Like at many chapels, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal sells candles. These are used by people who light a candle to accompany the prayers they offer up in this holy place, usually after donating some money on the honor system to pay for them.
At Fátima, they realize that a) people may not have cash on them and b) that they may want to take candles home as a memento from this holy place. So, in a juxtaposition of traditional and modern, the Shrine offers a QR code to allow people to charge candles to their credit cards. Now, instead of lighting one candle or forfeiting the ritual, people were walking out with armfuls of candles as souvenirs. No cash was needed to make an offering or to go shopping.
I’ll bet that the Shrine nets far more revenue with this approach but it benefits the visitors as well. It’s another example of meeting people where they are — and making it easier for them. Is there an aspect of your business that you could make self-service or change a process to facilitate transactions? If a century-old religious shrine can embrace technology and cashless payments, it’s likely you can, too.
