Payment processing service ProPay recently launched its MicroSecure Card Reader, targeted toward direct sellers.
The card reader encrypts the credit or debit card information at the time of swipe and stores it in coded form for later processing. The information also can be transmitted and processed real-time through ProPay’s secure virtual terminal from any Internet-connected PC.
The device is primarily aimed at the door-to-door, small and home-based merchants who accept credit and debit card payments in face-to-face transactions, ProPay president and CEO Gary Goodrich said.
Market research shows that more than 6.9 million small and mobile merchants run credit and debit card transactions, he said. Since its recent launch, about 2,000 of the card readers have been sold to businesses such as home party consultants, mobile service providers, charities and door-to-door salespeople.
The device is currently available on the company’s Web site, and is being marketed primarily word of mouth. The company plans to use SEO tactics and some online advertising in coming months to market the product, Goodrich said.
