If you’re among retailers and restaurant operators that have yet to jump on the credit and debit card acceptance bandwagon, you’re almost definitely doing your business a disservice. For one thing, offering customers the convenience and option of paying with “plastic” increases their satisfaction—a boon to repeat business. Accepting credit and debit cards also improves cash flow and offers enhanced views of sales data and other information that can then be used to make better business decisions going forward.

Even more importantly, the volume of consumers who use credit and debit as their primary form of payment is overwhelming. According to economic research firm Moebs Services, debit card transactions accounted for 33 percent of payments in 2009; credit card transactions, 23 percent. By contrast, check usage has, over the past 30 years, dropped from 85 percent of all transactions to less than 25 percent.

In addition, like other retailers and restaurateurs, you may be questioning whether you really need to accept debit as well as credit card payments in order to play your best “plastic” game. The answer is a resounding “yes”, as the recession has spurred many consumers to choose “debit” rather than “credit” if given a choice at the point of sale. Nearly two-thirds of respondents to a survey by Mercator Advisory Group described themselves as “payment changers” who have taken specific actions to reduce their credit card usage. A majority of survey participants said they plan to extend the shift away from credit beyond the recession, possibly making it a permanent habit.

Still unsure about whether to get your feet wet in credit and debit? pcAmerica offers a wealth of assistance and services to customers in this arena; to get started, simply contact your pcAmerica representative for more information.