Cigar Store
Since time immemorial, people have either chewed or smoked tobacco as a sacrament or a way to relax. The first recorded use of smoking tobacco rolled into a “cigar” is attributed by historians to the ancient Mayans. It would seem, from their artwork, that they would wrap tobacco in a plantain leaf and smoke it ceremonially. Further north, Native Americans would burn tobacco in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. It was not an uncommon sight to see tobacco inhaled via pipe during important meetings. When Christopher Columbus returned from the New World, he brought tobacco back with him, bringing Europeans into the fold. Back in the Americas, Cuba, and parts of South America emerged as tobacco-growing powerhouses, as their warm, fertile climates were conducive to producing that smooth and pungent smoke loved the world over.
There are a variety of factors one must consider if one wants to start a cigar store besides purchasing the coveted walk-in humidor. High-end cigars, as well as more accessible brands, both must be stocked. Being that most cigar smokers are men, their aesthetic and sensory preferences must be considered. Cigar stores also tend to be social spaces where people can hang out after a long day and puff to their heart’s content, telling stories or discussing business. The decision as to whether alcohol will be served is also a factor, as everyone knows nothing goes with a cigar quite like a good brandy. Cigar store payments are typically handled through on-premise software or software-as-a-service (SaaS). These systems also act as a point of sale and provide inventory management. Since product is constantly revolving in and out of the store, keeping track of it is essential. Should an online sales component emerge, the cigar store payments be integrated with a website shopping cart.
Payment Integrator has a variety of solutions to make sure your cigar business doesn’t go up in smoke. We have industry-leading payment processing solutions that can be deployed into your existing on-premise sales software or SaaS platform. We can also provide traditional stand-alone point-of-sale devices to accept credit or debit cards with a swipe, dip, or a tap. All of Payment Integrator’s solutions are customer-specific and operate in a secure, PCI compliant, P2PE tokenized environment. Our payment processing integrations facilitate ACH payments, credit card and debit card payments as well as e-wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
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