About Square Online – An Introduction

Since its inception in 2009, Square has been a popular option among small businesses for payment processing needs. In 2019, the company launched Square Online which further contributed to developing its offers to the e-commerce industry. Square Online allows businesses to sell their products and services as well through their POS or point of sale systems.

Business owners can set up their services for free and also make them available to customers with a Square credit card. You can set up your website to contain the image, price, and other product data for your goods or services. Square Online allows you to build a website where your customers can order the products with a secure transaction.

Tools and Characteristics

Square Online is a great solution for those with limited time but who want quality results. Their website creator allows you to easily create an online website where you can sell your products and services. Physical goods are not the only products you can sell through the website. You can also sell tickets to events, accept donations, and fulfill orders. Square Online can also help restaurants manage their online orders for delivery or pick up.
The unique feature of Square Online is the ability to transfer an entire product library into your store with just a few clicks. You can do this by going to the Registration option and clicking on the “Add element”. If you want to add more elements, Square also allows you to directly import CSV files.

The Square Online website builder is a great e-commerce option because it’s already linked to Square which allows for a smooth transaction between other services offered by Square. You get access to payment platforms and points of sale. Through Square’s services, you can enjoy a secure payment process without refund or chargeback fees. Customers can also use their Apple or Google Pay accounts. Square Pay lets customers save their payment details so they can check out future orders faster.

Square Online delivers accessibility and ease of service to its users. You’ll get reminders and notifications when your products are running out. You can also see the status and remaining stocks through the management panel.

Square Online for Restaurants is a great solution for the post lockdown era. This allows users to import Square POS items into Square Online to quickly launch a mobile-ready order page. The restaurant’s point of sale system will instantly display online orders and deliver them to kitchen printers. This helps keep the standard order process streamlined. In addition, the tool offers customers several pickup and delivery options. In-person, curbside, third-party delivery service, or in-house courier – your customers will not lack choices.

Square’s Instagram shopping page allows businesses to create a single-page website based on their Instagram account. Brands with a strong social media identity but struggling with creating a complete online store may find this a great solution. It allows users to turn Instagram posts into an online store.

All websites created through Square Online are optimized for different devices. You need to provide your store information including URL and DNS stings.

User Experience

Restaurants, retailers, small businesses, and professional service providers can create a complete e-commerce website without the hassle when they use Square Online. The transaction fee is similar to the prices that their competition offers. Square Online also allows website owners to combine their product lists with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Beginners without web design or coding experience can easily create an account and navigate the website builder. However, more advanced users may not enjoy the limitations of customization options. Once you have a digital plan, you’ll get access to an interactive and functional online store.

The account dashboard shows you transaction history, statistics, and ways you can collect data on your customers and create reports based on that information.

Pricing

Square offers simple pricing plans. The four plans they have available are the Free, Professional, Performance, and Premium plans. The first three plans have a 2.9% fee and a $0.30 fee for every transaction. The Premium plan has a lower 2.6% fee and the same $0.30 transaction fee. There are no charges if you cancel the account and they will not lock you in with long-term plans.

The Free plan offers the following:

• Shopping cart

• SSL security

• Product badges and options

• Unlimited products

• Inventory management

• Order status text alerts

• In-house delivery

• On-demand delivery

• Curbside pickup

• In-store order customization

• Coupon codes

• Automatic sync with Square POS

• Square gift cards

• Lead capture and contact forms

• SEO tools

• Facebook Ads

• Instagram integration

• Email, chat, and phone support

• Community forum

The Professional plan, which comes at $12 per month if billed annually, offers all the Free plan features plus:

• One year free custom domain

• Publish to a custom domain

• Remove Square ads and branding

Performance Plan, which costs $12 per month if billed annually, has all the features of the previous plans plus:

• Product reviews

• Post customer reviews on the website

• Discounted shipping labels

• All-in-one shipping tools

• Abandoned cart emails

The Premium Plan, for $72 per month if billed annually, offers everything from the Performance Plan plus:

• Shipping Rate Calculator

• Lowest processing rate

• Highest shipping rate discounts

Conclusion

Existing Square users will find Square Online the perfect solution. They can easily integrate the services offered by Square into their online store. For new website owners who want to start an online business, Square online is an affordable and easy solution that gives you professional solutions.

The recent features added for restaurants take the brand a step further. It is especially helpful for businesses that want to grow their business and take more online orders. The restaurant tools have no commissions and monthly fees and also allow the owner to offer to pick up or deliver options.