I was in Somerset at the weekend, grabbing some R&R with Ryan and the dogs.
The place we stayed in was a Cheddar village in the shadow of the beautiful Cheddar Gorge, and it really was postcard perfect – artsy shops, 16th century pubs and cute little cottages.
Our cottage was outside the village, but close enough for us to walk in for a pub dinner each evening.
Being dog owners, the list of potential eateries was trimmed down by the ones that were canine-friendly, which meant we had four on the list.
We visited three of them, but never bought anything from the fourth, despite it looking every bit our cup of tea.
So why didn’t we visit?
Simple, they only took cash, and we never had any.
Sure, we could have gone to get some cash from an ATM, but with other pubs available that allowed card payments, we just never bothered.
My feeling is that we won’t be alone – after all, how many of us actually carry enough cash for dinner and a round of drinks anymore?
The truth is that this pub hasn’t moved with the times, and by forcing their customers to operate on their old-fashioned terms, they’re turning away good money.
Maybe you don’t run a pub, or maybe you do accept card, but there’s a learn for all of us here:
Are you moving with the times when it comes to technology?
Are people able to transact with you in the way that suits them best?
Can they get quotes from you online? Can they find your information and call you with just two clicks of a button? Is all the information they need to know about your business freely available on the internet?
If not, the chances you’re a bit like the cash-only pub, missing out on transactions because of your refusal to embrace changing consumer habits.
Tash
