Four Ways to Reduce the Spread of Germs at the Checkout

COVID-19 has forced us all to evaluate social interactions, and has underscored the importance of washing our hands and sanitizing surfaces to reduce chances of transmission.

According to the CDC, it may be possible for a person to contract COVID-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. And recently the World Health Organization (WHO) advised everyone to “use contactless payments to reduce the risk of transmission" of COVID-19.

We would like to discuss payment solution best practices that you can employ at your business to ensure a healthy customer checkout. Once this crisis passes, you’ll find that these processes save time and improve the customer experience, while limiting the spread of seasonal colds and flus.

Eliminate Physical Card Exchange

A recent study by the US National Institutes of Health, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the name of the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, can survive up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces.

Credit and debit cards are mostly plastic, though a number of premium cards are made of stainless steel. Passing cards from consumers to employees creates a risk for transmission.

With customer-facing devices, such as our ZeroTouch Terminal, cards remain in the hands of consumers, protecting your employees from the potential for picking up germs from the surface that can occur from passing cards back and forth.

Encourage the Use of Contactless Payment Options

Contactless cards and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay allow customers to quickly and securely pay with a simple wave of their card, phone or wearable device, keeping fingers completely off the terminal.

Contactless mobile payment transactions are estimated to generate over $220 billion in value by 2023. There are more than 400 million Apple Pay users worldwide, responsible for more than 3 billion transactions in 2019.

Disable Receipts and Signatures

If you’re still using a stand-alone payment terminal that prints out paper receipts, then you are passing pens and paper between employees and customers. That’s two more touch points that can be eliminated.

The card brands no longer require signatures and receipts for most businesses. With the ZeroTouch Terminal, businesses have the option to disable signature capture, as well as receipts. Customers can opt for no receipt, or choose to receive a digital version without touching the terminal.

Clean and Disinfect Your Terminal

The importance of keeping a clean environment, washing your hands often, and using sanitizers remain some of the most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19. We encourage you to put a bottle of hand sanitizer at the checkout and clean shared surfaces often.

While many terminals are difficult to clean due to their shape, design and materials used on screens and keypads, the ZeroTouch Terminal features a glass display surface and hard acrylic keys that are easy to clean and disinfect using 70% Isopropyl Alcohol wipes.

What is your business doing to reduce the spread of germs today?