Contactless Ordering and Payment at Your Brewery

With businesses everywhere being forced to adapt, your brewery may need a flexible solution that maintains safety without sacrificing quality customer service. Cloud-based, digital technology can provide exactly what you’re looking for. Customers can view the digital menu, place their contactless order, and settle up, all while social distancing during their dining experience.Worried that transitioning from a traditional point-of-sale (POS) to contactless ordering and payment may be more work than it’s worth? Don’t be. When going digital, you won’t have to buy any extra equipment or make any investments—and you’ll experience numerous benefits to your efficiency and bottom line.If you’re interested in learning more on why contactless ordering and payment is the future of the brewery industry, keep reading to find out more on how to take your brewery technology to the next level.

Understanding Contactless Payment

Still a bit unclear about how it all works? With contactless ordering for breweries, customers can use their mobile device to not only place their online order but also to pay for them. It’s contactless because customers have the option to self-serve without the help of a server.Think customers will resist using a new system? In a recent Visa Back to Business Study, 65% of surveyed consumers said that they’d prefer their payments to remain contactless.Contactless ordering and payment offer customers the control to personalize their dining experience while remaining safe.So, how can you get started? Next, we’ll guide you through the steps towards implementing a contactless system and reaping its rewards.

Step 1: Modernize Your Ordering and Payment Technology

The biggest advantage of transitioning from a traditional POS to a no-point-of-sale (No-POS) solution is that you don’t have to buy expensive hardware or software or invest a ton of money. Contactless ordering and payment rely on QR or “quick response” codes.When it comes to how to use a No-POS System in the brewery industry, you’ll need to:

• Create a custom QR code to place on tables and other areas—anywhere that will be easy for customers to access
• Digitize your menu to make it attractive, accessible, and on-brand for your business
• Make sure your online presence is cohesive and matches your brand’s personality now that customers could also access your website and socials through the code

While this requires some adjustments, there are also immediate benefits. Going contactless is a great way to reduce the costs associated with expensive POS and payment terminals, lessen your business’ environmental impact, and improve your guest experience.Customers can use the QR code to access the digital menu, order, and pay without having to use paper or flow down a server. This is one of the many ways customers can personalize their service.

Step 2: Offer a Personal Customer Experience

Customer satisfaction is a top priority for growing breweries.With the QR code, you can give your customers the ability to customize the service so it meets their needs. Choose a No-POS system with the following capabilities:

• Customizing and Tracking Orders – Allow customers full control to order exactly what they want and receive updates as their order is being processed.
• Preferred Payment Method – Offer them the option to pay with cash, credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, or other digital wallets whenever they’re ready without relying on old-fashioned cash registers or the availability of servers.
• Contactless Service – Allow customers to decide how much personal contact they want to have. While they can completely serve themselves, the option to call on servers whenever they’re needed can create a warmer atmosphere.
• Feedback – Make sure customers can give their feedback or call for assistance from their smartphones in real-time. Then, address customers’ concerns, questions, and feedback promptly while they’re still on site.

Customers will appreciate the access and the convenience of contactless ordering and payment.

Tap Into What Customers Value

Convenience and ease-of-use are two important values when it comes to customers deciding where to spend money. Don’t just take our word for it. According to a recent report called the State of Contactless Pay:

• Almost half of the respondents valued contactless payment because it was convenient, while 35% valued it because of health and safety concerns.
• Along with that, 83% of respondents revealed that they have used this method before in the last year.

Offer your customers the convenience and security they crave.

Step 3: Train Staff to Work with Contactless Technology

The switch to contactless ordering and payment is almost seamless because of its cloud-based technology, but it is still important to make sure your staff understands the new system.

• That way, they’ll be better able to guide customers in case of any issues or concerns with the technology.
• Since the customers will now have a self-service option, the staff may be more available, so their duties and tasks may look a little different. Update them accordingly.

Using Contactless Payment for Takeout and Delivery

If your brewery also processes takeout and delivery orders, there are even further benefits to improving your brewery payment technology.Now, your offsite customers can use the same No-POS system as those who choose to visit in person.Make sure your staff understands how to prioritize and process takeout vs. dine-in orders to ensure consistent customer service through all your ordering options.

