Citadele Bank

Artisans, Hospitality and Beauty Industry Transitioning Most Actively to Non-Cash Payment Acceptance

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Since last November, retailers and service providers have been able to take payments on their Android devices. Figures show that almost 1,000 retailers throughout the Baltics are currently taking payments on their Android phone or tablet, with payments amounting to more than €1,000,000.

The tool is currently being used by almost 1,000 business owners in the Baltics, and Citadele Phone POS has been downloaded onto more than 1,200 mobile devices. Total purchases made this way so far amount to more than €1,000,000, and this payment acceptance tool is being actively used not just by businesses who need to take card payments, but also by self-employed people who deliver goods or offer services.

“Like anyone with a trade, I find it extremely important to keep up with customer wants and find new options for improving customer service and expanding payment acceptance. Citadele Phone POS is an extremely simple, modern tool which gives retailers freedom to act. It is mobile and convenient, and I don’t have to think about bringing an additional card terminal with me or paying an extra rental fee. The bank does everything for me, so I can concentrate on the important things: creating beautiful designs and offering them to my customers,” emphasises Jeļena Reneslāce, founder of SIA Cozy Wonders, a home crafts retailer.

“Among our customers, we see a large number of service providers who have to be flexible: artisans, hospitality and beauty entrepreneurs, especially cosmetics retailers. We also see that the tool is being used not just by registered businesses, but also by self-employed people who make and sell products or offer services. The warm weather has also opened the doors to many guest and summer houses, camp sites and tourist attractions. This confirms that our tool has reached its target audience, and both customer and business owner experiences will become increasingly convenient in many sectors,” adds Jānis Mūrnieks, Head of Retail Banking at Citadele.

The entire application process for business owners and self-employed people can be done remotely, both downloading the app and, if not a Citadele customer, signing an agreement with the bank. Citadele Phone POS has been developed in collaboration with the Visa Tap to Phone programme and IT company IBA Group, and is the first bank-operated Visa and Mastercard-certified tool in the Baltics which does not require a separate device for taking payments.

When developing the app, particular attention was paid to security, so that shoppers are certain that their card information or PIN code is not saved in the seller’s phone. Like the Citadele app, the Citadele Phone POS app does not allow screen recording, screenshots or any other suspicious activities. The app cannot be downloaded to devices on which illegal programmes which harvest data are installed. Citadele Phone POS accepts Visa and Mastercard cards, and transactions are processed by  Worldline.

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