PayPal<\/strong> was one of the first payment gateways on the block. It gives people a way to pay for those late-night online shopping binges that\u2019s fast and efficient and keeps their bank details safe and secure (always an important consideration when there\u2019s nasty hackers out there looking for easy prey).<\/p>\n ApplePay<\/strong> is the new kid on the block, but with the weight (and hefty marketing budget) of Apple behind it.<\/p>\n The aim is to help consumers ditch their big, fat wallets and to use their phone (or iPhones specifically) to pay for goods and services. Most (but not all) of the main UK banks are signed up to ApplePay, so it\u2019s got a LOT of support to push it as the payment option of choice.<\/p>\n And Apple\u2019s not alone in this market. There\u2019s also Android Pay, using Google Wallet, and Barclaycard bPay, amongst others (which explains why you won\u2019t see Barclays\u2019 logo on the Apple ads).<\/p>\n \u2018Virtual wallets\u2019 are all about marrying software and apps with hardware and technology. And it seems to be taking off worldwide as the technology gets rolled out. iPhone payments made up 10% of all global online transactions in recent stats<\/a>, and this was before ApplePay was even rolled out in the UK!<\/p>\n The days of real cash may be numbered (so it might be best to bank that stash of twenties you\u2019ve got in a biscuit tin under the bed, eh)<\/p>\n Over time, the combination of software and hardware is likely to replace cash completely. Near field communications (NFC) chips are in all kinds of things now, from contactless debit cards to iPhones and other smartphones\u2026even smartwatches!<\/p>\n So, at some point very soon, one of your clients is going to want to swipe their watch and pay their outstanding invoice (it\u2019ll be one of the really cool, bearded ones, we can guarantee that).<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re not ready for that, it\u2019s going to take you longer to get paid…which is always bad news.<\/p>\n The easier you make it to accept payment, the quicker you’ll get paid.<\/p>\n And the quicker you get paid, the healthier your cash flow will look. With more cash in the bank at the right time, you\u2019ve got the wonga you need to do what you want with the agency.<\/p>\n So, getting yourself on the ball with the latest payment tech is a very sound move if you want to make your payment processes as efficient as possible.<\/p>\n So, if you don\u2019t know your ApplePay from your apple crumble (mmmm, crumble), now\u2019s the time to get up to speed. Being prepared for change and flexing to meet that change is what running a business is all about.<\/p>\n Want to talk to us about incorporating payment gateways and payment apps into your Xero system? Get in touch to find out more about ApplePay, virtual wallets and contactless payment<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"39751373_xl\"](\"http:\/\/wearemap.wpengine.com\/clients\/assets\/39751373_xl.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPayment hardware<\/h3>\n
Make it easy to pay you<\/h3>\n
Get with the tech<\/h3>\n