PayPal Launches iZettle Food & Drink In The UK

PayPal has launched its iZettle Food & Drink app, the point of sale (POS) platform for iOS to support food and drinks service in the U.K.

The app was crafted to support the hospitality industry including restaurants, cafes and pubs for a fast and easy way to pay the check.

England’s food and drink sector was one of the hardest hit by lockdowns. Sales fell by 87 percent from April through June. It is estimated the industry lost nearly 30 billion pounds ($39.3 billion).

The iZettle Food & Drink debut in PayPal promises a simplified POS solution designed to provide hospitality businesses with ways to operate and grow their business. The intuitive product offers a smooth checkout and easy for staff to use, the company said.

“Contactless and remote payments are now essential for any business; iZettle Food & Drink provides us with an easy and reliable solution along with the business insights needed to navigate our new normal,” said Shaun McCarron, co-owner of The Little Chartroom restaurant in Edinburgh, in a statement.

The remote payments app allows merchants to charge customers by sending a payment link via SMS, Whatsapp, email or social media.

The feature can be used to adjust any change in the tax rate charged on food and non-alcoholic beverages. The iZettle Food & Drink app will also enable merchants to manage orders in one place, from dining rooms to take-out.
“Given today’s environment, businesses of all sizes need to be more agile to meet increasing customer and technology demands, while having the flexibility to run their business by taking sales across multiple channels, including online, in app and in-store,” said iZettle CEO Jacob de Geer in a statement. “We developed this product so merchants could better service customers, whilst ensuring they have the tools they need to grow.”

The product is free for the first 90 days for merchants that sign up by Sept. 30. After that merchants will be charged £29 pounds ($38.52) per month per iOS device.

In July, de Geer told PYMNTS the pandemic revealed just how resilient the small- and medium-sized business (SMB) community is as entrepreneurs raced to digitize, develop ways to make money and find solutions to what could have been crushing roadblocks to their business. FinTech partners, he said, have become key allies to helping SMBs.

“We will look back at this time as a tipping point where digital payments, both offline and online, became an essential element of our lives, hastening the demise of cash and forcing a reimagination of commerce, retailing and payments systems,” de Geer said.