Square has introduced two of its vertical-specific software solutions, Square for Retail and Square Appointments on Square Terminal to help retailers, beauty professionals, and other industries in Australia offer customers flexible, on-the-go checkout experiences.

According to Square research, more than half (51%) of sellers expect this year’s sales period to be busier than last year. With Square for Retail and Square Appointments on Square Terminal, businesses can serve customers at the counter, on the sales floor, in the chair, or by opening another checkout counter.

Western Australia-based clothing store, Mandurah Formalwear, was one of the first businesses to use Square for Retail on Terminal and is already seeing its impact.

“We sourced a Square Terminal when we first opened our business and loved how simple it was to setup. We process our retail sales and clothing hire fees and find the screen interface easy to use for all cards, phone taps and Afterpay too,” Mandurah Formalwear owner, Lisa Hayes said.

Square’s Future of Retail report found that staff shortages are leading to rapid tech acceleration, particularly automation tech that enables businesses to do more with less. More than four in five (84%) key decision-makers in retail surveyed are using or planning to use technology or automation to decrease staff members’ hands-on time and allow them to work on more valuable tasks.

With Square for Retail and Square Appointments on Square Terminal, sellers can offer instant and easy interactions with buyers from payments, returns, and exchanges to inventory management.

“The holiday season is not only one of the busiest times of year, but also a crucial period for a business’ bottom line,” Square head, Alyssa Henry said.

“By bringing Square for Retail and Square Appointments to Square Terminal just ahead of this critical time, sellers can access powerful integrations between software and hardware that gives them fast, efficient operations to increase sales and meet their customers’ needs, anywhere and anytime.”