For years, tech evangelists have envisioned the dawn of the mobile wallet, and with the recent announcement of Apple Pay, it seems as though mass consumer adoption may finally be upon us. Big-name brands like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Target and McDonald’s have at long last made the decision to adopt this technology, convinced that Apple has the power to succeed where others — even the mighty Google — have failed.

And they may well be right. After all, as an endless array of pundits have lined up to tell us so over the last month, Apple wasn’t the first company to launch an MP3 player, but they were the first to drive mass adoption with the iPod.

So, how will Apple Pay play out?

The mass adoption of mobile payments — powered by Near Field Communication (NFC) technology — has always been a chicken-and-egg game. Consumers weren’t going to start using a mobile wallet until the majority of stores and restaurants accepted it. And merchants weren’t going to go to the trouble of installing NFC terminals until they saw a mass of consumers adopting mobile wallets. For a mobile wallet to be successful, both sides of the marketplace must be forced into action.

Nobody doubts Apple’s ability to drive consumer action — witness their difficulty even keeping enough iPhone 6 Plus models on the shelves — and that they have achieved buy-in from some significant national retailers, but the true test of Apple Pay’s success lies on Main Street, and that’s where Apple has timed its launch to perfection.

For a mobile wallet to really impact consumer behavior, its acceptance has to be ubiquitous — not just in the Targets and Macy’s of this world, but in our local bodegas, mom-and-pop shops, independent coffee shops and food trucks.

You might think these businesses are a less important slice of the pie than the big-box retailers, but you’d be wrong. At last count, small business accounted for around 54% of all U.S. sales. Without Main Street, Apple Pay would flounder.

And that’s where Apple’s timing comes into play. Traditionally, local merchants have been reluctant to switch from their electronic cash registers and PC-based POS systems, no matter how outdated they may have seemed. New technology was deemed an unnecessary and expensive luxury. That’s all about to change. Unbeknownst to many, small business owners are actually facing a major opportunity (or threat, depending on how you look at it) with the introduction of an entirely different technology, EMV.

Eurocard Mastercard Visa (EMV), already a widespread payment technology throughout the rest of the world, is about to replace the credit card magnetic strip we’re used to in America with a more secure chip. This technology has been around for a while but the U.S. market is now finally about to catch up. Why now? Simply stated: liability.

Starting in late 2015, liability for fraudulent credit card purchases will shift to the merchant, and not the card issuer, if that merchant’s point of sale system is not enabled for EMV payments. This is a huge change that could mean sizable financial repercussions for the average small business owner if they are targeted by fraudsters — and we’re already seeing a lot of merchants looking to upgrade their technology as a result.

So, small businesses find themselves faced with a “perfect storm” as both EMV and Apple Pay now press them to upgrade their point of sale. It’s always been clear that a mobile wallet would need small business adoption to really succeed, and it seems Apple has timed their new product to perfection.

Call it too much of a good thing for small retailers: Their stores are so busy that the checkout lines snake out the door, prompting some customers to leave without buying. Store owner Gordon Russell saw that happen each summer season at his In the Pink retail chain, which dots tourist destinations like Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. Last spring Russell took a page from Apple and turned his store associates into mobile cashiers.

The traditional checkout counters? Ripped out in all eight stores and replaced with racks of merchandise. Store clerks, armed with iPad minis, have become roaming fashion consultants who can pull up a customer’s history, check inventory at other stores, and ring up a sale moments after a customer steps out of the dressing room.

Four months after moving to mobile point of sale, the $10 million retailer witnessed a 23% jump in same-store sales compared with the same period a year prior. Says Russell: “We were able to serve more customers more quickly and let them get out the door and on with their day.”

Thanks to the low cost of iPads and new mobile-payment services like Square, more small retailers are doing the same. In fact, mom-and-pops lead the way when it comes to mobile checkout, accounting for 85% of the mobile point-of-sale systems installed in stores today, according to research firm IHL Group. IHL projects that in the next three years, mobile POS systems will replace up to 20% of existing systems in stores today. “It’s growing tremendously,” says Greg Buzek, IHL’s president.

There’s good reason: IHL contends that consumers spend 20% to 25% more when checking out with a clerk standing next to them than they do in a traditional across-the-counter transaction. Notes Buzek: “By standing side by side, you’re working on a problem together.”

Mobile checkout is cheaper, depending on how often you replace equipment. It can cost $6,000 to install a traditional system. By contrast, an iPad costs $400 to $700. (Both stationary and mobile systems require about $1,000 in annual costs for various software and maintenance.)

For rudimentary mobile checkout, apps like Square offer free card readers; they charge per transaction. For more robust cloud software that lets you see what is selling and what isn’t and individual buying patterns, services like Revel Systems, Lightspeed, and ShopKeep charge $49 to $79 a month, plus $669 to $3,000 for hardware such as a credit card reader, receipt printer, cash drawer, and an iPad stand. (Cloud software is cheaper for stationary systems: Retailers that use touchscreen devices and software can pay less than $50 a month.)

Russell of In the Pink is so enamored of mobile checkout that he started another company, Springboard Retail, that makes it available to other store owners. Smarter, cheaper, more mobile systems with real-time data in the cloud, he says, will give small retailers a big competitive advantage. Says Russell: “It’s huge.”

Food+Tech Connect and ShopKeep have teamed up to offer 25 full scholarships to The Power of Brand: Growing Your Restaurant boot camp, taught by former Union Square Hospitality Group CMO Felicia Stingone.

“In today’s increasingly competitive restaurant industry, I have seen firsthand how using brand as a business tool can help restaurants not only survive, but grow,” Stingone said in a news release. “Through this boot camp, I offer insider tips and tools for developing a brand framework to drive smarter, faster business decision-making, like whether to open a new restaurant, publish a cookbook or pursue licensing opportunities.”

Whether starting, growing or scaling a restaurant business, attendees of the program will learn how to use branding to strengthen operations, marketing and culture, the release said. The day includes conversations with industry insiders such as Danny Meyer, founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Richard Coraine, senior managing partner, Business Development and Consulting at Union Square Hospitality Group and others.

Danielle Gould, founder and CEO of Food+Tech Connect, said their objective is to “lower the barriers for success for food entrepreneurs” through online business courses.

To apply for one of the 25 scholarships ($399 value), applicants will need to share how they plan to use their new branding skills in “taking their business to the next level.” Applications are available at Food+Tech Connect and will be considered on a rolling basis through Nov. 7. The Power of Brand: Growing Your Restaurant will be held on Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in New York City.