Contactless payments firm Everyware has partnered with Cybersource and Authorize.net, two Visa Solutions, to provide payments processing to enterprise and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
The partnerships will provide SMBs with a contactless payment and communications experience for their customers, Everyware said in a press release on Tuesday (April 6). While Cybersource and Authorize.net will provide payments processing to enterprise-level businesses and SMBs, respectively, Everyware will power two-way communications, as well as secure payment options.
Digital shopping has accelerated amid the pandemic. The share of consumers shopping using digital devices had increased from 27 percent in March 2020 to 42 percent in November, PYMNTS found in a recent study. This team-up helps businesses connect with consumers via those digital and mobile channels.
“With these solution offerings, businesses will be able to provide a suite of essential touchless service options paired with paying by text, two-way messaging, chatbot features and more to drastically improve customer service and communications,” the press release says.
The partnership supports contactless, curbside pickup, for example, by enabling a communications channel between store and customer — no app necessary. Over HIPAA-compliant texts, the store can communicate when the order is ready, and the customer can notify the store that she has arrived and is waiting. Then the store can text her a secure payment link and deliver the order to the vehicle, so that the customer never has to “enter the store, pull up an app, hand off, or even tap a credit card.”
“Pay by Text and SMS communications is a safe, simple and easily adaptable technology for any industry,” said Everyware Founder and CEO Larry Talley in the press release.
Digital, friction-free experiences have become expected for businesses by consumers, Authorize.net Vice President Alex Burgin said recently in a conversation with PYMNTS.
“A merchant has to be ready to think about touchless payments, omnichannel, as well as other tools like tokens that enable a small business to recognize a returning customer and give them a better experience versus what they can give a one-time visitor,” he said.