Step 4: Manage Data and Key Metrics

Contactless technology gives you more in-depth knowledge of your brewery’s operations. Now, you’ll be able to:

• Track sale hours to know when to schedule staff
• Customize the menu to fit demand
• Keep account of inventory
• Monitor expenses and budget accordingly
• Scale your brewery to reflect growth
• Market more effectively using first-party ordering data

Staying up-to-date on the logistics of your brewery is easier when your operations are cloud-based because the data is collected, organized, and accessible for you. With this knowledge, your brewery can work at peak performance.

Scale According to Growth

Having access to your business’ analytics means your business can continue to grow. Plus, contactless technology is flexible thanks to its digital approach. That means it can grow with your business instead of hindering it like traditional, single POS systems.Your brewery can meet your customer’s present needs for convenience and safety while being adaptable enough for unforeseeable future needs.

Step 5: Guarantee Safe and Secure Transactions

It’s understandable to be concerned that customers are more vulnerable to fraud and security threats when entering financial information on their phones.However, QR code payment is a lot simpler and even safer than traditional points of sale. Here’s why:

• Information entered is secured and encrypted so it can’t be shared
• Authentication and verification is required with every transaction
• Credit cards aren’t scanned so the chance of them getting lost decreases

Customers accidentally leaving their credit cards or wallets behind is a thing of the past. So are walkouts. Payments can be quicker and now safer with this new technology.

Step 6: Invest More into Marketing

Greater customer satisfaction and smoother transactions mean better reviews as well as an increase in business and revenue. With lower costs and extra income, your business can reinvest that money into other aspects such as marketing.Social media and brand identity are great ways to connect with customers on a personal level. Any loyalty programs and social media accounts can be accessed through the digitized menu making it the perfect opportunity to showcase your recognizable brand identity.

Social Media is Essential for Growth

Social media can be a game-changer for boosting your business and finding future customers. Going digital offers the opportunity to further emphasize your brand’s identity and digital presence. Consider the following:

• Let your followers know about your new contactless system
• Highlight your new rewards program on your social media channels
• Regularly post positive customer feedback in your stories

Utilize all the perks of contactless technology to invest in your marketing and online presence.

The Future is Contactless Technology

Your business isn’t the only one interested in contactless technology.The National Retail Federation released a study on the connection between COVID-19 and the rise of contactless payment methods. It revealed that:

• 67% of businesses accept contactless payment now.
• 94% of businesses believe that contactless ordering and payment will only become more popular with businesses and customers over the next year.

The pandemic has shown the importance of flexibility and adaptability. Having technology that can grow and change with you is invaluable, especially in the competitive beer-making industry.However, implementing a contactless solution can give you an edge over the competition when it comes to safety and efficiency. Likewise, it opens opportunities to process more orders while simultaneously streamlining your budget.For best results, seek out a solution that means your needs in terms of customizability, scalability, and ease of use.

Embrace the Future with GoTab

While getting started with contactless ordering and payment is relatively straightforward, changing your entire system may still feel a bit overwhelming, especially without help.The good news is that you don’t have to do it alone.At GoTab, we want to help make sure the transition is seamless. We understand that customer satisfaction and easy-to-use technology are important for breweries to run smoothly so that they can focus on what really matters—their customers (and their beers!).Our comprehensive and effortless contactless ordering and payment system offers to do just that. It can provide quality customer service while still prioritizing health and safety.Take the first step towards the future and request a demo today.Sources:

• Visa. The Visa Back to Business Study. https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/blogs/visa-back-to-business-study-jan21.pdf
• Raydiant. State of Contactless Payments 2021 Report. https://www.raydiant.com/blog/state-of-contactless-payments/
• Digital Marketing. The Importance of Social Media Marketing. https://www.digitalmarketing.org/blog/the-importance-of-social-media-marketing
• National Retail Federation. Coronavirus leads to more use of contactless credit cards and mobile payments despite cost and security concerns. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/coronavirus-leads-more-use-contactless-credit-cards-and-mobile-payments