Magazine Article | June 17, 2013

Tablets And Mobile Payments Present A Great Opportunity

By Mercury

Fact: today’s consumers shop and buy where it is most convenient for them. Tablets, smartphones, EMV, mobile payments, and alternative payments like PayPal and Google Wallet, are all rapidly changing the point of purchase experience. Over the next five years, U.S. consumers will adopt mobile payments at an accelerated rate, reaching $90B by the end of 2017. Furthermore, 80 percent use their smartphone to shop, and 4 out of 5 users access retail content on their phone. Add in gift and loyalty products that turn the point of sale (POS) into a marketing engine, and merchants have a significant number of options to consider for driving revenue.

The “Smart Device Era” of digital payments and advanced gift and loyalty programs is requiring that merchants upgrade their POS systems more often — and more quickly — than ever before. Industry reports indicate that retail merchants will spend over $36B on store systems technology during 2013. But when it comes right down to it, most merchants just want a payment solution that is affordable and provides fast, secure and reliable processing. They want a POS that works for them — but doesn’t require a lot of work from them. Value adds like gift, loyalty and accepting mobile and alternative payments are attractive only if they are convenient and effective.

The sheer number of payment options and trends can be overwhelming to merchants who are navigating a complicated maze of products and services. They need guidance from local partners who are backed by national brands that can provide a single point of advice and support. POS developers and resellers are in the best position to take advantage of this opportunity. The time is ripe to provide — and monetize — next generation POS and point of purchase systems. An entire integrated support network is necessary to facilitate merchants’ acceptance of credit, gift, loyalty, mobile and alternative payments.

This is where Mercury® steps in. Comprised of more than 500 POS Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), 2,500 POS value added resellers (VARs), 80,000 local merchants, and the world’s largest financial institutions, the Mercury Network is the largest U.S. local merchant services provider for main-street food-service, specialty and retail storefronts. Mercury provides the single point of support and sales enablement for resellers working directly with merchants.

The Mercury Network is uniquely positioned with the knowledge and experience to support merchants, resellers and developers, who benefit from:

  • The nation’s largest network of ISVs and VARs working together
  • Local support backed by established national networks
  • One single contact for information about industry developments and trends
  • Unique business offerings that “level the playing field” for smaller merchants
  • Best value exemplified in product offerings, rates and financing options
  • Award-winning customer and technical support

As the payments industry continues to fast forward in the “Smart Device Era,” smart developers and resellers understand that the name of the game is not just a choice in payment processing, but rather in partnerships. When a merchant has a local reseller to help them install, connect, use, update and expand their choice of POS system and value added features, and that reseller is supported in their efforts to grow their merchant’s and their own business, everybody wins.

Mercury
10 Burnett Ct
Durango, CO 81301
(800) 846-4472
www.mercurypay.com