’re juggling the roles of creator, marketer, salesperson and accountant at any given time.
When you’re in a bind, you can’t afford to spend days or months waiting for an issue to be resolved. Those days can easily result in lost sales for your business.
SnapScan’s mission of helping small businesses thrive extends way beyond its product offering. It can be seen in the support the local fintech offers the small businesses that sign up for their services.
SnapScan’s Customer Experience team is on hand to help you whenever the need arises. Call or email the team from Monday to Sunday, and they’ll help you out in a snap.
5. It’s secure (for you and your customers!)
With the rise of online scams, customers want to feel secure when completing a payment online. This means they’re more likely to opt for payment methods they know and trust.
Since its inception in 2013, SnapScan has been used by over one million South Africans.
Along with being an easy-to-use payment method, SnapScan has garnered user trust by creating safe and secure payment tools. Their payment gateway is no different.
SnapScan encrypts your customers’ sensitive payment data, giving customers peace of mind when shopping in person or online.
They’ve also enabled 3Dsecure for online transactions, which means customers need to verify their payments for them to be processed successfully. This, in turn, reduces your business’ exposure to fraudulent activity.
How to get started with SnapScan
Ready to join online stores such as A Dog Show, Gerber & Co and Neodo-Inc that use SnapScan on their Shopstar site?
Get started by signing up for a SnapScan merchant account online. Click here to sign up.
Once you’ve completed the sign-up process, SnapScan’s team will review your documents in 1-2 business days.
You can then add SnapScan to your Shopstar site once your SnapScan account has been verified.
How to integrate SnapScan into your online store:
- Log into your dashboard here
- Click Settings >> Payment Methods
- Click Snapscan and insert your SnapScan Merchant ID
- Click "Save Payment Settings"
