QR Code Payments: How to Set Them Up and Get Paid More Quickly

As a sole trader, freelancer, or manager of a small to medium business in Australia, you might be facing some of these key issues when getting paid for services and products:

• If you deal with customers face to face in-store, they’ll often expect to be able to pay by card, as many don’t carry much – or any – cash.
• Customers don’t want to wait around once they’ve decided to buy, so you might lose the sale if they don’t have the option to pay immediately.
• Customers are increasingly concerned about payment security and how their data is processed and held. This can affect sales if they don’t feel comfortable with how they’re being asked to pay, for example, if they’re concerned about mistyping details when paying by bank transfer or proving a cash transaction happened. 
• It can take a while to get going with a card terminal, as you need to wait for it to arrive, then pair it with your phone and connect it each time you need to use it. Card terminals can also be expensive.

Note: If you’re ready to start using QR code payments in your business, download Parpera and start taking payments immediately. 

How to accept QR code payments with Parpera

Getting started with Parpera QR code payments is a quick and easy process, which we’ll take you through step by step. 

Start by downloading and setting up the Parpera qr code payment app. Skip to the section on setting up QR code payments if you’ve already done this. 

After you download the App, opening a Parpera account through us is a simple 4-step process:

1. Sign up and verify your details.
2. Set up your business profile (and apply for your ABN if you don’t yet have one).
3. Verify your identity.
4. Claim your unique Parpera ID. This sets up your exclusive business page.

5. That’s it! You’re ready to use the Parpera App.

Now the App is set up, you can create a free QR code payment in just a few steps:

1. Go to the payments tab and tap on 'request' and then 'request payment'

2. If you haven’t connected a Stripe account, we’ll redirect you to the Stripe website to log in or create a new Stripe account
3. Once you’ve linked your Stripe account, you’ll come back to our app where you can create your free payment link
4. Enter the payment amount, along with a short description. Your customer will see this and will show you the transaction and payment details.

5. Next, you’ll see the QR code on the payment request page, which you can show to your customer or client so they can scan it. 

There’s also the option to send the link to your customer via email, SMS or WhatsApp, which you can do by tapping the ‘share payment link’ button. Read more in our article: Payment links: how to get paid instantly with Parpera.

6. After your customer scans it, they’ll be taken to a separate payment page. They tap the button to pay, and either enter their card details or pay with a Google Pay or Apple Pay digital wallet.

7. Your customer clicks ‘pay now’ and visits the confirmation page. You’ll both get an email receipt. 

Stripe’s payment processing pays out the funds to your bank account in line with their processing times. Currently, the first payment takes 7-14 days. After that, funds are available in two business days, and it’s possible to request payout of cleared funds daily.

When does it make sense to use QR code payments?

We’ve looked at how to set up Parpera QR code payments, so now let’s look at when it makes sense to use them:

• To order food at a restaurant or pop-up venue: Diners can order food in a restaurant by scanning a QR code, cutting out the need to take their order. Similarly, people can order via QR code at a pop-up venue, so there’s no need to queue. 
• To easily take multiple payments in person: If you run classes or workshops, QR codes allow your students or participants to pay face to face, which is perfect for those last-minute walk-ins. There’s also the option to pay in advance using the payment link you can share via email, SMS or WhatsApp.
• To take payment for products and orders at markets, fairs or pop up venues: If you sell your products at in-person events, customers can scan a QR code to pay for their item or pay for an order they’re placing. They can even scan a QR code by a piece of artwork in a gallery to buy it.
• To get paid more quickly than if you requested a bank transfer: This is particularly relevant to people like tradies who often wait 7-10 days to get paid after a job when they give their customers an invoice requesting payment by bank transfer. 
• To test offering another payment method: Trying QR code payment is a great way to test offering customers another payment service. This is especially true if you’re unsure how much you would use it since you can get a 30-day free trial and the only other fee to pay is our transaction fee when you’ve taken a payment (2.25% + $0.30 for domestic cards and 3.4% + $0.30 for international cards). 
• For greater security: QR codes offer more security to both you and your customer than a cash transaction. 

How this food truck uses QR codes to double revenue

Here’s how this mobile food business used QR codes to double the number of orders she took at her stall:

Melissa runs a food truck that makes tacos and sandwiches. She tried using card machines to take payments, but they would run out of battery quickly and were inconsistent with the signal.

She tried using a QR code payment system to accept payments, and it has completely changed the way she does business.

Now, people can choose to order via a QR code, which she has printed outside her food truck. The result is that when people come to the till, they’ve already paid, and she just needs to complete the order.

Using a QR code has cut prep time in half and reduced the cost of staff, which in turn helped her double the number of customers and revenue. 

She also uses payment links. If she’s hired for a big event, she just needs to send them a payment link to complete the order. It’s secure, it’s fast, and she doesn’t have to chase payments.

What’s great about Parpera’s QR code payments?

Here’s why Parpera QR code payments are a great payment solution for Australian freelancers, sole traders, and small and medium business owners alike: 

Set up QR codes quickly and start taking face to face payments immediately 

You can set up the Parpera App in a few quick steps, and you’re instantly able to start taking QR code payments. 

There’s no need to wait for a card reader to be delivered and then make sure it connects to your phone. It also means you don’t have to carry an extra device with you since everything you need is on your phone. 

The QR codes are reusable, which is ideal if you need to charge the same amount to multiple people for the same reason, as with a workshop or class. It’s much quicker for both you and your customer, as there’s no need to set up multiple versions of the QR code for the same purpose. You’ll also be able to print the QR code and put it in front of your shop.

Another option is to share the payment link by SMS, WhatsApp or email if that’s easier than showing the customer the QR code at that time. 

Offer your customers a great payment experience 

QR code payments are quick and easy, both for you to set up and for the customer who’s paying. 

For your customers, payment is much faster than if they were to set up a new payee in their online banking and make a bank transfer. It also opens up convenient payment options like debit/credit card, mobile wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay too.

This type of payment is contactless, which is another big positive and especially relevant with people’s buying habits changing during the pandemic. They’re now much less likely to carry cash on them, and this in turn has meant more and more businesses are turning to quick and easy contactless payment methods like QR codes. 

Accept payments at any time, anywhere at a lower fee

With QR code payments, you can accept card payments in person when you need to, at any time and anywhere. 

If you take your products to a market or other in-person event, QR codes allow you to take a big order from a customer who’s making a spontaneous purchase and doesn’t have enough cash on them. 

Without QR code payments, you could have lost a sale or at least had to have a follow-up conversation at a later date to try and arrange payment. This way, you can secure digital payment at the time, giving you one less thing to think about.

Since the Parpera App is on your phone, you can take payment with QR codes as long as your mobile device has service or is connected to Wi-Fi. This eliminates the frustration of struggling to take payments with an unreliable point of sale (POS) device or having issues connecting to it when you want to make a sale. 

The only charge is a monthly membership fee to access the Parpera App and a payment gateway processing fee of 2.25% + $0.30 for domestic cards and 3.4% + $0.30 for international cards. This means you save money on the monthly card terminal other e-commerce providers charge. 

Secure payments for you and your customers

It’s important your customers know their online payments are secure, and the fact that QR codes are established, familiar technology helps them feel their money, and personal data is safe. 

QR code generators are also encrypted, and don’t store customer data. This is one less thing for you to worry about and it will also reassure customers. 

Start using QR code mobile payments with Parpera

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of just how quick and easy it is to get started using QR code payments for your business.

Download the Parpera App and start your 30-day trial to test the benefits of using QR code payments for yourself!

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