We take a brief break from the general cheeriness of our holiday reportage. If you haven’t seen it, PBS’ “Nova” — the science reporting show — had an article on their website from one of their contributors about how his identity was hacked, and used in an attempt to run up credit card charges.
Category: AVP Solutions News and Events
Black Friday Down, Yet Cyber Monday Sets Record
There are a lot of interesting tea leaves — perhaps that’s peppermint tea, in the spirit of the season — to be read as the data comes in from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, that stretch of time formerly known as “Thanksgiving Weekend.
The 12 Ways of Christmas
It’s a short holiday week, and we wanted to get the blogging in before it was time to address the stuffing!
If you’re on the merchant side of the equation, it’s also a “short” holiday season, due to Thanksgiving coming later in November than usual. So there’s even more expectation — frenzy? — around the official “Black Friday kickoff” sales. Not only for customers, but for merchants as well.
First Data’s Data Points to Stronger Holiday Season
An analysis from the First Data Corporation shows a discernible uptick in consumer spending in the period heading right into the holiday season — namely, the month of October. For that four-week period, their “SpendTrend” analysis tracked “same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.”
Ways to Not Leave $100 Billion on the Table — POS Devices for Tablets & Smartphones
We were struck by a CNBC article appearing this week, with the provocative headline, “Cash-only Business Owners Risk $100 Billion Mistake.” The article notes that “As American consumers begin to embrace tap-and-pay smartphone apps, relegating plastic to a deep recess in the pocketbook or wallet, more than half of U.S. small business owners continue to live in the past—forget mobile apps, they don’t take American Express, or anything other than cash.”
After the Shutdown: Holiday Budgets Trimmed, Consumers Still Willing to Shop
Like the Boy Scouts, we believe in being prepared. Especially now that the U.S. is once again funding its government and paying its debts, and people are free, relatively, to go about their business. Part of that preparation may include anticipating how much business you can now expect from customers this holiday season.
“Mobile” Ambivalence: Consumers Want Ease of Use, Payment Options
Some interesting stats and trend-lines are emerging from a recently discussed Forrester Research study on Smartphone-based sales in the coming years. The data notes that Smartphone-based retail numbers will hit $12 billion in 2013, all the way up to $31 billion in 2017. Those are exciting numbers, but it’s worth noting that the 2013 figure actually represents just 5% of current e-commerce sales, and the 2017 number clocks in at 9%.
“The Other Big Trend I’d Really Highlight Is The Move From Cash to Debit”
That may be the most germane quote — the “takeaway” if you will — from an interview that Nitin Sumangali did regarding MasterCard Global Insights’ recent white paper on consumer spending habits and whether they’re still in a “recession mindset.”
The Fed Wants You to Help Make Payments Better
The Fed — that quasi-accountable Federal banking system that sets our interest rates, and determines how much cash liquidity we should all be awash in — now wants your help. Or at least, they want your comments.
