Square Paints a Bullish Picture for its Canadian Expansion

Square's growth in Canada is "exceeding expectations," the mobile card acceptance company announced late April 30.

Square, which offers mobile card readers, reported gross payment volume over its first six months in Canada was 90% higher per capita than in the U.S. at the equivalent point in the company's history.

Square did not offer other performance metrics, and did not immediately return a request for comment by deadline. Square included the growth numbers in its announcement of Square Register features that allow expanded inventory capabilities, transaction tracking, and checkout flow for merchants. Square Register is the free app that business can use to accept in-store payments.

Canada is Square's first market outside the U.S.  Though Canadian merchants accept EMV-chip cards, Square's readers are not EMV compliant.  Square's rivals in Canada include Intuit GoPayment, which offers an EMV version of its reader.

Square, which has built its brand by offering payment acceptance on smartphones and tablets, is positioning Square Register as a way to serve larger merchants than those that typically use its technology.

"Since we now can track the items we're selling, we can manage our inventory levels and pinpoint exactly which days we are busiest," said Cherie Grassa, co-owner of Hairspray N' Gloss, a Toronto-based merchant quoted by Square in a press release.

Square is also making other attempts to expand its client base. It recently introduced new payments tech for restaurants, and offers a product bundle for larger merchants. Last year, Square inked a processing deal with Starbucks, though the coffee giant is not using Square's hardware. Starbucks has also reported issues with training staff on the use of Square's technology.