The holy month of Ramadan is a significant time in Qatar, with people observing fasting and dedicating themselves to prayer and charity. For businesses, especially those in the retail industry, Ramadan is a time of increased sales and revenue. With more people shopping during festivals like these, businesses need a reliable and secure payment solution to make the shopping experience seamless for their customers. 

However, collecting payments during this period can be challenging, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. This is where Sadad Payment Solutions can help. Sadad Payment Solutions offers a comprehensive suite of digital payment solutions that can address the challenges faced during this time. Some of the most common challenges faced by both online and offline retailers during the festive season include the following-

1. Long queues at payment counters: During Ramadan, there is an increase in foot traffic at retail stores and businesses, leading to long lines at payment counters. These long queues can result in frustrated customers who may abandon their purchases altogether, leading to lost business sales opportunities.
2. Limited payment options: Many businesses may only accept cash payments, which can be inconvenient for customers who prefer to pay using credit or debit cards or other digital payment methods. The inconvenience can again lead to lost sales opportunities, as customers may shop at businesses offering a wider range of payment options.
3. Delayed payments due to banks being closed for extended periods: During Ramadan, banks may operate on reduced schedules or be closed altogether on certain days. This can result in delayed business payments, leading to cash flow issues and difficulties in managing finances.
4. Inefficient invoicing processes: Businesses may struggle with inefficient invoicing processes, leading to delayed payments and errors in payment reconciliation. This can result in frustrated customers and difficulties in managing finances for businesses.

In addition, resource crunches in managing finance and accounting may lead to delays in payment reconciliation and other financial processes. These challenges can result in lost sales opportunities and difficulties in operating cash flow for businesses. Read on to discover how businesses in different industries can leverage our solutions.

• Booking Industry

Businesses in the booking industry face unique challenges during Ramadan when accepting payments. Fortunately, Sadad offers a variety of solutions that cater to this industry, particularly for those in the cultural event, dramas, and adventurous sports ticket bookings, as well as hotels that cater to group gatherings. Sadad’s payment gateway is ideal for businesses needing payment in advance. With our ready reckon SDKs and APIs, businesses can seamlessly integrate our payment gateway into their websites and mobile apps for these bookings. 

As many people travel to different parts of the world during Ramadan, businesses that offer flight tickets, hotel bookings, and travel packages can receive payments through Sadad’s payment gateway. This allows them to cater to a global audience, provide hassle-free and secure customer transactions, and ensure the company receives payments upfront.

Another key benefit for those hotels offering stay packages is that those customers who own a credit card can use payment authorisation during check-in by tapping their credit card. With authorisation, the amount is frozen in the credit card and during check-out, the payment will be fully settled with a single tap. This relieves service providers of getting their charges paid while also helping customers enjoy their stay without carrying the full amount in cash while checking in. Moreover, no advance payment is required in this case, further helping those in the hotel industry to get more bookings as no money needs to be paid by customers immediately while checking in.

• Food Businesses

During the holy month of Ramadan, food businesses experience a surge in demand for their products and services. To cater to this demand, many restaurants, cafes, and late-night delivery services can benefit from Sadad’s payment solutions as we offer various payment options to enhance the overall customer experience. One of the most popular payment solutions for food businesses is POS machines. Our POS devices allow for on-the-spot payments, making it easy for customers to pay for their orders quickly and efficiently when many customers need to be catered to. 

It also ensures that the cash flow is managed well during festive times with more demand than usual. By using Sadad’s smart mini POS device, businesses can accept payments from customers through multiple modes, including debit and credit cards, ApplePay, and GooglePay.

Furthermore, managing payments manually can lead to human errors during busy times, such as restaurant customer rush hours. To address this, businesses can use Sadad’s Point-of-Sale (POS) solution to accept payments for food orders. This makes it easier to ensure that all payments are accepted and eliminates the need for manual management. Additionally, businesses can use Sadad’s smart mini POS during delivery to accept digital payments from customers. Even if the customer prefers to pay online, the restaurant owner can send an invoice link for them to pay through our invoice link generator.

Moreover, restaurants can use Sadad’s payment gateway to offer their customers the option to order food online through their app or website and pay securely through multiple payment methods. In addition to this, Sadad’s payment solutions are not limited to restaurants and cafes. Late-night delivery services, such as groceries or other essential items. By utilising Sadad’s payment solutions, businesses can focus on their core operations, taking more orders and ensuring their customers are satisfied.

• Charitable Trusts

During Ramadan, many Muslims focus on charitable giving as an essential aspect of the holy month. As such, charities that rely on donations can benefit from using Sadad’s payment solutions. A mosque or Islamic centre can benefit significantly from Sadad’s payment solutions during Ramadan. Through Sadad’s payment gateway, they can easily accept donations from community members, including those not in Qatar and those who still visit mosques or charity stores in person. 

With Sadad’s invoice payment link, charity trusts can send a private invoice link in the donor’s name, allowing them to transfer payments through credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay in a single click. Additionally, food banks or non-profit organisations providing necessities to the needy can easily collect donations using Sadad’s POS machine, even by setting up stalls in places like malls and other events with high footfall. The records are maintained without a worry in their Sadad merchant account, helping to keep the donation records in one place. 

In conclusion, Sadad’s payment solutions can be valuable for businesses and charitable organisations during Ramadan. By collecting payments through various digital modes and managing payment reconciliation, organisations can streamline their operations and focus on their core mission of giving back to the community. With Sadad’s merchant panel reporting features, it becomes quite easy to track payment transactions and manage finances effectively.

• Retail Shop Owners

During Ramadan, retail shopping becomes highly popular, especially with the festive season offers and promotions. Various types of retail businesses can take advantage of Sadad’s payment solutions by offering customers multiple payment options. This allows them to cater to customers who prefer to shop at any time of the day, including late-night visitors. Our solutions are all-encompassing and ensure that you can accept payments through the customer’s preferred method, be it for telephone orders, WhatsApp orders, through website/application or in-person purchases. For example, in hypermarkets and supermarkets, customers can use Sadad’s POS to pay for groceries at the checkout counter. In contrast, in clothing stores and leather bag shops, customers can place orders online and pay through Sadad’s payment gateway. 

Similarly, perfume & cosmetics shops and electronics showrooms can provide customers the option to pay through their website/app during the online checkout process by integrating the Sadad payment gateway into their website. For costly goods like high-end electronics, the business can accept partial payment during the order via our POS machine. At the same time, they can collect the remaining amount in person via our mini POS machine or our invoice link generator. In addition, businesses that offer home delivery services can accept payments from their customers upon delivery, making it convenient for customers who prefer not to avoid carrying cash.

Conclusion

Sadad Payment Solutions provides a range of payment options for businesses to collect payments during the busy Ramadan festival. Sadad offers a variety of solutions that cater for businesses across industries and sizes, including our payment gateway, online store link, POS machine, e-invoicing, and online appointment bookings. Sadad’s solutions can help businesses overcome the challenges of collecting payments during this time and increase their sales. By utilising Sadad’s payment solutions, companies can focus on providing excellent customer service while Sadad takes care of the payment & bookkeeping processes. Increase your revenue and enhance customer satisfaction during the festive season with Sadad. Get in touch with us today to know more.