Bolster your Upholstery Business with Credit Card Processing
The upholstery business is experiencing a new boom today, with more people opting to repair and refurbish rather than trash their old furniture. It’s much more economical to give your older pieces a new look with a few simple repairs, polishing and change of fabric, springs or stuffing. People who have heirloom pieces are especially reluctant to replace them.
According to industry watchers, furniture repairs and upholstery businesses in the US are pegged at $2 billion, with an estimated growth rate of 17%. There is no single large monopoly in this business, and that’s why there is plenty of room for small businesses to grow and thrive in this sector. This is a skill-based business, and there are even universities that offer courses in this field.
There are different specializations available in the upholstery business. You can choose to work on automobile upholstery, home furniture, office furniture, restaurant and hotel furniture, garden furniture, aircraft or marine upholstery, based on your skills and passion. Many upholsterers also branch out into related areas like drapes, awnings, soft furnishing, and carpets and rugs.
The target market is usually people who value and use good quality furniture. They generally possess high aesthetic sense and are often well-traveled and educated. People who buy cheaper furniture prefer to resell it or throw it away rather than repair or reupholster it because the cost of reupholstering can be quite high.
Benefits of Offering Card Payment Options
More responsive image: Offering credit or debit card payment options tells your clients that you are in touch with modern, convenient, and safe payment options. Today, a large bulk of purchases across sectors are made via card payments. If your company doesn’t provide this option, it’s likely that customers will take their business to your competitor who does.
Ease and convenience: More and more people do not carry cash with them today, especially when purchasing big ticket items or paying for services like upholstery. Whether they pick up the repaired furniture themselves or have it delivered, card payment options make it much more convenient. Business-owners get immediate payment confirmation instead of waiting for checks to clear.
Safe and secure: As a business-owner you don’t have to worry about the problems associated with keeping large amounts of cash on your premises. Customers who pay by card have confidence in their card companies that their payments are made through a safe gateway. Safer money handling practices are a huge benefit of card payments. Business owners don’t have to spend time and effort in sorting, counting and transporting cash reserves to and from the bank.
Privacy and Information safety: You can ensure that your client data is kept private and secure by installing the right security features.
Extended reach: You can service a larger area more conveniently if you offer credit card payments. Mobile terminals make it easy to collect payment at customer locations. The vast majority of American consumers use cards rather than cash according to a Federal Reserve report.
Less risky for customers: Clients feel more confident when they pay by card because they are not held liable if there are mistakes or fraudulent charges.
For more information on how to bolster your upholstery business by accepting credit cards, or to sign up for a merchant account for credit card processing, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.