HOW SAMSUNG IS EMPOWERING CANADIAN SMALL BUSINESSES

Small Business Canada

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Samsung Canada
Jennifer Safruk
Samsung Canada

As Vice President of Mobile Sales and Product Management for Samsung Canada’s mobile division, Jennifer Safruk is a veteran technology and mobile communications executive with extensive experience at some of the world’s largest technology companies.

Jennifer is responsible for overseeing the mobile sales and product management teams for Samsung Canada, including the company’s integral relationships with carriers and retailers.

Prior to joining Samsung, she spent more than three years as Vice President at HTC working in Canada and the U.S., oversaw North American Sales for Symphony Teleca, and was instrumental to launch of Palm’s WebOS. Jennifer began her mobile career with Openwave in Canada in the early days of the industry, where she helped launch the first WAP gateway and location-based services in Canada.

Jennifer earned a Master’s degree in Political Science from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.


Samsung Electronics Canada has just announced the launch of Samsung POS (Point of Sale) and that it will be exclusive to Canada only. What does this mean for Canada’s SME industry?

At Samsung, we recognize that small businesses and entrepreneurs need simple, convenient and accessible payment solutions. In an increasingly digital age where people are moving away from cash transactions, Samsung POS allows merchants to accept debit or credit payments through their Samsung Galaxy NFC enabled devices without the hassle or expenses of additional hardware.

While Samsung POS has first been made available in Canada, there are plans to roll out the service to other countries in 2020.


What is the biggest benefit of Samsung POS for SME owners? How will it benefit the success of their business?

There are over one million micro-merchants and small businesses across Canada who rely on accessible and affordable payment acceptance solutions.

Convenient payment systems are a critical ingredient in scaling up small businesses. We aim to drive increased revenue opportunities for these businesses through Samsung POS. It’s a seamless way for vendors to receive digital payments on the spot.

The reality is small business owners and budding entrepreneurs need to be able to provide a convenient payment solution for their customers in order to grow. Samsung POS works for their needs, by providing an accessible, highly secure, low-cost and easy-to-use mobile payment acceptance solution

What was the inspiration behind the launch of Samsung POS? What are some of the issues it hopes to solve for entrepreneurs?

Samsung has Samsung Pay for consumers and we wanted to deliver the same level of convenience for micro-merchants. The reality is small business owners and budding entrepreneurs need to be able to provide a convenient payment solution for their customers in order to grow. Samsung POS works for their needs, by providing an accessible, highly secure, low-cost and easy-to-use mobile payment acceptance solution. Beyond transactional capabilities, Samsung POS also allows merchants to send customer receipts via email, access real-time sales data, provide sales history, and create multiple staff accounts. The sales solution has been piloted in Canada for the past several months by Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. and has been downloaded over 10,000 times.


In your expert opinion, what is the biggest challenge small businesses face when it comes to Mobile Payment Solutions?

Convenience is a critical component for both small businesses and consumers in terms of mobile payment solutions. Today’s consumers demand quick, convenient and secure payment options, and merchants are subsequently tasked with providing this. Understanding this relationship was a key consideration for the design and launch of Samsung POS.


What sets Samsung POS apart from other similar services? What advantage does it provide for merchants and consumers?

Unlike competitors, Samsung POS does not include monthly or hidden fees. The only costs associated with our payment solution are low per-transaction rates. More so, Samsung POS integrates seamlessly with users’ existing Samsung Galaxy NFC enabled devices.

Merchants and small business owners don’t need to invest in additional hardware and can use the application after a simple in-app account set up.

Samsung POS also provides more flexibility for consumers. Today Canadians pay with their digital wallets, credit cards, and debit cards; it’s rare for a consumer to be carrying around a $20 bill. People need simple, quick and convenient payment options to suit their fast-paced lifestyles.

Data breach and fraud are among the biggest concerns for business owners and consumers when it comes to payment solutions. How does Samsung ensure the security of its new app to protect customer privacy?

At Samsung, maintaining privacy and securing user data is one of our core priorities. Samsung POS is PCI-DSS certified, ensuring that transactions are processed in accordance with the highest security standards, harnessing the security of Samsung KNOX – a defense-grade security system – on all supported Samsung smartphones.


There’s a lot of competition in the tech industry. What are some of the strategies and initiatives that Samsung is implementing in order to stay competitive in the global market?

At Samsung, we pursue relentless self-innovation. We are constantly learning about our customers’ needs – as businesses, consumers, or tech enthusiasts – and looking for innovative ways to improve their lives with Samsung offerings.
Samsung POS is a fantastic example of how Samsung is continuously pushing boundaries, while Knox is a testimony to our dedication to providing customers with 24/7 peace-of-mind. Other 2019 innovations include Galaxy Fold — Canada’s first foldable device — which will be available nationwide this December.

“Connecting Living and we are investing heavily across all aspects of the AI and 5G universe – from mobile devices to network technology – to create a more connected future.”


What are some of the services and products that Samsung offers to business owners to help them succeed?

Samsung constantly looks for ways to provide convenient business solutions to consumers. Samsung phones, tablets, and wearables are made for the way employees work today, including mobile productivity features, defense-grade security, and a seamless device ecosystem.

Samsung offers a diverse portfolio of business products designed to boost employee productivity, improve customer engagement and simplify IT management. Other in-market offerings include: Samsung DeX — a platform that extends your smartphone into a desktop computing experience; entrepreneurial bundles – new product bundles for SME business owners, including items such as a Galaxy Note10, monitor and wireless charging hub; and Samsung’s recent partnership with Microsoft, allowing Galaxy users to seamlessly integrate with Microsoft’s full suite of productivity tools, such as Link for Windows.


How has the advancement and progress of technology impacted Samsung? What strategies does Samsung use to stay ahead of the new technologies?

Along with challenging our internal team to become leaders in world-class innovation, Samsung stays on the cutting edge of technology by listening to our consumers and anticipating their needs to ensure we’re delivering products that truly resonate.

Critical to this is the consistent involvement of developers. Samsung actively supports the developer community with several incentive programs, such as our annual Developer Conference, SDC, and by offering open developer tools to enhance the overall mobile ecosystem.

AI and 5G are other key components of our vision for “Connecting Living” and we are investing heavily across all aspects of the AI and 5G universe – from mobile devices to network technology – to create a more connected future. 5G will now not only put the power of fiber in your pocket, but also in your car, home, office and city. It will connect millions of devices and equipment to enable the Internet of Things on a mass scale – and we’re excited to be driving that innovation.


On a final note, what are some of the future projects that Samsung has planned for Canadian SMEs?

At Samsung, we continue working to better serve the small business community. On a macro level, we are actively building toward a 5G future, working with all major carriers and telecom partners to put the power of 5G directly into consumer’s hands; this will have an incredible impact on consumers and SMEs alike.

Other projects include transaction solutions — such as Samsung POS and Samsung Pay — and evolving our mobile product ecosystem to help users better manage their day-to-day lives and businesses. Our growing line up of Wearables is also continuing to bring an added level of productivity and convenience for business owners who want to do it all.

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CanadianSME
With an aim to contribute to the development of Canada’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s), Cmarketing Inc is a potential marketing agency and a boutique business management company progressing rapidly in its scope. By acknowledging a firm reliance of the Canadian economy over its SMEs, the agency has resolved to launch a magazine, the pure focus of which will be the furtherance of Canadian SMEs, and to assist their progress with the scheduled token of enlightenment via the magazine’s pertinent content.
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