What is a payment link?
A payment link is the way to sell online through a link. This means that, through a link like any other website, you can receive a payment online without the need to have your own website. This is a great opportunity for all businesses that do not need/want a website because of the responsibility and work involved in keeping it updated, but do want to sell online. To do this, having personalized payment links that are sent directly to customers or shared through social networks, opens a huge range of possibilities to receive payments online.
Selling online is easier when you have a tool that, besides allowing you to publish and sell services online, also offers the easiest way to share those services: sending a payment link. Uelz, as an online payment management platform, offers this option as its main payment method because its advantages and opportunities for online businesses are endless.
Pay by link, why should you charge by payment link?
The so-called "pay by link" is a growing trend for online merchants because it facilitates the online shopping experience for customers. It is a fast, secure and easy payment tool for customers to use with any payment method offered by Uelz (card, SEPA direct debit, mobile...).
Mobile payment is also one of the fastest growing methods of payment, so sending a payment link geared towards mobile payment is also a reason to start using the link as an online payment method. In addition, it is another way to accept payments from payment methods that users have on their devices, which makes every purchase more accessible. Furthermore, they can also be customized to the point of getting unique links that you can activate and deactivate whenever you want. Or, on the contrary, keep active to accept purchases on the same link.
The customer chooses when to make the payment and in what way with the options offered. The most common way to make a payment is card payment, but more and more, customers are demanding new ways of payment that are faster and more convenient.
Advantages of selling with a payment link
Charging with a payment link presents many advantages, both for the clients and for the business that receives the payments. It is essential to find tools that guarantee the best experience for both, and the payment link is the right one for this. Some of the benefits of selling with a payment link are:
- It is a proprietary sales channel for any business that does not have a website (or does not need one) but wants to sell online.
- Sales can be initiated from any online communication channel (social media, email, direct messages etc.).
- It works with any payment method (debit or credit card, SEPA Direct Debit, mobile payment or installments).
- Its speed is perfect for one-time payments, but it’s also very useful for recurring payments or subscriptions.
- Checkout customized to the company, which reinforces its reliability and integrates it into the business flow without friction.
Ways to use a payment link
Once you have a payment link for your service, there are many ways to share it with customers and get paid online. Either by more social media such as Instagram or more traditional means such as the classic SMS message. The direct way to use it is to copy and paste the link on the chosen platform or channel. It's as simple as that.
The options are so diverse that more than one will suit your business and, of course, your customers. It's important not to lose the focus of sharing a payment link: make the buying process simple for customers, so choosing the communication channel they actually use is the way to go.
Send a payment link via WhatsApp
The main communication channel today is the instant messaging application WhatsApp. It is true that there has already been talk of a new functionality that integrates payments into the platform itself, but it’s not accessible for all devices. WhatsApp payment is possible in a very simple way, by sending a payment link directly through the chat. If your business has a personal relationship with your customers using this communication channel, it will be very easy to send them the payment link to their phone. Once they click on the link, they will access from their cell phone directly to the checkout of the purchase. You can also create exclusive offers or promotions for your contacts.
Send a payment link Email
When customer communication is more automated or in bulk, it is common to send emails. Thus, sending payment links by email can be another option when it comes to activating your online payments. From the mobile or computer it is very easy to access a link and open it in a browser, from which they will also enter the checkout.
Share a payment link via social media
So-called "social selling" promotes social media selling as the main sales platform. The most commonly used for this purpose are Instagram and Facebook. Both have functionalities aimed at this, but they are not always suitable for all types of businesses, nor do they allow selling to those who do not have a website. Selling through social media can also be done in different ways depending on the platform chosen or the number of services being sold.
The most common ways to do it is through publications by copying and pasting the link in the body text of the posts or linking to them, through DMs (direct messages) with users interested in buying or by leaving a link posted in the profile biography. The latter can be done in a timely manner with the different unique links of each service or by creating a home page with Linktree, a particularly useful option when you do not have a website where all the active links of the business will be collected.
Send a payment link via SMS
Sending a payment link is also possible with more traditional methods of communication.The classic SMS is very useful for communicating with clients in a more official manner, or for those who don’t have social media. From a text message, a payment link can be sent in the same way, which will open in the browser and allow the customer to enter their payment details. There are tools that automate the sending of this kind of messages to customer databases, which can facilitate the task.
How do you create a payment link?
Creating a payment link with Uelz is very simple, because it is automatically generated every time a service is published. To start you need to access the Services section, create a new one with plan details that you prefer (one-time payment or subscription, frequency of payment etc.) and lastly, publish it. Once it is public, the link will be generated automatically and you can copy it and paste it as many times as necessary. When you copy it you will be able to use it in the way you have chosen (send it by message or email, share it via social networks...). In summary:
- Create a service and assign a payment plan.
- Publish it.
- The payment link is generated automatically.
- Copy and share the payment link.
- The customer will receive a payment link and will have access to the checkout where they can enter their payment details.
