Square introduces the next generation of Square Stand

By Edlyn Cardoza

Recently, Square unveiled the next generation of Square Stand, the company’s iconic countertop device that turns an iPad into a powerful, robust point of sale system that sellers can use to run their entire business. The device features integrated contactless and chip + PIN payments technology, a sleek, professional design, and a new checkout flow that provides businesses and their customers with a more intuitive, transparent, and streamlined commerce experience.

The reimagined Stand offers businesses the most affordable, comprehensive, and easy-to-use device for conducting commerce. It combines the Company’s point of sale software and hardware into one complete solution, enabling sellers to take in-person payments and manage e-commerce sales, deliveries, and click-and-collect orders from a single place. Retaining the classic swivel design of its predecessor, the new Stand now integrates Square’s lightning-fast contactless and chip card readers into the display, helping sellers simplify their countertops and keep their queues moving while eliminating the need for additional payments hardware. With contactless and chip + PIN payments making up 85% of global cashless hardware transactions on the Company’s platform in 2021, these new capabilities help sellers accept now-standard payments. 

The new Stand also transforms the buyer experience. New software for the devices creates a faster, more transparent checkout process that includes an order summary screen, a secure PIN interface and illuminated payment icons on the face of the device to guide customer transactions and speed up purchases. These additions provide sellers and shoppers with the benefits of a customer display without the need for a second screen. 

“Finding the right POS is always tricky”, said Iain Alcott, Co-Founder of Franklin’s Wine Bar in Notting Hill – one of the first businesses to test the new stand. “Our challenge was to find a solution that manages all the moving parts of our business in one place, until we found Square. We’ve been using Square point of sale and terminals across our venues and gradually added products like Square Loyalty across our channels as we’ve grown. The new Square Stand helps us continue this integrated approach to selling by helping us to easily manage sales online while providing a clear and sleek in-store checkout experience for both our staff and customers.”

“The way businesses and shoppers interact around the world has evolved exponentially in the time since we first launched our original Square Stand,” said Alyssa Henry, Head of Square. “The new Stand was built with the future of commerce in mind. Marrying elegant design with powerful software, Square Stand provides sellers of any size, from boutique retailers to multi-location restaurants, with a versatile command center for their business. Square Stand offers sellers an integrated way to meet the purchasing preferences of today’s consumers.”

As the Company’s innovative ecosystem of solutions has grown, so has Square Stand’s ability to serve sellers as a singular device to manage all of their operations. In addition to supporting all of Square’s vertical point of sale offerings, including Square for Restaurants, Square for Retail, and Square Appointments, sellers can use Square Stand for all their employee management needs, including time tracking and shift scheduling and tip management. Additional solutions like marketing, loyalty, inventory, and omnichannel commerce tools are readily available from the next-gen device. 

Introduced in 2013, the original Square Stand was a transformational iPad point of sale system, giving merchants a way to take payments and access business insights and analytics, all from one place. It remains popular amongst sellers of all sizes and serves as a common entry point for new businesses joining the Company’s ecosystem: nearly 60% of Stand purchases in the UK are by merchants new to Square. 

The new device will be available to order from June 2022 from the Company and at participating retailers. Starting at £99 +VAT, Square Stand is compatible with the iPad (2019, 2020, 2021), iPad Air (2019), and iPad Pro 10.5”. Sellers pay one flat rate for every contactless or chip + PIN transaction, with no hidden fees or long-term contracts and free access to the Square POS app.