This surge has prompted more businesses to adapt their online sales strategies to make it easier to allow consumers to spend during this difficult period.
Many small- to medium-sized businesses have found the solution that will allow them to achieve this…
Square Online Checkout, a San Francisco-based payment giant launched a new service in May 2020. This is not Square Online.
Square Online Checkout, a simple tool to simplify and accept online payments without the need for a website, is new. This begs the question: What is Square Online Checkout and how can it benefit online sellers?
We’re going to take a closer look at Square Online Checkout in order to answer this question.
- Who is it aimed at?
- Its landing page explains everything
- What does it cost?
- How do you get started?
- How to share your checkout links
- How Square Online Checkout uses QR Codes
- How to use it for memberships and subscriptions
- Square Online Checkout’s reporting and tracking features
- There are pros and cons to both.
- Its marketing features
- Its customer service quality
This is a lot of information, so let’s get to it!
What’s Square Online Shopping Checkout?
Square Online Checkout allows you to create payment links that you can share with your customers. It makes it easy for customers to purchase wherever they are online. It is possible to embed links on your eCommerce website, blog, or create a QR code that allows customers to scan the code and access the checkout. These links will direct customers to a checkout page, where they can complete their online order.
These payment links are great for opening new sales channels like SMS text, email, social media websites, messaging apps, and more. You can create as many links you want and attach them to the products or services that you sell. You can also use the links if you are a charity asking for donations.
Sellers in the US can also accept recurring payments for membership and subscription services.
What Type of Business is Square Online Best for?
Square Online Checkout is specifically designed to meet the needs of these three types of small businesses:
- Professional services offered by companies/SMEs include home and repair, consulting, marketing and so forth
- Brands in the fitness and health industry: Individuals who offer online services like pilates, yoga, personal training, counseling, etc. that customers can either pay in-person or online.
- Online stores are not available for small retailers
Square allows such businesses to sell to unlimited customers through multiple sales channels with a single click.
What does its landing page say?
Square Online Shopping’s landing page provides a quick explanation of the service. It allows you to create “easy checkout links” that will allow you to accept online payments.
You can easily create a payment hyperlink for an item by simply giving it a name and price. The link can then be saved and shared to any other place you wish to sell it. Customers can then click through to a checkout screen, where they will only need to enter their:
- Email address
- Name
- Payment information (card number and expiry date, security codes, etc.
Note: Affiliates must use a particular link if you have an affiliate program. This will ensure that sales are tracked. This is essential to ensure that they receive the correct commission.
Where is the Square and How Much Does It Cost?
Square Online Checkout was available at the time of writing in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia.
There are no start-up or monthly fees. Transaction fees, also known as payment processing fees, are what you pay. They vary depending on where you live.
- USA and Canada: 2.9% + $30C/per transaction
- UK: 2.5% per Transaction
- AU: 2.2% per Transaction
Square Online Checkout transactions are processed within 1-2 business days and appear in your bank accounts. For those who need faster payouts, there is an “Instant Transfers” option. This comes with a downside: you will be charged an additional 1% in addition to regular transaction fees.
Square Online Checkout limits the amount of transactions that you can process. The transaction limit is $50,000. If you are a charity accepting donations, the maximum transaction limit is $5,000
A customer pays by email. You can modify the receipt to add more information.
Square will refund your customers for no charge. There is no admin fee. Square’s support team (see below), will assist you (for free) in any dispute between you and your customer.
Getting Started
You will need to have a Square Online Checkout account in order to be able to use Square Online Checkout as an merchant. You don’t have to pay anything for a Square account, as Square is completely free.
In just four steps, you can create your Square account.
- Click the “Get Started” button at Square.
- Create your password by entering your email address
- Choose your country of residence
- The next step is to give your social security number, address, and shipping information. Finally, you will be asked to answer some questions about Square Online Checkout.
After you have done this, you can start creating your Square Online Checkout Page (which is very easy). You don’t need to code or set up a website. Apple and Google Pay are automatically activated. Buyers can buy without creating an account. They also have the option of several payment options, including major credit and debit card payments as well as Google Pay and Apple Pay.
To create a checkout link, there are just seven steps:
- Visit your Square Dashboard homepage.
- Click Online Checkout, then click “Create Checkout Link.”
- Choose from “Purpose of Link” to accept donations or collect payments.
- Name your link (Remember, customers can see it)
- When asked, indicate the price you would like to charge for each item.
- To save your checkout link, click “Save”.
- Click “Copy” to share the link wherever you like.
Simple!
You can also create links using the Settings> tab or the page titled Edit item> on your dashboard.
However, if you use the Square App, things will be slightly different. These five steps are all you need to follow:
- Input the price you are selling the item.
- Tap “Charge”.
- Click “Online Checkout”.
- Please provide a few details about the product
- Click “Get Link”.
- You can now share your link in any way that you like.
However, Square Checkout links can only be used by customers within your country. You will need to create an Square Online Store if you wish to sell internationally.
How can I share my checkout links?
Square also creates the Checkout Buttons when you create your checkout links. These buttons direct customers to your checkout page, where they can make payments for your products and services. Emails are a great way to promote services, fundraisers, or any other product you sell online. Square Marketing emails allow you to easily share checkout links.
