QuickBooks Online mobile POS

Small businesses are no longer chained to their front counters to process customer transactions. While big, bulky terminals are still common, mobile credit-card readers that attach to smartphones and tablets are increasingly replacing old-school terminals on store countertops. It’s changing the look and experience of point-of-sale (POS) transactions and making it possible for businesses on the move to accept credit and debit cards. It’s not just painters, plumbers, and food trucks poised to benefit, however. Here are four ways any business can take advantage of this technology to boost sales and customer satisfaction.

1. Accept Credit Cards From Anywhere

“Most small businesses that are inherently mobile and transient in nature benefit from a mobile POS system — pop-up stores, vendors at fairs, food trucks, carpenters, exterminators, as well as other local service providers, ” says Ryan Himmel, CPA, and CEO of BIDaWIZ. Basically, any company that doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar presence could not process credit card transactions without mobile technologies.

That would mean a loss of revenue for mobile vendors like Bentos Mochi and Delectables, a two-year-old family business that sells confections at Oahu farmer’s markets. Owner Kui Bento relies on a mobile POS system to accept credit cards, and touts its convenience. “It doesn’t require a generator, keeps track of inventory, and provides a daily sales report, ” says Bento. “It’s a lot more portable than a standalone terminal. I never leave home without my smart phone, so my ‘cash register’ is always with me.”