Square announces new developer tools - APIs and an SDK

Digital payment company Square has announced three new developer tools.

The company announced the new tools at its fifth annual partner and developer conference, Square Unboxed.

Developers can now build on top of Square Online for the first time with early access to its long-awaited Snippets API for Square Online.

Snippets API is the first API built on top of Square Online, and will enable developers to create plugins to help sellers create new online experiences. The ability to build extensions for Square Online was one of the most requested developer features over the past year due to the growth of online selling.

Square says that by combining Snippets API with other Square APIs, developers can now create new and interactive ways for sellers to engage with customers, which they say will enable added security to initial sales, build long-term loyalty, and increase conversion rates.

Social proof marketing platform Fomo says it's used the Snippets API to display unobtrusive customer interaction notifications on elements such as purchases, reviews, and live traffic.

"We help our users build trust and urgency with prospective shoppers by showing that other customers are engaging with the online store in real-time, just like the online equivalent to a busy store," says Fomo CEO, Hideko Tachibana.

"Square Online sellers can easily embed Fomo with just one click, without needing to touch any code. From a technical perspective, the Snippets API was straightforward and easy to use, and our devs were able to get a working solution in just a couple of hours.

Squares head of eCommerce David Rusenko, says omnichannel payments were a recurring theme at the conference, he says Squares online growth has been especially strong in the past year, achieving more than x2 growth in active sellers each quarter since the beginning of 2020.

During the conference Square also announced the general availability of its Web Payments SDK and Loyalty API, two new tools that it says help to optimise and extend the benefits of online selling.

The new Loyalty API enables developers to leverage Square Loyalty rewards programs, for an omnichannel loyalty experience for Square sellers. While the Web Payments SDK provides a customisable online payment platform that can be integrated into an eCommerce site. The SDK supports multiple payment methods including ACH bank payments, which will be important as Square continues to serve larger sellers.

Squares head of partner management, Gabriella Hernandez, says the partner initiatives have grown rapidly in recent years. She says that since 2018, the number of 90-day active developers building solutions for sellers on Squares platform has grown more than 30% annually, and that Square also saw nearly 50% annual growth since 2018 in seller adoption of partner solutions.