ShopKeep, the cloud-based small business technology provider trusted by more than 10,000 small business owners to manage retail shops and restaurants with iPads, today announced that it is strengthening the security of its product with the release of an NFC for Apple Pay enabled card reader. 

This new card reader brings the latest advancement in U.S. payment technology to thousands of merchants. It also provides merchants and consumers with an added layer of security because of the two-factor authentication needed for EMV smart card payments (chip and pin) and contactless payments, such as Apple Pay (biometrics and tokenization).

“From the day ShopKeep was launched, we offered our merchants card readers with point-to-point encryption to safeguard against hackers capturing, counterfeiting, and selling their customers’ payment data,” says Norm Merritt, president and co-CEO of ShopKeep. “We pride ourselves on supporting small business owners in their quest to be successful, and that includes security. Apple Pay and EMV represent the future of the payment industry and we are strengthening our commitment to keeping merchants ahead of the curve.

Security is always a top priority for ShopKeep, and the company’s current card reader already securely accepts payment card data using point-to-point encryption. 

ShopKeep continuously upgrades its system to ensure that its customers have the latest features to run an effective, smarter business. With Apple’s release of Apple Pay this month, ShopKeep is ensuring that merchants will have the support and tools they need to accept any form of payment their customers choose.

In addition, with EMV compliance becoming mandatory next year, the liability for fraudulent credit card transactions will shift to the merchants. ShopKeep’s new card reader will safeguard business owners against this potential risk and other secure transaction vulnerabilities. 

This new device enables merchants to accept the very latest payment methods and further increases the security of each transaction at the point of sale.

This new card reader will be available for purchase beginning in November 2014.