It's not just hype. Small businesses have taken to mobile point of sale and are adopting the technology in increasing numbers. This is according to a new study from Constant Contact. The company surveyed small businesses and found that nearly one in five (18 percent) is running a mobile tablet-based point-of-sale solution for payments.

"It's encouraging that a majority of small businesses recognize that their customers are relying more than ever on their mobile devices to find information, look for deals, and even to make purchases," said Joel Hughes, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development for Constant Contact.

And small businesses aren't just relying on mobile devices to process payments either. The study found that nearly half of respondents (44 percent) use apps to manage accounting and invoicing.

The survey was done during March 2013 and included 1,305 participants in the Constant Contact Small Biz Council, a research panel of U.S. small businesses and nonprofits recruited from the Constant Contact customer base.

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