2023 Payment Trends: How do customers want to pay for service appointments?

One in five small businesses doesn’t accept digital payments. This is despite 75% of customers saying they want to pay for services online. 

According to a JP Morgan report, credit/debit cards account for 47% of all e-commerce transactions. A fact supported by Mckinsey’s study, which found 82% of Americans use digital payments (in this case, digital payments refer to cards and payment methods like Apple Pay, PayPal, etc.). 

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Clearly, there’s a disconnect between customer preferences and business practices, so how can service businesses catch up to changing consumer demands? If they implement online booking software with integrated payment processing, pretty easily, it turns out. 

An all-in-one scheduling and payment system like MarketBox is the simplest way to satisfy the customers that want to pay for services online and the 70% of consumers who also want to book those services online. It’s a quick and efficient way to modernize service businesses and make them more adaptable, scalable, and simpler to operate. 

Online booking software allows customers to book their own appointments online, and a business can choose to take a deposit, charge the full amount upfront, or store the client’s payment details to be charged once the appointment is complete. 

For businesses offering in-home and mobile appointments, taking digital payments offers more benefits than simply satisfying the customer (although that’s important, too!). As we covered in our article How Collecting Payments Online Affects Your Mobile Workforce, online payments

• offer more security
• eliminate the need to carry card machines
• give employees the flexibility to upsell services
• mean providers don’t have to miss out on tips (if your software supports cashless tips like MarketBox) 

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To find out how MarketBox, the only appointment management software designed for businesses offering in-home and mobile appointments, can help your business keep up with changing customer preferences, book a personalized demo today. 

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