TASQ Technology has entered the virtual world. In addition to providing POS equipment, inventory management, ATM sales and support, merchant software, along with leasing and rental programs, TASQ now offers Tasq.com, a Web merchant mall. Tasq.com was introduced at the ETA in August and ISOs can begin selling storefronts on Tasq.com today.
The goal of Tasq.com is to provide acquirers with an end to end solution to create virtual storefronts that provide a payment gateway for secure electronic transactions while also supporting the merchant and promoting their products. The site, located at http://www.tasq.com currently has 11 merchants live (including Bonney and Gordon, Hamiltonís Jewelers, and Music Empire) and has 90 more stores under construction.
Tasq.com is not just an opportunity for merchants to sell products. It is an opportunity for ISOs to earn increased profits by selling their merchants additional services. According to Jami Mandel, Vice President of Marketing, selling a merchant a Tasq.com storefront can be compared to leasing that merchant equipment. The equipment (the Web site) is available through the manufacturer (Tasq.com). No ISO/processor relationships or agreements need to be in place.
It Looks Good, What Can It Do?
A storefront at Tasq.com is not just a pretty picture and phone number posted on a static Web site. It is real-time, online payment processing at the click of the mouse. Some of the merchant benefits and ISO selling tools of Tasq.com include:
How Do I Get Started?
All a merchant needs in order to post their store on Tasq.com is Internet access, a browser, and an e-mail account. And, Tasq will even supply the e-mail account if necessary. If you have a merchant who has not ventured onto the information superhighway, donít worry. Tasq is in the process of negotiating discounted rates with national ISPs; pricing should be released in November. If an ISO doesnít have a PC, a laptop can be leased through Tasq.com. Laptop pricing will also be released in November.
Wait, Iím No Techie
Merchants with little or no Web experience donít need to panic. At Tasq.com, merchants get to build their own store easily with the Store Builder option, or they can elect to have Tasq.com build the store for them. The Store Builder allows merchants to install and configure their Web site by helping them itemize their products and present them in an organized fashion. Templates of layouts and colors enable merchants to design exactly how they wish their site to look. The store can be divided into as many departments as the merchant chooses and the program walks the merchant through a step by step process, including posting photos of the products. Any aspect of the site can be changed "on the fly" and in real time and merchants can preview their store as they build it.
Whoís Watching the Store?
After the store is set up, merchants can manage their store with Store Manager, Tasq.comís store administration feature. This is where Tasq.com differs from other Web malls: The merchant is the one who manages the site, not some faceless computer in another state that doesnít know what the merchant wants or more importantly, what the customers want. In the Store Manager area, merchants can add or edit departments, product descriptions, templates, and pictures, and see their change immediately in a preview window.
With the Promotion Manager merchants select certain products to promote for a specific period of time. They can later update the promotions by changing the values, dates, etc.
At the Merchant Resource Center merchants can see how many hits their site is getting by accessing online traffic reports. They can also visit the Electronic Market Manager which supplies information about search engines, registering domain names, as well as useful Web links.
Whoís Managing Payments?
Merchants are in control of their payments. With the Payment Manager they can review orders, process payments or returns, void transactions, post authorizations, and settle accounts. They can even research their sales by a variety of criteria, such as date, card type, order ID, amount of sale, and transaction status. This enables the merchant to void any incorrect transactions prior to closing the batch and when the merchant is finished reviewing the orders, he can settle for the day. A batch summary confirms the posting of transactions.
Can I Trust Them?
TASQ is so confident in Tasq.com that they are presenting it to their existing customer base. A company has to be pretty sure of its service to risk alienating established customers but Tasq.com is that sure of the product. They already have their call center services and skill based routing in place. They are committed to live up to the same standards they have for traditional terminal help desk and support: an average speed of less than 20 seconds for an answer and a less than 5 percent abandon rate.
Tasq.com is targeting real-world brick and mortar merchants and is not interested in selling direct to merchantsóthatís where ISOs come in.
When Do I Start?
ISOs can begin selling Tasq.com storefronts today, even to merchants who already have a Web presence. In fact, merchants who paid anywhere from $3,000 to $12,000 for Web site development without payment processing, can now have their site posted on Tasq.com for between $59 and $150 per month, depending on the number of products. This cost includes the e-commerce capabilities. And, there are no transaction feesóTasq.com is not trying to compete with the ISO for their profits.
To find out more about Tasq.com, you can obtain a free CD demo by calling (800) 827-8297. This CD can be used as a sales tool at the merchant location and, if additional copies are needed, Tasq.com will provide them at cost.
