Credit Card Processing for Seasonal Businesses
When the rest of the world watches our American TV shows, they’re left thinking the whole country shuts down during summer. Yes, some people do go on vacation, but many of us get summer jobs or continue with life as usual. And for some businesses, seasonal work isn’t just about sunshine and closed schools. Maybe you rent out ski gear during the winter. Or offer leaf-blowing services in the fall.
Whatever the case, seasonal businesses stay closed for part of the year or even the bulk of the year, so why incur the cost of credit card processing? Furst of akk, it’s not as pricey as you mkight think. And if you find the right payment processor, they’ll give you your equipment or software for free. This can include shopping carts for your website, encryption for safe card input, mobile payment apps, electronic keypads for portable payment, and programming for each individual card network (e.g. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, etc.). Some will even let you apply for your processing account without paying an application fee or a setup fee.
Save money off-season
You may be worried about incurring a full year of credit card costs when you’re only open for a few months. Many processors permit you to seasonally suspend your account for the portion of the year when you will not be using it to avoid charges the rest of the year.
On the other side of the equation, seasonal business could involve things like craft fairs, fir tree plantations, or pumpkin farms. These businesses are viable only for a limited time each year, so you’ll probably want to squeeze in as many sales as you can. There’s a lot of last-minute business as customers try to beat the deadline. October 30th or December 24th can be a busy day for many seasonal businesses. For these kinds of customers, credit card payments are a lifesaver, so if you don’t accept cards, they won’t be too happy, and they may take their business to one of your competitors.
Versatile transactions
Consider this: merchant accounts often include eCommerce configuration as part of their package. And it’s pretty easy to set up a website. This means even in the off-season, customers can still visit your online store to plan their orders. With a merchant account for seasonal businesses, you can service customers in other states as well, so it just makes sense.
For more information on how credit card processing will benefit your seasonal business, or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.