How Nigerian businesses can easily receive payments through WhatsApp (Paystack)
Small businesses online have often struggled to provide customer service, customer engagement and payment solutions among others within a shoestring budget.
However, with the WhatsApp Business app now available, many of these issues are now being solved as the app strives to become the one-stop-shop for solutions to many of these customer needs.
(Please read- How to use WhatsApp Business to engage with customers in 2018)
One of the issues that small businesses still have is the receiving of payments.
Collecting payments among other things have always been an issue for small companies, especially ones that do not have websites with payment platforms.
This is among other reasons, due to the trust issues that a lot of people seem to have about businesses with no proper physical structure.
As it stands now, most Nigerian small businesses on WhatsApp first receive payments in their bank account before rendering the service or sending the goods paid for.
One of the things that businesses can now do through WhatsApp is to collect payments.
They can do this even if they are not yet using the WhatsApp Business app but still using WhatsApp Messenger.
All they have to do is register for free on the PayStack platform. Then register products or services they want to receive payments for with specific prices.
Then raise an invoice from the Paystack platform and send it to the customer.
For example, if a business advertises a product or service on their WhatsApp status and someone sees it and makes an order for it.
The business would send an invoice or link generated in Paystack to the customer through WhatsApp for payment.
The customer follows the link and makes payment accordingly.
But this is only available to businesses that are at least registered as a Business Name.
This is PayStack’s method of ensuring security and making sure the business is authentic.
However, Paystack charges 1.5% + N100 per transaction and 3.9% + NGN 100 for international transactions. But the N100 is waived for transactions below N2,500.
With this method, small companies can receive payments even without a website and the customer does not have to be scared of getting defrauded.
As they (the customer) can be sure they are transacting with a duly registered business and they can always open up an action on the Paystack website if the business or business owner does not perform his obligation in the transaction.
