Image: Square Australian country manager, Ben Pfisterer, and a team member.
Point of sale (POS) company Square now has omnichannel capabilities, with the launch of its APIs for ecommerce and point of sale.
The Build with Square payment tools will give retailers a clear view of their business, both online and across bricks and mortar locations.
With the Square API for point of sale, any iOS or Android POS platform can use Square to process payments. This means that businesses with specialised POS needs—for example a winemaker that needs to manage cellar door sales along with online and wholesale orders—can use Square’s hardware with their own POS platforms.
Through the API for ecommerce you can integrate your existing website with Square to accept payments online, or use one of Square’s partners including Weeby and Magento to create an online store.
Square’s Australian country manager, Ben Pfisterer, told Retailbiz that the company’s new tools represent one of its biggest launches and complement its existing product set and capabilities.
“When we first launched we were quite open about having a promise to Australian business that we would continue to innovate,” he said. “We started in March last year with the first chip reader, then electronic invoicing, contactless payments, employee management…”
Pfisterer said that the APIs will make things easier for retailers as they will be able to see a comprehensive overview of their business in one place.
“We’re very proud of the omnichannel, single view of your business that Square gives you…There’s a single point of view across all business needs, it’s not just about the POS or business software—it’s everything.”
The new tools were created in response to retailer’s needs, he explained. “Businesses we’ve partnered with so far wanted to get a complete picture of their business. They didn’t want to go to different vendors for their card terminal, online payment gateways and POS.”
At the moment, Square’s customer base is small, micro businesses, but Pfisterer said the company is helping these businesses expand.
“Many [of our customers] are single location businesses working with Square to grow and then going on to open other locations,” he said. “We’re also seeing high rates coming through from medium businesses.”
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