Frustrated with too many payment experiences that let her and her customers down, designer and stylist Miss Lily White turned to adopting mobile payment devices.
Business owners love what they do. There’s just one problem – getting paid for it fast enough to cover their expenses and operating costs. It’s harder than it should be, even with all of the different payment technologies SMEs have available to them. But after years of frustrating experiences, businesses are finally turning their heads to new solutions that are flexible, affordable and accessible. Enter the mobile payment devices.
This is especially true for businesses selling directly to customers. Markets, pop-ups and stalls are a great place for craft and fashion entrepreneurs to show off their wares, but traditional payment technology can get in the way. You’ll often need a dedicated point-of-sale (POS) machine which often comes with bulky hardware, lock-in contracts and hefty fees, and once you have it in your shop, getting it set up and running can be an issue (not to mention the possibility of tripping over cables!).
For Melbourne designer and stylist Miss Lily White, dealing with outdated tech has meant it’s time for a change. Presenting her boutique fashion at the Makers and Shakers Emerging Design Market for Melbourne Spring Fashion Week gave her the opportunity to try something new that’s being adopted by mobile business owners, market traders and sellers across the world.
“In this day and age, people don’t carry a lot of cash,” she says. “I have a lot of products, accessories and so on that are between $10 and $50, but if you want to sell a more expensive dress, you just have to carry cash – and people don’t.”
“They say they’ll be back but they get distracted and see something else. You just have to be fast and deal on the spot.”
Miss Lily White is an experienced seller. Operating a successful Coffs Harbour boutique for years, White has sold her fashion designs at markets and festivals for over a decade.
“I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer, so I went to a fashion school and I’ve been going to markets for 15 years,” she says. “I try to go now to the designer markets, rather than the smaller ones.”
Frustrated with too many payment experiences that let her and her customers down, Miss Lily White turned to Square Reader. The small, portable mobile card reader plugs into the headphone jack of her smartphone, allowing her to accept credit and debit card payments on the spot.
“For a market stall, it’s perfect,” she says.
“You can’t really go wrong with it,” she says. And because White moves constantly between markets, the portability has become a key factor for her business.”
“It’s great to have the flexibility of going to a different place every time,” she says. “It’s a great way of marketing yourself.”
“When you’re selling at markets, you’re constantly setting up, trading and then packing up. Square is easy to use and enables me to do business everywhere.”
Inside Small Business
