Square Extends Its Marketing Tools to Sellers in Canada As Markets ‘Return to a New Normal’

One of Square Inc.’s priorities these days is to sell its point-of-sale and online technology to merchants larger than the small shops it started with and still largely serves, but that doesn’t mean the San Francisco-based company is neglecting new opportunities with that small-merchant base. One such opening lies in automating the e-mail marketing function for sellers, and early Tuesday Square said it’s extending its new Square Marketing technology to its Canadian clients.

The technology, which lets sellers create, send, and measure results for promotions, discounts, coupons, and other campaigns, will be free to users through the end of the month, Square said. After that, Square’s pricing for Canada ranges from $20 per month for up to 500 contacts up to $45 per month for anywhere from 1,001 to 2,000 names. The middle tier carries a $30-per-month price tag.

Square figures merchants in Canada, like those in the United States and other markets where Square Marketing has already launched, are ready to stir up new business after more than 18 months of coping with the Covid pandemic and with holiday shopping pending. “After a challenging year and a half, we’re finally seeing a return to a new normal as we navigate new ways of doing business,” said Karisa Marra, business expert at Square Canada, in a statement. “With the busy holiday shopping season upon us, now is the perfect time for businesses to plan their sales strategy and reconnect with customers in meaningful ways.

Square positions the technology as a way for users to target, schedule, and send email promotions, and then measure the results on the Square Marketing Dashboard, including click-through rates, and determine purchases that can be credited to a specific promotion. Square says data from usage of Square Marketing in the U.S. market show that 78% of coupons and discounts sent in August were redeemed within seven days.

Still, the migration to larger sellers has been evident among Square’s existing seller base globally for some time. Merchants with half a million dollars or more in annual processing volume accounted for 37% of Square’s total volume of $41.7 billion in the third quarter, up from 31% a year ago and from 28% in the same period in 2019.

That movement upmarket has been felt in Canada, where Square in September launched its Square Register technology, which is aimed at larger sellers.