At MasterCard Worldwide, we refer to businesses such as quick service restaurants, entertainment providers, dry cleaners and others as "small ticket" industries. However, the only thing small about a small-ticket business is the average customer purchase compared to other businesses. The business challenges are just as great – if not greater – than for many larger-ticket retailers and service businesses.

You are challenged to reduce your costs and improve productivity in order to maintain profitability. And perhaps most importantly, you must constantly deliver the high level of customer service today's consumers demand.

• Studies show incremental sales when customers use payment cards for purchases. In the quick service restaurant industry, the average credit card sale is 30% to 80% higher than the average cash sale.
• You receive payment faster than with cheques – usually within 24 to 72 hours.
• You can deliver better service to your customers, providing faster checkout, rapid authorisation and by offering a choice of payment options.
• Card acceptance is safer than cash or cheques. You'll have less cash on hand, thereby potentially reducing the risk of theft and pilferage.
• Customer loyalty will increase, since customers are more likely to return to a business that offers various payment options.
• Reducing the number of cheques you take in diminishes the cost of cheque processing and the likelihood of problems from accepting cheques.

• Customers aren't limited to cash on hand. They can take advantage of special offers, or make additional purchases and keep their cash for other purposes.
• Customers can speed through the checkout process. With today's technology, debit card transactions are normally processed as fast as cash and faster than cheques.
• Customers will appreciate the convenience and flexibility of being offered a variety of payment options.
• Many customers feel safer if they don't have to carry a lot of cash.
• Some customers may elect to pay with a card to support their participation in a reward programme.
• Card statements help your customers keep track of their spending for household budgeting.