To our Square community:
We’re all facing unique challenges right now, and for business owners, the stakes are particularly high. We want to offer support and help in the ways we can.
Be sure to bookmark this page for the latest information and tools to support you and your business.
Steps you can take:
Sell and accept orders online
Social distancing is being strongly encouraged across Canada. One way to still provide goods to your customers is to sell online. You can ship items or take online orders for pickup or local delivery. Scroll down to learn how to take online orders and setup curbside pickup or local delivery.
Promote digital gift cards
Electronic gift cards can help increase cash flow while your business is closed or affected by social distancing. We’ve seen a lot of sellers ask their regular customers to purchase gift cards as a show of support. Scroll down to learn how to set up eGift Cards free.
Use touch-free and remote payments
As customers look to avoid touching surfaces, you might consider skipping the receipt screen and disabling the signature screen during checkout. You can also encourage your customers to use their mobile devices or contactless cards to complete payment so they touch fewer surfaces. If you aren’t seeing customers in person, consider remote payment options like invoices; scroll down to learn more.
Communicate with your customers
Use email and social media to keep your customers up to date. Remember to be direct and succinct no matter what you’re communicating.
Support your team
This time is as unpredictable for your staff as it is for you. To ensure your staff stays healthy, make sure they stay home if they are sick, frequently wash their hands, and keep contact with one another and customers to a minimum. Make sure your paid time off and sick leave policies are compliant with local labor laws as laws may have changed in response to the virus.
More steps for your business
Get set up
Online Store
No matter what kind of business you run, you can create an online ordering page with Square Online that allows you to provide curbside pickup or local delivery. The online ordering page automatically integrates with all Square POS apps, Order Manager, and Customer Directory. There is no monthly fee for click & collect.
If you only have a product to sell or don’t need a whole online store, you can use Square Online Checkout to create shareable links. Give whatever you’re selling a name and price, create the link, and then add it to your website, blog, email, texts, or social posts.
Learn how to:
Set up an online ordering page [VIDEO] >
Turn on curbside pickup [VIDEO] >
Set up local delivery [VIDEO] >
Get paid with Square Online Checkout >
Remote payments
Even without an online store, you can take payments remotely. You can use invoices to request and collect online payments for goods and services — no matter where you are. Customers can pay invoices from their mobile phone or computer with their debit or credit cards.
Another option for collecting payments and making sales online is a virtual terminal, which turns your computer into a point-of-sale and allows you to key-in and charge credit and debit cards from your web browser. You can also use a virtual terminal to schedule recurring quick-charge or itemised sales for repeat customers.
Learn how to:
Send invoices online [VIDEO] >
Take payments with Virtual Terminal [VIDEO] >
eGift Cards
You can set up a free ordering page to sell digital gift cards. The page allows customers to purchase eGift Cards online and send them to a recipient of their choice (or themselves) via email. eGift Cards can be redeemed in-store and on Square Online Store.
We’ve launched a new online directory, Give and Get Local, which will allow customers to search for your business and purchase eGift Cards directly from your site. All eGift Cards sellers have the option to be featured in the directory. Visit the eGift Cards tab in your Square Dashboard to toggle this setting on or off.
Learn how to set up your eGift Cards ordering site [VIDEO] >
Managing subscriptions
To help make managing your subscriptions easier, we’ve introduced the ability to pause a subscription as well. When you pause a subscription you will not be billed. You can unpause at any time and your account will be ready for you.
Resources
Find other businesses to talk to about how you’re handling the current situation, trade tips and share best practices for keeping your employees and customers safe.
We’ve compiled information about contactless payments, selling online and other topics to help you navigate the current situation. We’ll be adding new content regularly on Town Square to support your business.
We’ve partnered with Skillshare, an online learning community, to provide you with a free three-month membership. Together, we’ve developed three learning tracks — Sales & Marketing, Leadership & Management, and Business Operations — each of which contains classes taught by industry icons and experts.
Stay informed
Public Health Agency of Canada:
Guidance for Businesses
Government of Canada:
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)