How to get paid and grow your business with payment links

In recent years, the way we do business has experienced drastic changes due to emerging new technologies and customers constantly being drawn to more convenient and simplified processes; payments are not left out. In fact, 43% of customers say they would pay more for greater convenience.

One of the many ways businesses can offer faster and seamless payments to their customers is through payment links. Whether you sell on social media, display your products on WhatsApp, have a physical store and so on, payment links are very effective in helping you simplify the checkout process for your customers. In this article, we will look into what a payment link is and the different ways you can leverage it to grow your business.

A payment link as the name suggests is a unique web address that is automatically generated from a payment gateway dashboard. When a merchant sends a payment link to a customer, the customer on clicking this link is typically taken to the merchant’s online checkout page to complete their transaction. This page contains the transaction amount, a short description and other details as set by the merchant. 

Here are some of the benefits of using payment links:

• Seamless payments: Sharing payment links with your customers simplifies the checkout process. Merchants who use Zest for example can offer card, transfer, USSD and QR options to their customers to pay how they want.

• Flexibility for all business models:  Payment links are customizable and cater to businesses of all sizes and models. You can also use them to collect donations, payments for freelance consultations and so much more.

• It's secure: For most customers, security is a high concern when making payments online, with about 69% fearing that it may not be as secure as other payment methods. Ultimately, you want your customers to trust you and payment links are secure. Zest is PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant and, our platform is enabled with strong encryption and fraud prevention capabilities to safeguard customer data and prevent suspicious transactions.

Ready to use payment links to grow your business? Here's how to get started:

1. Choose the right payment gateway solution: Choosing a reliable payment solution is crucial. With Zest, you can onboard in less than three minutes, upload all regulatory documents and start collecting payments once your profile has been approved.

1. Creating Your Payment Link: Once your profile has been approved, you can easily log on to your business dashboard and create a payment link by specifying the exact amount you want to collect, the currency, the payment description and even input the email of the customer so they have the link forwarded to their email directly. You can also just copy the link and share it with them through whichever channel they prefer.

Achieving considerable business growth comes down to seeking strategic ways to sell to your customers with ease. As you set out to achieve all you have planned for this year, continue to access and evaluate your business and stay in tune with emerging technologies and strategies. We're rooting for you!

Want to learn more about how you can build innovative products, collect payments seamlessly and simplify your business operations with Zest? Click here to get started or contact us.