Small Business owners know the daily grind of growing their business and providing better solutions to their customers. Whether you are a small Coffee shop owner, a up and coming digital marketing agency, or a “hip” clothing store using an iPad as a point of sale machine — Apple products are used by a fair share of small businesses to improve workflow by using new technology and also to make a statement of being trendy and professional.
Do Apple Products make sense in a Small Business?
Or should the money be spent elsewhere on marketing, equipment, etc. There are two sides to this arguement. The first side speaks to the fact that the market share in business software is dominated by Microsoft (MSFT), and Apple (AAPL) does very little to claim the market share in this area. It instead focuses more on making it easy to use and intuitive by creating nice software to run on their devices. This allows them to not worry about supporting the applications and instead only focus on hardware. MSFT on the other hand wants to continue to expand its foothold in the small business market and therefore puts more resources in this area of its business.
The second side of the argument states that Apple has many appliances that out class the Dell’s and HP’s of the world. Regardless of whether your a MSFT or Apple person, none will argue that Apple products are absolutely amazing. They are drop dead gorgeous, and their hardware is of the highest quality. Their software is so intuitive and easy to use as well. The flaw in this arguement is that many small business owners still can’t afford Apple products.
Some times the cheaper option is better, since the market has evolved so quickly one needs to learn to economize.
Using an iPad as a cash register and point of sale machine.
In some retail shops, the iPad has also replaced the actual cash register. Even though the iPads have a higher upfront cost than using a traditional register, it is dually using the ‘Apple Stores’ layout where they use iPads as cash registers, iPads are the order takers, iPads can also be used as a POS machine. This usually solves the need for a cash register and the adds a higher level of interactivity. You can pay easily by using your iPhone (not recommended but money is money) and the iPad screens face the customer. The sales are tracked automatically and can be viewed from the iPad if needed. Many shops have reported 100% increases in sales using iPad’s, if the sales are added in the actual moment.
Accepting Apple Pay in your Business .
Apple Pay is the new way to pay. With the traditional swipe cards, in most states it is subject to fraud. Apple Pay can be set to your credit card, debit card and online banking. It is instant and very secure. As soon as your card is coded you are good to go. They even have an App that allows you to see your balance and even pay a bill by logging in to your credit card. You can even transfer money between accounts with ease.
Apple Pay has been very successful in Businesses around the country and many big retailers have already adapted the new payment system. Will you adapt, or will you wait for your small business to be ready for the future? Are you willing to make an investment in the future?
