Have you seen the new Square credit card app? We use it when we are on the road to ring up credit card sales. It is really handy.
Developed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, this app allows merchants to accept credit cards via a small, square swiping device that plugs right into an iPhone or Android device. The only charge is a 2.75% transaction fee on every purchase.
In May they launched a new program called Square Register, a free iPad app that acts as a complete point of sale system for businesses It manages inventory and runs sales analytics. I have not used this software.
Here is how the software works. The customer swipes their cards on the Square card-reading device and sign their name directly on the screen of the iPad. They receive an email or text message receipt.
Customers with smart phones can download an app called Square Card Case, which allows them to set up and keep a tab with the merchant. When a customer activates the app and makes a purchase, his or her name appears on the merchant's iPad, and the merchant charges the account. The transaction is done completely over the iPad and the phone.
How long before a young person asks you "what was that stuff called cash that you used to use?"
