New Square survey finds 72% of Canadians are looking for socially-distanced, cashless ways to support local businesses post-pandemic; 80% are more committed to buying local than ever before
Square, the globally trusted software, payments and hardware solution for businesses of all sizes, is raising the bar on customer experience with the launch of its Square Register in Canada. With 80% of Canadians reporting their commitment to buying local is more important now than before the pandemic, Square Register offers Canadian sellers a cashless new way to sell and run their businesses from a COVID-safe distance.
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“The pandemic has thrown Canadian businesses challenge after challenge — and accelerated the demand for new, more flexible omnichannel commerce solutions”
“The pandemic has thrown Canadian businesses challenge after challenge — and accelerated the demand for new, more flexible omnichannel commerce solutions,” explains Thomas Templeton, General Manager of Hardware at Square. “In addition to its easy-to-use and sophisticated design, Square Register — designed in part by Square’s hardware engineers in Toronto — is the first fully integrated, all-in-one point-of-sale in Canada that offers dedicated seller and buyer-facing screens that can be set up as far as two metres apart, for a safer buying experience. As our sellers have grown and adapted, we’ve evolved with them. Now, with the introduction of Square Register, we’re excited to give bigger and more complex Canadian businesses better options when it comes to choosing an integrated commerce solution.”
A newly released Leger survey commissioned by Square shows that 72% of Canadian respondents agree that distanced and cashless buying options help them feel more comfortable when supporting local sellers. According to the survey, 80% of Canadian respondents report it’s more important to them now to support local businesses compared to before the pandemic, with 72% agreeing they are excited to start shopping in-person this Fall. Those sentiments are consistent across the country, with Quebecers reporting the highest allegiance (83%) to local sellers.
71% of Canadians surveyed say they are already, or plan to, spend more locally as Canada recovers from the pandemic — about a quarter of those surveyed estimated they’d spend about $1,750 with local sellers over the next six to twelve months. Canadians expected to spend the most additional money locally were found in Atlantic Canada ($2,492), Alberta ($2,372) and BC ($1,964), while buyers in Quebec and Ontario anticipate their additional local spending over the next six to 12 months at $1,695 and $1,418, respectively.
Integrated Commerce Straight Out of the Box
Square Register is an in-person, point-of-sale powerhouse that enables integrated, omnichannel commerce within minutes, straight out of the box, and works seamlessly with Square’s growing ecosystem of business tools — from free POS software and data reporting tools to dedicated restaurant, appointments and retail software, invoicing, e-commerce and more. Sellers have access to all the tools they need to run and grow their businesses without the need for additional tablets, apps or add-ons. Square Register allows sellers to manage their in-person and online business from one place, including inventory, point-of-sale, employee management and deliveries, enabling businesses to grow as they open new locations and integrate new revenue streams.
“At Square, our growth is directly tied to our customers’ growth — we all succeed together,” explains Alyssa Henry, Executive Vice President, Square, adding that since its launch in the U.S. in 2017, Square Register has been powering businesses across the globe — from multi-location restaurants and hair salons to retail stores and healthcare clinics. “Businesses are ditching clunky payment machines and legacy technology because they want fast, reliable, secure and intuitive hardware that looks professional. At the same time they need to manage growth and adapt easily to changing customer needs and market environments.”
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Canada’s Favourite Businesses Switch to Square Register
So far, iconic Canadian businesses of all sizes have been part of a group of early adopters who have made the switch to Square Register as part of their post-pandemic strategy to welcome back local customers, including: Calgary’s Village Ice Cream, Ontario’s Steel N Ink, Toronto’s Kensington Brewing Company, Montreal’s Les Petits Ziboo and Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation’s McMahon Stadium — home of the Calgary Stampeders — and Scotiabank Saddledome — home of the Calgary Flames.
Village Ice Cream founder and owner Billy Friley — who first began using Square in 2014 — credits Square for helping his team “pivot easily” to integrate digital payments, online ordering and curbside pick-up of their popular small-batch ice cream treats throughout the pandemic. “Village Ice Cream is all about getting people out and connecting in the urban village,” he explains. “We’re really excited about having a fully dedicated POS with Square Register as it’s an all-in-one solution that requires no training for our team and gives our customers more space and privacy when they are making digital payments or tipping.”
Before the pandemic, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation was receiving 50-60% of its onsite payments in cash during big games, so deploying a new POS system to enable cashless, distanced payments quickly has been a key priority. “So far, Square Registers have been easy to use for our patrons and staff and have been performing great for us at McMahon Stadium,” says Rachelle Roulston, Manager, Special Projects at Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation. “The advancements — not only from a technology standpoint — but the time savings and our ability to get away from handling cash has been a great win. Staff get to go home early, they’re a lot happier, and they’re not having to deal with the risk of carrying that cash.”
Making Selling Easy for Any Business
Square is focused on empowering businesses so everyone can participate and thrive in the economy with its innovative, easy-to-use product ecosystem. Since it launched in Canada nine years ago through the end of 2020, Square has introduced a broad set of more than 20 tools to businesses of all types and sizes — and has grown its base of larger, multi-location sellers by an average annual rate of 44% since 2016. During the pandemic, the number of active larger sellers using Square grew by more than 50%.
Square Register has been carefully designed to meet the needs of bigger, more complex Canadian businesses. It features a clear and simple pricing structure and retails for $899 (excluding taxes) which can be financed over 12 interest-free instalments of $75 a month. As with all Square products, there are no hidden fees, monthly fees or contracts and it offers business owners extra peace of mind with a 2-year limited warranty and bilingual customer support over email and phone. Businesses can accept all types of payments with Square Register, including Interac Debit.
