Eftpos is a must in retail - and this seafood market gets rewarded just for using it
Notaras Fish MarketsOpens in a new tab or window in Sydney’s Cronulla earns Qantas Points for every customer transaction made through the EFTPOS facilities provided by Live Payments, a payment solutions provider. “Nearly everything’s on a card these days,” says co-owner Damian Notaras.
Why did you choose a Live Payments device?
It was referred to me by a friend. When he told me you get points when people use cards in your establishment, I said, “Really?” Now people come in, they spend and we receive points. Also, our Live Payments representative goes out of his way to be helpful. He emails you back straight away and calls you every few weeks to check everything’s alright. He’s a really nice guy.
How do you use the points earned from customer transactions?
We travel to Queensland and Victoria to touch base with suppliers. Sometimes we’ll take staff – we have 20 to 30 staff depending on the time of year – and it’s a real treat for them. My brother [Peter] and father [John, the founder of Notaras Fish Markets] co-own the business and we’re very hands-on – we serve, we cook if we have to.
How has business changed for Notaras Fish Markets since COVID-19?
It hasn’t been easy, but we've been operating for over 20 years, and we knew that if we worked together and adapt to the changes quickly, we would pull through and be able to serve our customers who were doing it just as tough as us.
We switched the focus of our marketing communications to help combat any confusion and fear, to provide real-time, accurate updates to our customers. As policy changed across the country (sometimes daily), we made sure we constantly updated our customers via social media and our website.
We also worked with third party delivery apps like Deliveroo and Uber Eats to increase our menu options and provided free tips to our customers via social media on how to cook their own food safely. Our hygiene policy has always been stringent, however, we implemented new distancing procedures to ensure the safety of customers still visiting our premises.
We were actually in the process of opening a new location in Alexandria pre-COVID-19 which we have decided to still go aheaad with, although given the circumstances it’s not ideal. However we hope the people of the inner city and eastern suburbs love our seafood as much as Sydney’s south. We’re proudly family owned and operated and we are grateful to our team for sticking with us through COVID-19. We’re excited to see businesses begin to return to normality and see our customers smile again.
Is it hard working in a family business?
Like any small business, if you take your foot off the accelerator, then sometimes you can fall behind. But we have very good staff and if I’m not working, my brother looks after everything. My dad, who’s 63 and very old-school, comes to work every day.
How did Notaras Fish Markets start?
We’ve been in this business more than 30 years. My dad came to Australia from Kythira, south of Athens, when he was 10, got a job packing seafood for a man from the same village and opened shops with his brothers out west. We’ve been by the seaside for 15 years now and when it rains, it’s hard because not as many people come. But the area is changing and developing a lot. And the more that happens, the more people come in.
Points Hacks
1. Generous Earning
Because custom for seafood is seasonal and weather-related, Notaras can earn 20,000 Qantas Points or sometimes more than 60,000 points a month, depending on the time of the year. The business has earned more than a million points through its Live Payments device.
2. Brilliant Bonus
Notaras loves the reliability of Live Payments, which ensures his business is always operational. “To see your statement and know all these points are coming in is just a bonus.”
3. So Many Rewards
The business uses points for flights but is now considering using them for Qantas Wine. “Lately I’ve been looking at that, thinking, ‘Maybe I’ll start using points here’,” says Notaras. “Wine is our biggest expense!”
Important information
*A business must be a Qantas Business Rewards Member to earn Qantas Points for business. A one-off join fee of $89.50 including GST normally applies, however this will be waived for Live Payments customers that join here. Membership and Qantas Points are subject to the Qantas Business Rewards Terms and Conditions. Qantas Points for business are offered under the Live Payments Terms and Conditions. Live Payments black; members will earn 1 Qantas Point for every $1 transacted (including GST) via the Live Payments black Merchant facility for Visa, Mastercard and Debit (EFTPOS) transactions. Members will earn 0.5 Qantas Points for every $1 transacted (including GST) via the Live Payments black Merchant facility for American Express transactions. Live Payments gold; members will earn 1 Qantas Point for every $2 transacted (including GST) via the Live Payments gold Merchant facility for Visa, Mastercard and Debit (EFTPOS) transactions. Members will earn 1 Qantas Point for every $4 transacted (including GST) via the Live Payments gold Merchant facility for American Express transactions. Live Payments green; members will earn 1 Qantas Point for every $25 transacted (including GST) via the Live Payments Merchant facility for Visa, MasterCard, Debit (EFTPOS) and American Express transactions. Qantas Points will be credited to the Members’ Business Rewards account within 60 days of receiving your End of Month Merchant Statement from Live Payments. Qantas Points cannot be retrospectively claimed for existing customers and can only be earned once Live Payments has been provided with the merchant’s Qantas Business Reward number. Any claims in relation to Qantas Points under this offer must be made directly to Live Payments by calling 1300 780 788 or emailing support@livepayments.com.au
Qantas would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the local lands and waterways on which we live, work and fly. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.