Welcome back to our very first two-part blog series. This one was just too good not to continue on. The trends of 2019 are really going to blow past payment trends out of the water.
To sum up our last blog, experience, business accounts, and Generation Z are the major factors to payment changes in 2019. These are the things any car wash operator should be aware of and keeping in mind as they create new payment opportunities for their business.
USER EXPERIENCE IS THE NEW GOLD
If you haven’t realized at this point, the term “experience” has come up a lot. You know why? Because it’s GOLD when it comes to being the competitive advantage. When you have your customers’ attention, you better get it right. Losing the experience battle will turn away business and profits. Whether it’s online or in store, your experience is the key to getting new customers, and retaining old ones.
MOBILE GET ITS GROOVE
Because APIs and banking have opened up the doors more now than ever, mobile is taking on all new territories in 2019. Even for WashCard (If you haven’t heard our big announcement, check it out HERE). Mobile has now become, and will continue to become, ground zero in the battle for the consumer. In 2017, mobile apps accounted for more than 30% of the global digital commerce and is only going to continue to grow. Like we mentioned in part one, Generation Z will be 40% of the of the consumer population. And do you think they’ll be carrying around credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, or cash in their pocket? Not when they already have their phone with them 24/7.
One of the trends we often talk to customers about at trade shows is the one commonality we all have in today’s society. Mobile.
No matter how frugal your customers are, there are very few people walking around today without a smartphone in their pocket. Pew Research Center puts smartphone ownership at 77% in the United States. And it doesn’t necessarily matter the income, education level, where users live, or their race. Smartphones are even taking over traditional broadband services in our homes. Older generations are even starting to embrace the digital lifestyle.
THE POWER BEHIND NETWORKING
Networking between products is creating a great power for companies far and wide. Allowing multiple capabilities to join together without the investment from scratch is giving a brand new look into new possibilities for car wash operators, big and small. Building an app is one thing. Connecting it to hardware and creating a payment method is a whole other beast. Lucky for us, we’ve been doing this for years and have solutions built based exactly on this model.
BE WARNED – FRAUDSTERS CAN INNOVATE TOO
While all of these points are great to consider for 2019 and beyond, it’s important to recognize the factors of fraud are still out there and prevalent. The payment industry as a whole projects a $31.3 billion global card losses in 2018. That is a lot of money. What impact does that put on the car wash industry? Well, it could be a lot. The potential for fraud is highly dependent on the processor of the credit cards and whether or not they are PCI Validated. This is something you, as a business owner, should be aware of and researching when finding solutions that fit your business.