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.
Bookmark this page for the latest information and tools from Square to support you and your business. For more guidance to help you navigate this next stage, browse our updated collection of COVID-19 business resources.
Steps you can take:
Sell and accept orders online
In some parts of the country, officials have strongly encouraged social distancing or have restricted their citizens’ movements. 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, affected by social distancing, or impacted in other ways. 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, encourage them to use their mobile devices or contactless cards, disable the signature screen, and skip the receipt screen during checkout. You can also send payment links or have them scan digital QR codes through your point-of-sale and allow customers to pay from their phones. 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. Let them know how they can support your business or if you’re closed or have different operating hours. If you use Square, we have free email marketing templates specifically for this purpose.
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. Stay up to date with regulatory updates in your state that could affect the way you pay your team. Additionally, you can update your payroll settings to accommodate your current operations.
More steps for your business
Get set up
Online Store
Whatever kind of business you run, you can create an online ordering page with Square Online and offer curbside pickup and on-demand delivery by your in-house staff or a DoorDash or Postmates courier. 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 single product to sell or don’t need a whole online store, you can use Square Online Checkout to create shareable purchase 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.
You can also use Square Online Checkout with your Square Point of Sale to offer more touch-free checkout options. When the customer is ready to pay, you can send them a payment link or have them scan a digital QR code so they can complete payment on their own device.
Learn how to:
Expand your delivery and pickup options >
Get paid with Square Online Checkout >
Use QR codes >
Set up on-demand delivery with DoorDash >
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 itemized 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 will be featured in the directory. To opt out of the Give and Get Local directory, contact us.
Learn how to:
Set up your eGift Cards ordering site [VIDEO] >
Promote your eGift Cards >
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
The decisions business owners face are rarely straightforward. On our podcast, Talking Squarely, we’re bringing together independent business owners to have frank discussions and share their perspectives on some of the most pressing issues impacting their lives — from the changing rules of commerce to work-life balance.
Our finance podcast, Paying it Forward, focuses on common financial issues business owners face. Each episode brings in an expert in the field with actionable insights and a fellow business owner who is tackling the issue first hand.
Find other businesses to talk to about how you’re handling the current situation, trade tips, and share some positivity. We now have local communities so you can connect with people in your area.
We’ve compiled information about accepting contactless payments, communicating with and marketing to your customers, selling online, and other topics in our COVID-19 business resource hub. We’ll be adding new content regularly on Town Square to support your efforts.
Recent articles include:
What to Consider When Reopening Your Business >
How Small Businesses Are Connecting with Customers Online >
6 Methods for Touch-Free and Remote Payments >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.
We’re also holding virtual panels, webinars, and coaching sessions so you can hear from other business owners and industry experts.
Stay informed
To keep up-to-date on COVID:
Get Your Workplace Ready for COVID-19 (WHO)
Guidance for Businesses and Employers (CDC)
Information for Communities, Schools, and Businesses (CDC)
To learn more about supporting the Black community:
Organizations:
Black Lives Matter
Campaign Zero
East Oakland Collective
Dream Corps
Forward Through Ferguson
Assata’s Daughters
Defy Ventures
Atlanta Solidarity Fund
The Ladies of Hope Ministries
Resources
Anti-racism Resources
An Antiracist Reading List (NY Times)
Know Your Rights as a Protestor (ACLU)
Directory of Black-Owned Businesses (Black Wall Street)