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Adapt your restaurant to payment via Smartphone

Adapt your restaurant to payment via Smartphone

New technologies in the restaurant industry are leading businessmen and entrepreneurs to implement them in their business as a hook to attract more and new customers. How do you know if you have to follow the technological trend of the international market or innovate to be different and distinguish yourself from the competition? Assuming risk involves resources, however, staying on the sidelines can represent great losses for the business.

Currently, the acceptance of payment in restaurants through smartphones is minimal, the trend of this technological development makes the industry turn to see it as an important option for its growth. Therefore, it is important to know the following information before adopting it for your business.

Mobile payments can be divided into two types: proximity or remote. Each of them employs a significant number of methods and technologies, some of which require additional infrastructure such as hardware or software that must be implemented by the restaurant or even the customer himself. 

  

Mobile Proximity Payments:
They occur while the customer is physically in the restaurant. The types of proximity payments are: mPOS, NFC, barcode and payment through numeric codes.

La Mobile Point of Sale Terminal (mPOS) It is one of the easiest methodology to adapt and implement in a restaurant. This technology allows you to replace or replace the traditional banking terminal with a system that transforms a smartphone or tablet into the payment system.

 

Vadvantages about traditional banking terminals:

a) It allows increasing the number of terminals in a restaurant to reduce the waiting time for customers when closing the account.

b) Facilitates waiters' attention to finalize the sale.

c) Improves the user experience at the time of payment, offering a service of high technological standard.

d) Facilitates home delivery sales.

e) Cloning proof security.

 

In Mexico, Billpocket has been a pioneer in the development of this service, which is available to a significant number of businesses that already use it.

NFC (Near Field Communications)

This method is one of the most used in other countries, due to its safety and development potential. However, until now its implementation has been complex because it requires the presence of hardware, both on the part of the restaurant to accept the payment, and on the smartphones of the customers who want to use it.

 


It is also known as "contactless”Because the smartphone does not touch the payment terminal, because it does not leave the customer's hands.

To make the payment, the customer simply brings his phone close to the terminal where the amount to be paid is, enters his code or password and the charge is made to his credit or debit card.

These types of transactions are 63% faster than cash and 53% faster than with a traditional banking terminal, indicated the Mexican Restaurant Association.

 

 

Barcode
This model allows you to charge an account by reading a code displayed on the Smartphone screen. For this, the customer must open an account in an e-Wallet service and load a sufficient balance. On the other hand, the restaurant must be affiliated with the customer's e-Wallet service.

To close the ticket, the account is generated and the system sends a barcode to the customer by SMS (where the total of the account is), he accepts his charge allowing the cashier or waiter to scan his barcode.

The advantage of the system is that it does not require a major investment in specialized hardware for either party (restaurant and customer). However, it implies that the customer downloads an app, installs it and enables it with credit, which can be a significant operational barrier. The Starbucks coffee chain uses it in other countries and has been very successful.

 

Numeric Code
Payment through numeric codes operates by sending an SMS text message with a numeric code that must be entered by the customer.

In this method, the customer must open an account in the restaurant's system with personal data and the payment method, which will be used each time a consumption is made through authorization by entering the numerical code in the terminal. payment.

Remote Payments

Remote payments correspond to technologies that allow payment to be made when the customer is not present at the restaurant. This option can be useful for non-traditional models such as unbanked customers, food trucks, and food vendors at events.

Remote payment via message

Payment through messages is made by SMS or MMS. The client sends the payment request to a service where the seller is subscribed (restaurant service). A message is sent back with the payment information. The customer sends an acceptance text and the transaction is completed. The advantage of the method is that it can be used with any phone (not just smartphone). Disadvantage: the time required to carry out the operation and the possible failure in the emission and reception of messages.

As can be seen, there is a variety of payment methods, now you just have to decide which is the best option for your restaurant and if it is time to adopt this new technological trend.

According to data from a study carried out by the market research company Ipsos Global, 48% of Internet users surveyed in Mexico prefer to make payments through their smartphone or tablet, a context that favors bank payments through mobile devices.