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By Team McRales 26 Mar, 2024
Experience seamless sales, unrivaled support, and mobile mastery when you upgrade your Square Online Store with Ecwid. Our latest blog post at McRales.com explores the transformative benefits of integrating Square with Ecwid. Discover how to sync your offline and online sales effortlessly, tap into six hours of expert web design assistance, and captivate your customers with a fully-branded mobile shopping experience. Elevate your e-commerce platform today with McRales—where technology meets tailor-made solutions. Read our insightful guide to push your online business ahead of the curve.
FAQ Graphic
25 Aug, 2021
FAQs (short for frequently asked questions) help your business stay organized and allow customers to find information easily online, rather than having to call or visit your store/office to get the information they need. Your website design company should recommend that you create an FAQ page as part of your digital marketing strategy. If you haven’t created an FAQ page on your website yet, here are some tips on how to do it right and get the most out of it. What is a FAQ? A frequently asked question, or FAQ, is exactly what it sounds like: an answer people might commonly ask about a specific topic. If you are running a business and selling something online, there’s no better way to quell customer concerns than with an easily accessible list of frequently asked questions. They should be short and sweet — just enough info that someone with limited knowledge of your product can grasp its uses quickly and easily. 
Join us online
13 Aug, 2021
According to the CDC, about 26% of adults in the United States have some type of disability. That’s 61 million people. And if your site isn’t accessible to them, then you could be leaving a lot of money on the table.
Client Spotlight: Hilltop Pharmacy
By Team McRales 08 Apr, 2021
impacted by the pandemic, Lavella learned about the GOGO Program through the Hilltop Alliance. She applied and was paired with McRales’ Amy McCarthy Morales and Joe Morales as her web design consultants. The plan was to...
The Truth About Credit Processing Rates
By Team McRales 18 Sep, 2020
What the banks don't want you to know.
Merchant Card Processing Rates Demystified
By Team McRales 18 Sep, 2020
So now that we agree no one has a special deal with the credit card companies, it's time to talk pricing structures. This is the one aspect of this industry that is purposefully made to be difficult to understand—in my humble opinion. Three points to keep in mind before we start: To keep things as simple as possible, I'm going to assume the merchant processor is charging you only a set percentage (ignoring per-item fees and any other add-ons). Any interchange fees I mention are taken from this document, published by Visa. The rates I use are examples and are not representative of the exact minimum and maximum of interchange. They are used only to make an example. There are several ways merchant services can be priced: the flat rate, one flat rate + surcharge; a three-level pricing structure; or a flat rate above cost. The flat rate : Made popular by companies like Square. I don’t purport to know everything, but on this one I can guess. From my experience in a standard retail, approximately 80% of all transactions at cost will fall in a range between 0.05% + $0.21 to 1.65% + $0.10. So if you're being charged a flat rate at 2.5% + 10¢ for swiped and chip cards, then the margin is approximately between 2.45% + $0.21 and 0.85%. In more concrete terms for every $100 you pay between $2.66 and $0.85. Convenient yes but is it really cost effective? One flat rate + surcharge: You, the merchant, are given 1.68% as your rate. A customer comes in with a credit card that, according to Visa, is priced at cost: 2.95%. That sale will then be charged 1.68%, plus the cost difference, plus an extra margin [1.68% + (2.95% -1.68%) + margin]. The margin is your merchant services provider's "cut" of the sale. Three-tiered rate (sometimes called qualified, mid-qualified, or non-qualified): You, the merchant, are quoted three rates: 1.68% as your qualified rate, 2.14% as your mid-qualified rate, and 3.4% as your non-qualified rate. Think about these as low, medium, and high rates. If your customer hands you a card that Visa deems cheaper than the 1.68% rate, then you will be charged 1.68%. If another customer hands you a card that Visa deems equal to or greater than 1.68% but less than 2.14%, you will be charged 2.14%. As you might expect, if your customer hands you a card that is 2.14% or greater, you will be charged the 3.4%. Low, Medium, High. A flat rate above cost (sometimes called interchange plus pricing): This is the simplest pricing to understand. Say the processing company quoted you 0.2% + interchange. You are charged cost for any and all cards your customers hand you, and then your processor takes an extra 0.2% above cost. The best way to determine which pricing structure is best for your business is to find a merchant processor who's not afraid to educate you. (Keep in mind that you can never predict exactly what card your customers will present at the point of payment.) Be as specific as possible when discussing rates and possibilities. If your merchant processor is too vague or speaks in generalities and is unwilling to show you interchange, think of him or her as the equivalent of a used car salesman trying to sell you a clunker. Until next time, JLM
7 Essential tools for Any Startup
By Team McRales 16 Sep, 2019
Marketing and Small Businesses
Business Loans 101
By Team McRales 16 Sep, 2019
We've all seen the ads and heard the commercials. "Lowest interest rates! Easy financing! Yada, yada, yada..." Everyone from big banks to the small brokers make this claim, and we're fooled into thinking that rates are the most important thing to look for in a business loan. But what's the real story? With 15 years in the banking industry, I've thought a lot about the best ways fro small businesses to approach getting a loan.
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