Bitcoin is a fairly new form of digital currency that’s had some trouble catching on with a wider base of consumers. But that may be about to change in San Francisco thanks to a Bitcoin payment solutions provider called SnapCard.
Last week, SnapCard announced its month-long #IntegrateSF campaign, which will provide 500 San Francisco merchants with resources and incentives to accept Bitcoin payments.
Participating merchants will be given free tablet-based point-of-sale systems in November if they agree to take bitcoins. Businesses benefit greatly from modern POS systems, which allow them to reduce pricing errors and speed up transactions. Now, they’ll also expand currency options.
The merchants who sign on will also receive permanent free transaction services for participating in the program. SnapCard also plans to provide merchants with marketing support and promotional materials to get the word out to consumers and a bonus of $20 in bitcoins to people who refer merchants to SnapCard services.
By offering resources and incentives to adopt Bitcoin, SnapCard hopes to transform the San Francisco Bay area into the world center for digital currency. According to a blog post by SnapCard Operations Manager Jack Jia, San Francisco’s strong association with digital currency start-ups was one of the main factors for creating in integration campaign there.
“SnapCard is headquartered in San Francisco” he wrote, “And with thousands of local ‘bitcoiners’ and millions of international visitors flocking into San Francisco, we feel that starting locally is the best first step for us as we embark on a campaign to increase international awareness of digital currencies.”
SnapCard is also requesting that Bitcoin users and supporters shop at the businesses and share their experience on Twitter under the #IntegrateSF hashtag.
Since Bitcoin has yet to be widely adopted, many organizations like SnapCard are looking to nurture regions and neighborhoods into adopting the payment method on a local level. Both the Netherlands and Spain have launched similar programs, with varying degrees of success.