Taking In-Person Payments for Artists: The Pros and Cons of the SumUp Point of Sale
At some point in the creative business journey the need for a portable point of sale device will arise. Whether you want to take payments in person at an art show, festival or art market, having a point of sale like SumUp Air, will gain you a huge advantage over your fellow creators who only accept cash. Offering a simple, very easy to use credit card payment acceptor, or point of sale, will not only impress your clients and move them toward making newly accessible purchases, but will win you sales you may have lost without it.
If you are located anywhere like France where Point of Sale systems are not the norm and people still largely use cash at markets, etc. this will impress and shift your clients even more toward buying your art and products. We cannot stress enough the importance of coming to your shows and in person events prepared and ready to take a diverse array of payment forms.
One of the many aspects of launching the Luynes Collection was preparing to take these in-person payments, both at the ‘vernissage’ launch show, and during the time the collection was shown at Café Lumière. We researched our options for companies who could ship to us in France within two weeks or less as we were on a tight launch schedule. As a fine art business, we absolutely had to have a terminal device with a simple, clean and beautiful aesthetic that would fit our brand. We selected the SumUp Air and are 100% pleased with our choice. Of course, nothing in business is perfect, so here is a comprehensive review of our experience using the SumUp payment terminal.
Pros:
The SumUp Air is the perfect size for carrying around to art shows and meeting with clients. Fitting in the palm of your hand, the SumUp terminal is the definition of portable.
When researching the in-person payment method for the show, one of our priorities was design. The SumUp Air is sleek, simple and small, meaning it would not detract from the artwork and would not add too much of a corporate feeling to the ambiance of the show.
Some of the other payment terminals we looked at were restricted to one country or region, but SumUp covers both Europe and America, which is great for forward-planning. Who knows where our team will end up!
The SumUp terminal is controlled through an app on our phones (which we always have on us anyway - check out the ACFA Instagram here). We were all able to download the app to our phones to use on the same terminal, which meant taking payments could be done by any member of the team.
The app and the terminal could not be easier to use. They are both designed and laid out simply and clearly, which makes taking payments even speedier.
The terminal is compatible with all major credit cards (including American Express!) and Google and Apple pay.
Cons:
We chose the terminal without the portable charging station so that it could fit easily in our pockets to carry around, but this does mean we need to think ahead about charging, or take the charging cable with us if we know our destination has a power outlet available.
If you do not carry your phone with you at all times (well done for pursuing that healthy habit), then it requires some forward-thinking to have both your phone and the terminal on you whenever you want to take payments.
The app also means that you need to be connected to WiFi or data when you want to take payments. We have had no problems with this in the places we have taken payments, but for any rural dwellers or places where networks become easily jammed, this could present a problem.
Unfortunately, the SumUp terminal does not link to a Squarespace website, meaning we have to match up our inventory and sales manually. However, as far as our research proved, there are currently no available payment terminals which are compatible with Squarespace in Europe.
Overall, we would thoroughly recommend the SumUp terminal for any other small businesses or individuals who are looking to be able to take in-person payments without investing in expensive and large equipment. With a bit forward-planning, you should be sorted for offering this option to your customers!
