Singles Day and Holiday Readiness (updated)

Last year, as we turned the corner on Halloween, we noted the growing popularity of “Singles Day,” that online shopping extravaganza that has become…

If Even Buskers Take Cards — Shouldn’t You?

A sweet holiday-themed news item comes our way from overseas, and not only is it too good not to share, but it may be a harbinger of things to come: Cards, and contactless and e-payments will increasingly be taken in places where no one ever expected…

Payments Need Safe Holiday Travels, Too!

As you may have seen in last week’s newsletter, we mentioned that in addition to the holiday revelry, and holiday sales, your business is enjoying, you’ll also want to be careful of a potential uptick in fraud and hackery in your business’ databases and Point-of-Sale devices.

“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 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.

May You Live in Pinterest-ing Times: Social media and Holiday Shopping

Yes, we’re barely past Labor Day, and it’s already time to think of your customers’ shopping habits as the holiday season approaches. Indeed, you may have been thinking about such things before the last 4th of July sparkler was lit.

….And Yet, M-Commerce — and M-Everything — Is Still On the Rise!

The headline is a direct follow up to last week’s blog post, which concerned one merchant’s unfortunate overreaction to “showrooming,” that mobile-device enabled method of seeing a product “live” in a store, then turning to a handy screen to see if you can get it for a better price.