Allowing customers to shop online and in person means that those who can't physically travel to a brick-and-mortar store can shop conveniently online, while those who don’t want to wait for goods to be delivered to their door have the option to make in-person purchases during business hours. This is one of the best ways to increase sales, as customers can browse and make purchases from any location using credit and debit cards or digital wallets, like Apple Pay®. This expands your market exponentially, and since customers can shop at any time, it expands your business hours, too.

What’s more, having an online and in-person presence creates a synergy that can benefit your business in multiple ways: online stores allow merchants to provide comprehensive product information, which allows customers to look at your offerings using their smartphones or computers, and then make their final purchases later in your physical store. Businesses also gain a more data-centric view of customers, enabling them to offer targeted products, loyalty programs, and develop a complete picture of who their client-base is.

Shoppers may also want to browse your ecommerce website at a time that’s convenient for them and add items to their shopping carts. Then, instead of having their order delivered, they may want the option to come to your brick-and-mortar shop to pick up their order. This is referred to as the “buy-online-pickup-in-store” model and it has worked well for many retailers — why not incorporate it into your business model, as well?

Businesses can also connect a digital presence with their existing physical one to enhance promotions and marketing. Give customers easier access to discounts by enabling them to download or print out a coupon from an ecommerce website and then redeem it in-store. Social media campaigns can help raise brand awareness, drawing more customers through the doors, and creating descriptive videos about products and services can answer customer questions that may have prevented them from completing a purchase. And you can even add subscription options to offer recurring billing for the products that shoppers keep coming back for. Offering subscription payments creates a convenient payment experience while increasing customer loyalty and repeat purchases.

To join the world of online payments you don’t have to build your own software or hire a team of developers to get started. Those options may be a good fit for businesses that need highly customized payment options, but today’s card payment solutions are not “one-size-fits-all.” Businesses may just want to optimize the website that they already have by enabling customers to add items to a shopping cart and then check out. Merchants who are already using a display website that allows customers to view their products are on the right track. However, they are likely losing business by requiring that customers go to a physical store to make purchases.

These days, it’s easy and affordable to convert a display site into an ecommerce store. To do so, talk to your payment processing company about what options are available. One of the simplest options is a hosted pay page or a payment form that lets buyers fill out their payment information to submit their payments. This is a great worry-free option, as most of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements are outsourced to the payment service provider. After getting an online store set up, consumers can view products, order them, and pay online using the secure payment service that safeguards sensitive cardholder data. For ISVs who want to develop a data-rich understanding of their customers, the Custom Pay API allows point-of-sale developers to build applications with a centralized view of all customer data, an omnichannel shopping experience, and embedded payments across channels.