To be successful as a food truck owner, you need to be focused on providing great customer service. In today’s mobile food industry that means offering consumers with convenient mobile payment options.

With the combination of fewer people carrying cash and smartphone use on the rise, mobile credit card readers are more popular than ever in the food truck industry. This is especially true if you are a new food truck owner or a vendor that doesn’t have a brick and mortar restaurant. Since the inception of the food truck industry, vendors have increasingly turned away from only accepting cash transactions to eliminate finding customers who don’t carry much cash.

Mobile payment options like Apple PaySquareShopKeep and Intuit GoPayment use a downloadable app and a small card reader device that plugs into a smartphone or tablet. The process is as easy as swiping a customer’s credit or debit card to accept payment, then ask the customer to sign the touch screen with his or her finger.

Similarly, vendors who offer catering services through their websites have started using online payment options like PayPal or Google Wallet.

Many food truck owners now offer both mobile payment options which are commonly available from the same provider. The key is to examine your options and determine what’s best for you and your food truck customers.

4 Factors To Use When Reviewing Mobile Payment Options

  • Cost. The cost of using a mobile credit card reader varies, but vendors are typically charged a fee per swipe that ranges from 1.5% to 3%. Some of these mobile payment options also charge a yearly or monthly fee. It’s a good idea to find out if the mobile reader and the app you’re interested in are free, and if you need to sign a contract. In terms of online payment services, there are typically no set-up fees or monthly fees associated with using a basic PayPal account.
  • Flexibility. Not all of your mobile payment options are compatible with all types of phones. Some apps only work with Android or Apple phones, while others have the ability to accept flip phones and other mobile devices. You should also find out if the mobile reader is versatile enough to accept all major credit cards.
  • Ease of use. The size of the device ca be a factor when deciding on which of your mobile payment options to choose. Is it too big or too little? Does it plug right into the audio jack of your smartphone or tablet? You’ll also want to determine if the money is deposited directly into your food truck bank account following the transaction.
  • Security. Will your customer’s data be secure? Near Field Communication (NFC) payments are very popular in mobile payment options.  NFC allows consumers to swipe their mobile device in order to make a payment. WAP Payments use Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) facility on your Smartphone to connect to the internet and then using an online payment method such as PayPal or Google Wallet.

RELATED: Turn Your Food Truck into a Mobile WiFi Hotspot

The Bottom Line

Before you decide which mobile payment options to offer your customers, do your homework. Consider your age of your customers and their comfort in using new technologies.  Conducting a thorough examination of the payment terms, program features and benefits of each mobile payment option will ensure you get the best match for your food truck’s payment needs.

While there may be a slight learning curve to get started, offering easy payment processing could go a long way toward improving your food truck’s customer satisfaction.

Did we miss any mobile payment options? Share your thought in the comment section or social media. Facebook | Twitter