Would local service businesses benefit from an e-cart?

boatBurner

boatBurner

shutup, crime!
Feb 24, 2012
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Just looking for feedback.

How many local service businesses (pool cleaning, plumbing, house cleaning, etc) do you think take online payments (both one-time and recurring)? Many or a few?

Why do you think that is?

Do you think a local service would see needle movement from integrating a service-based e-cart (allowing for one-time bill payment, recurring subscription management, discounts/coupons, and service upselling)?

If a customer knew he or she could pay online and was in fact funneled to pay online, do you think the business would 1. Benefit from that kind of automation and 2. Make more money from the ability to integrate upsell opportunities via an e-cart?
 


most barely want to accept a credit card because they want the monies under the table
 
boatBurner said:
Just looking for feedback.

How many local service businesses (pool cleaning, plumbing, house cleaning, etc) do you think take online payments (both one-time and recurring)? Many or a few?

Why do you think that is?
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few, because they are poolboys, plumbers and housecleaners
 
boatBurner said:
If I'm not mistaken, Square is primarily a mobile way to accept payment, not an online way for customers to create, edit and pay for service appointments with a local business.
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The transaction doesn't take place online. In that profession you want to take money there and then, in person, not tell someone they can go to XYZ url to pay, and so forth.

I think Square adds value - you can take a CC payment at someone's door, which is gold and no doubt significantly reduces time and expenditure spent debt chasing.

Most service providers like plumbers prefer money in cash / cheque though, and bigger ticket services tend to be paid by direct debit/bank transfer/cheque. (Potentially there's use there, but there's already guys like Freshbooks taking on that market).

Basically: Square takes the plumbers/etc, freshbooks & invoicing webapps take the bigger ticket stuff.

If you were going to do it successfully I'd suggest you find a way of putting something together which targeted a specific niche, and catered to the individual needs of people in that niche. You'd probably have to combine more than just payment into it, and I think it's still quite a tough market to penetrate.
 
boatBurner said:
If I'm not mistaken, Square is primarily a mobile way to accept payment, not an online way for customers to create, edit and pay for service appointments with a local business.
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So, a booking and appointment service?

Because the targets you mention are -very- well served by Square, as they can accept payment then and there w/o issue. Our old housekeeper does, plumber does, etc.

You are talking about payment at time of service businesses, seems like a booking service or pay after service would be useless.
 
mituozo said:
Most service providers like plumbers prefer money in cash / cheque though, and bigger ticket services tend to be paid by direct debit/bank transfer/cheque. (Potentially there's use there, but there's already guys like Freshbooks taking on that market).

Basically: Square takes the plumbers/etc, freshbooks & invoicing webapps take the bigger ticket stuff.
Click to expand...

Freshbooks also has payment processing ? I use it and they offer paypal and google checkout integration, I didn't see an option for their own service ?

I'll jump in and say the same, the likes of Square have you beat, the immediate swipe and taking of the payment has you beat, making an appointment with anyone and online processing, Paypal and Google Checkout are trivial for folks to use.

And as someone asserted a lot of these folks want under the table payments so as not to pay taxes on it for fear of losing their low-income benefits...
 
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