Checkout Buttons are a wonderful addition to your website . They allow you to sell via your existing blog and not needing an online store.
Checkout Buttons can also display information about the product, including its price and name. Your brand can personalize the color and text of your Checkout Button to match your blog or website.
These checkout buttons can be shared by following the five simple steps:
- Visit your Square Dashboard homepage.
- Click “Create Checkout Link” in the Online Checkout section.
- Select the Online Checkout item that you want to share
- Click “Copy embed code.”
- Copy the code to your blog or website.
Simple, right?
How can I create a QR code for a checkout link?
A custom QR code can be used to direct customers to your shopping cart page. It’s very simple.
- Log in to your Online Square Dashboard.
- Online Checkout is available wherever you see the hamburger menu.
- Select the item that you wish to generate the QR code
- Click on “Share Your Link” to find the QR code option.
- Click “Create”.
- To print or share the QR code online, download it to your device.
What can I do to deactivate links? What can I do to deactivate links?
The short answer is yes.
However, if the link was shared with customers, customers cannot use the link again to purchase the product. You would need to create another link if you want to allow customers to buy the product again after you have deactivated the link.
In three simple steps, you can deactivate a checkout link
- Go to your online Checkout homepage.
- Select the item that you wish to deactivate or delete
- Click “Delete” or “Deactivate” at the bottom on the item’s details pages.
What about Online Subscriptions or Memberships?
Square Online Checkout can be used to create memberships and/or subscriptions if you are a personal trainer offering online courses in bundles or a consultant selling online courses. These enable customers to set up regular weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual payments.
It is easy to create a recurring link for payment.
- Visit the Square dashboard.
- You can create a new checkout link (see the above) or modify an existing one
- Select “Accept donations” or “Collect payments”.
- Geben Sie den gewünschten amount
- Please enter the title of your link
- Allow customers to subscribe by enabling “Allow Customers To Subscribe”
- To choose the frequency you want to receive payments, click “Edit” or allow customers to make this selection.
- Click “Create Link”.
Now you can share your link.
Your customers will receive an email with a summary of their purchase once they have paid. Customers also have the option to cancel at any time by using that confirmation email.
Your Square dashboard can be used to manage your regular subscriptions. You can view which customers have paid what amount, when, which ones were active, how much money you have received over the past 30 days, as well as how much you are due in the next thirty days.
What about Reporting and Tracking?
You can view the sales per seller from any link. This allows you to see which products, services or donations are driving the most sales.
In two easy steps, you can check the number of sales per link.
- Visit your Online Checkout homepage.
- You can see the sales per link in the Sales column.
The same information can be viewed via the Square Dashboard Reports function. Square’s integration with customer directories allows you to keep track of your customers. You can monitor all of your customers from one location. Square’s Marketing option is not available in the US, but you can integrate your directory to seamlessly share links through Square.
Check out the Pros and Cons to Square Online.
A pro-con list is a great resource when you are weighing whether or not to buy business software. We’ve done the hard work of compiling one.
The pros
- Customers don’t need to enter too many details or create an account in order to make a purchase
- You can create and share unlimited numbers of QR codes and checkout links
- There are no set-up fees or monthly fees
- Square Online Checkout is a great option to manage and take donations for charity
- Customers have a smooth checkout experience
- This is ideal for merchants who sell fewer items or services.
The Cons
- It is only available in select countries
- It is not possible to send links directly from third party apps.
Email Marketing Campaign
It’s possible to add your Square online Checkout links into your marketing campaigns. This will allow you to promote your business…wait for…via a Square marketing campaign. You can launch one via Square’s Dashboard.
These links can be added to your online marketing campaigns in the following manner:
- Go to the Marketing tab in your online Square Dashboard. You can create your campaign here and choose your Square Online Checkout link in the dropdown menu.
- After you have launched your marketing campaign customers can click the checkout links to purchase items right away.
It is worth noting that click-through rates for checkout link links were not tracked at the time this article was written. It’s early days for the service. Square’s marketing services will cost you extra if you wish to use them. Prices start at $15/mo for smaller businesses with 0 to 500 customer contacts. A 30-day free trial is available.
You’ll always get the following:
- Integration with Square’s Dashboard
- Automatic email collection
- Automated email marketing
- Data on campaign and sales performance
- You can send unlimited emails
Customer Support
It’s easy to get started. However, you might need additional support along the way. Square doesn’t offer 24/7 customer support. You can only reach them via email or phone during normal business hours. Emails can be sent at any time, but you should expect to hear back within 24 to 48 hours. Telephone support is available Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5pm.
What do we think?
Square Online checkout simplifies the life of smaller operators by allowing them to create seamless sales journeys for their customers. It’s a great option for those who are looking for an PayPal alternative or sellers who have had their business model changed online.
This could be true for small physical stores that don’t have a website. Entrepreneurs who used to only offer in-person services but now see the advantages of offering online options.
We think that this handy online payment tool suits smaller businesses who don’t need to maintain large stock inventories. However, it is a quick way to send links to customers who want to make online payments. Customers can perform online transactions from any device, without needing to provide a lot of information. We are sure that it will be a huge hit with your customers!
