How to manage transactions on the go

The rise of digital payments

If you've noticed more customers embracing digital payment technologies, you're observing a sign of the times. These days many customers prefer the convenience of digital and contactless payment options.

With contactless payments now a popular option amongst consumers, it makes sense to explore payment technologies that will allow your business to make contactless sales from more places.

The power of making sales on the go

Many small and medium businesses can benefit from managing transactions while on the go, as opposed to being tied to a payment solution that’s fixed in one location.

Some benefits of taking payments from more places may include:

• Keeping up with the pace of change. For example, tradespeople can now take payments from clients who’d prefer to pay them for a job on the spot.
• Gaining a competitive edge. For example, market holders can operate pop-up stores from more places when they’re armed with portable payment technology.
• Serving customers quickly. For example, hospitality venues can take payments from customers standing in line, or seated at tables, with some mobile EFTPOS devices.

As demonstrated in the examples listed above, embracing portable payment devices can help improve your business efficiency, revenue and customer service.

How do contactless payment solutions help improve customer experience?

If you want to accommodate the increasing demand for contactless payments, working with mobile and portable payment systems is a great way to improve your customer experience.

Using EFTPOS technologies that accept mobile payments can help make life easier for your customers. This is because mobile payments can often provide more flexibility and convenience for a buyer wanting to make a purchase.

Many consumers already make on the go payments by using their smartphones or wearable devices. So, to help your business keep up with customer expectations in the current market, it's important you offer flexibility with the payment methods you offer.

Are cash payments a thing of the past?

While some consumers do still choose to pay with cash, it’s also no secret that less consumers are opting for this payment method. Reflecting the steep decline in the use of cash, the Australian Banking Association reports that ATM use has been dropping since 2008.

Meanwhile, the frequency of debit card use is sharply increasing.  So, if your business model relies solely on taking cash payments, you could be missing out on sales.

How your business could benefit from portable payment machines

To help your business accept payments quickly and securely, it's worth considering a portable EFTPOS machine. Unlike countertop EFTPOS devices, portable machines are designed to take payments from cards, smartphones, and wearable devices on the go.

Key benefits of portable EFTPOS machines

• Convenience. When customers can pay you by card on the spot, you won’t need to rely on processing cheques, giving change, or sending invoices.
• Immediacy. You can enjoy peace of mind knowing your payments are processed in the moment.
• Security. Electronic payment methods help you take payments securely by using encrypted data.
• Efficiency. With the right EFTPOS solution, you can keep electronic records of all your transactions, helping you keep track of sales.

Finding a portable payment solution to suit your business needs

Investing in an EFTPOS solution that you can take with you on the go empowers your business. But if you’re new to the concept, it pays to choose a solution with a simple setup.

For small and medium sized businesses it can help to look for a solution that’s:

• quick and easy to install.  
• compact, portable and lightweight.  

Other features to look out for include:

• The ability to send digital receipts to save on paper and make things quicker and more convenient for your customers. 
• Analytics and reporting features that can help you keep track of things in real-time and gain valuable insights about your business performance and customer behaviour.

Technology is on the move and so are businesses. Embracing portable payment technology can help you create a simpler and faster checkout process for your customers. It can help improve the experience they receive every day and help you bust queues at busy times by offering a flexible option to keep things moving.  

Investing in digital payment solutions to better meet your customer needs can help boost loyalty, generate repeat business and create new efficiencies in how you operate.

First published May 2023, updated May 2025.