MobileThe pros and cons of adopting Apple Pay for your ecommerce business

The pros and cons of adopting Apple Pay for your ecommerce business

If you run a store that's looking to try something new in the New Year, Apple Pay might be a good option. But first let's weigh up the good and bad.

Apple Pay has now officially been around for one year.

Despite the fact that consumers haven’t adopted Apple Pay quite as fast as we all thought they would, it’s still a safer and faster way for consumers to shop. Therefore if you run a store that’s looking to try something new in the New Year, Apple Pay might be a good option. Of course the keyword here is “might.”

How Apple Pay works

Apple Pay is a new system that allows customers to simply tap their mobile device in stores to use like a credit card.

Your credit card information will be stored on these devices in order to make things faster and easier for consumers as well as keep all payment history and transactions organized right there on the go. The devices that are equipped for Apple Pay include:

  • iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus
  • Apple Watch compatible devices including the iPhone 5
  • iPad Air2, iPad Pro, iPad Mini 3 and 4

Apple Pay uses NFC (near field communication) technology, which has actually been available around the world for quite some time. If you’re still wondering how it works, below is a quick 30-second video Apple created that takes you through the process:

Now I know what you’re thinking, but Apple Pay is actually a safer way of paying compared  to the usual credit cards. It offers an extra layer of security and replaces the chip-in pin and/or magnetic strip that you would have to swipe when making a purchase, which brings us to the next section…

The pros and cons of using Apple Pay for your ecommerce business

First things first, before you worry about adding Apple Pay into your business plan you need to think about whether or not it’s right for you. Consider the pros and cons first and then determine the best course of action for your type of company:

Pros:

It’s great for security.

Once again, Apple Pay uses NFC technology, which is of course encrypted and actually creates a security code for each and every transaction that is made. As Entrepreneur states in an article, “you won’t have to worry about losing a customer’s credit card information because you’ll never have it in the first place.”

The consumer’s identity is actually verified using a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, so if it isn’t the consumer making the purchase, it simply won’t work.

It offers another device option for mobile users.

Hopefully by now you know the importance of mobile devices for consumers and this is another way for consumers to use their mobile phones. Since they’re already researching and searching here, it makes sense to create a mobile wallet.

The best part is that the Apple Passbook is already a part of the newest phones to come out (as discussed above), so it’s about to get very easy for more consumers to get on board.

It should be easy to setup.

Many POS and terminals are already equipped to support NFC software, so you may not have to do anything or pay anything extra to set it up. This is the case with most terminals that accept EMV chips, which is required as of today, October 2015. If this is the case for you, then you really have nothing to lose. If not, then check out the con below regarding price.

apple-pay

Cons:

It hasn’t gained much adoption since it’s October 2014 launch.

A recent InfoScout study revealed that only 6% of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners have used Apple Pay to make a touchless transaction, while 85% have yet to try the service.

Your competition probably isn’t using it yet.

Because of the previous fact, many companies still have yet to adopt Apple Pay, so you aren’t too far behind if you’re waiting for it to become more mainstream. Major companies like Macy’s and McDonald’s are involved currently. According to a New York Times article, right now less than 10% of American retailers have signed up to accept Apple Pay.

It can get expensive to setup.

If your current POS and terminals are not equipped for NFC technology, you will have to upgrade all of your new systems and teach your employees how to use them, which can get costly. It’s tough to say how much exactly because it depends on the systems you choose and the size of your business, but it’s a lot to front for a very small sample of your customers.

apple-pay-uk-multiple-screens

Perhaps the most sensible thing to do would be to try just one or two POS systems that are Apple Pay compatible before spending any extra cash.

Are you running a store using Apple Pay, and if so what has been your experience? As a consumer, are you considering using Apple Pay in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Amanda DiSilvestro is the Marketing Manager at Workshops for Warriors and a contributor to Search Engine Watch. You can connect with Amanda on Twitter and LinkedIn

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