Floristry Business: Portable Card Machine & MOTO Payments Case Study

Case study summary

A small floristry business contacted Merchant Advice Service because it needed a compact portable card machine that was simple to set up and could support the way the business accepted payments.

Alongside face-to-face card payments, the client also needed the ability to take MOTO payments — card payments taken by mail order or telephone order.

Merchant Advice Service helped the business identify a suitable card-payment route and guided the client through the setup process.

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The business

The client operated a small floristry business and relied on card payments as an important part of taking money from customers.

The nature of the business meant that a fixed countertop terminal was not necessarily the only requirement.

The client wanted a compact portable card machine that could be used conveniently as part of the day-to-day operation of the business.

The payment requirement

The client wanted the payment setup to be straightforward and quick to implement.

The business required:

• a compact card terminal
• portability
• simple day-to-day operation
• face-to-face card acceptance
• the ability to accept payments over the telephone
• MOTO payment capability
• a setup suitable for a small business.

This meant the provider needed to be assessed on functionality as well as price.

What are MOTO payments?

MOTO stands for Mail Order and Telephone Order.

It refers to card-not-present transactions where a business takes payment details from a customer without the cardholder physically presenting their card at the point of sale.

For a floristry business, telephone payments can be particularly useful where customers place orders remotely rather than visiting the business in person.

Not every card-machine or merchant-services arrangement supports MOTO payments in the same way, so this was an important requirement to establish before comparing providers.

What Merchant Advice Service identified

Merchant Advice Service reviewed the way the floristry business needed to accept payments before considering potential card-machine options.

Relevant factors included:

• the size and nature of the business
• the need for a compact portable terminal
• face-to-face card payments
• telephone payment requirements
• MOTO functionality
• ease of use
• the need for a simple onboarding process.

The aim was to identify a payment arrangement that matched the practical needs of the business rather than simply recommending a terminal based on the headline transaction rate.

The card-machine route

Merchant Advice Service helped the client identify a compact portable card-machine arrangement capable of supporting the payment requirements of the floristry business.

The underlying payment provider remained responsible for its own merchant-account approval, pricing, equipment, MOTO functionality, contractual terms and ongoing payment-processing service.

MAS's role was to understand what the business needed, identify a potentially relevant route and guide the client through the setup process.

Quick and simple setup

A major priority for the client was avoiding an unnecessarily complicated setup process.

Merchant Advice Service therefore supported the business through the onboarding process and helped explain what was required.

The customer's subsequent feedback specifically described the process as quick and simple.

The outcome

The floristry business successfully established its card-machine facility and was able to incorporate card payments into its day-to-day operation.

The customer later explained that the card machine had become an important part of running the business.

Customer feedback

The client provided the following feedback about the experience:

“I cannot recommend the Merchant Advice Service enough. They have helped to provide me with my card machine for my floristry business. I wouldn’t be able to run the business without it! Libby helped and guided through the setup process, which was quick and simple. Many thanks.”

Merchant Advice Service view

This case demonstrates why choosing a card machine should start with how the business actually needs to take payments.

For this client, portability was important, but it was not the only requirement.

The business also needed to accept telephone payments, meaning MOTO capability formed part of the provider-selection process.

Two card machines may look very similar physically while being supported by different merchant-account arrangements, functionality, pricing and contractual terms.

Businesses should therefore consider the wider payment setup rather than choosing a terminal purely because it is small, portable or inexpensive.

What should a small business consider when choosing a portable card machine?

Depending on the business, useful comparison points can include:

• terminal size and portability
• Wi-Fi, mobile or other connectivity
• contactless payments
• Apple Pay and Google Pay
• chip and PIN payments
• MOTO or telephone-payment requirements
• transaction pricing
• terminal purchase or rental costs
• contract length
• settlement
• customer support
• merchant-account requirements.

Read the Merchant Advice Service guide to portable card machines for more information.

Card machines for small businesses

Small businesses can now choose from a wide range of card-payment options, from simple mobile readers through to traditional merchant-account and terminal arrangements.

The most appropriate option depends on factors such as transaction volume, average sale value, how customers pay and whether the business requires additional functionality.

Businesses comparing equipment can explore the Merchant Advice Service Card Machine guides.

What this case demonstrates

• Small businesses can have specific payment requirements. A straightforward-looking card-machine enquiry may still involve functionality such as MOTO payments.
• The way customers pay should guide the setup. Face-to-face, telephone and online transactions can require different payment functionality.
• Portability is only one consideration. Pricing, contracts, connectivity and merchant-account functionality also matter.
• Simple onboarding can be valuable. Small-business owners may benefit from having the setup process explained clearly.
• Provider selection should be requirement-led. Understanding what the business actually needs can help narrow the available card-machine options.

About Merchant Advice Service

Merchant Advice Service is an independent UK business-to-business payments information, comparison and provider-matching service founded by Libby James in 2016.

MAS helps businesses understand their payment requirements and identify payment providers or specialist partners that may be relevant to the way they operate.

Its areas of payments coverage include merchant accounts, card machines, payment gateways, ecommerce payments, payment-provider selection, switching providers, integrated payments, international payments, recurring payments, merchant finance and more complex payment requirements.

Merchant Advice Service is not an acquiring bank or payment processor and does not make final merchant-account underwriting decisions.

The MAS information, matching and introduction service is free to businesses. MAS may receive commission or a referral fee from some commercial partners where an introduction results in a completed product or account.

Read How Merchant Advice Service Works for more information about provider matching and the MAS commercial model.

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