A UK tech firm behind a new payment innovation has said that the technology will ‘transform the life’ of hard-working construction workers.
The new GO! product from Grafterr will allow construction workers, sole traders, retailers, and tradespeople to take payments anywhere and anytime – for what the firm said will come at a ‘fraction’ of the cost associated with card readers and other point of sale systems.
Describing it as ‘transformative’ technology, Grafterr said it becomes one of the first apps in the UK to enable tap on phone payments, allowing users to accept payment on a smartphone without the need for additional card readers.
Andrew Gibbon, chief operating officer at Grafterr, said, “We are Grafterr by name, but our customers are grafters by nature. GO! will be a godsend for that army of hard-working entrepreneurs who put huge effort into making their businesses a success by running them from a smartphone.”
The tap on phone payments feature uses the NFC chip that’s already inside most modern phones. To date that has allowed phone owners to tap their device – for example at a supermarket till – to make a payment. Until now Grafterr said it has not been possible to accept a card payment directly to a smartphone.
The launch of GO! means even the smallest business or sole trader can now accept payment and process a transaction instantly, without the need for additional hardware.
Andrew Gibbon added, “GO! changes everything, both for our business as well as our customers. After months of research, planning and development, we’ve launched a product that truly delivers innovation and value to the market. Payment processing can be complicated, time-consuming and costly. We’ve delivered a product that simplifies it. By using GO!, anyone can begin taking payments using an app on their smartphone – no complicated paperwork, misleading transaction rates or expensive card readers.”
By eliminating the need to buy card readers, Grafterr said GO! also reduces start-up costs, while allowing users to begin transacting instantly. Since its beta launch in late 2022 the GO! app has attracted more than 1,500 users, processing over £1.5 million of revenue for SME users in the UK.
Grafterr was previously known as ePOS Hybrid and built its reputation in the hospitality market offering plug-and-play ePOS, payments, digital ordering and operations management tech, all specifically designed for food and beverage businesses.
The team behind Grafterr used those experiences to shape GO!, which offers utility and flexibility across any sector. As well as enabling tap on phone payments, it also allows users to accept payments remotely via SMS and email.
Bhas Kalanghi, founder and CEO at Grafterr, said, “We’ve invested heavily to create a product that can improve the daily operations for a huge range of workers and businesses. From artists to tutors, anyone who sells a product or service on a small or large scale can now be in complete control of their finances.
“It is the latest chapter of huge growth for us at Grafterr and it’s been a big part of our plans to step into industry agnostic solutions. The initial pick-up from testing and launch has reaffirmed our positive projections for GO! We can’t wait to see it support thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners across the globe.”
