POS and Retail

In the emerging ecosystem economy, merchants will need to provide a seamless buying journey for customers. That means everything from a dynamic user interface and smart authentication to contactless payment options for faster transaction times, writes Paul Perry, a contributor for the technology company Relay.

Once Apple looked at the state of its existing ecosystem, it identified a space it could uniquely deliver on, and activated the partners needed to make it come to fruition — a perfect example of the concept of ecosystem enablement, argues Frank Kenney, director of market strategy for Cleo.

U.S. lawmakers are not enthusiastic about the cashless trend being driven by the likes of Amazon Go, sweetgreen, and numerous other merchants of all sizes.

The U.K. prepaid gift card market is experiencing strong growth among consumers who buy them as gifts and for self-use, as well as among businesses that purchase them for customer loyalty programs and as employee incentives.

The scope of customer experience spans multiple products and services that comprise the merchant technology and payment service ecosystems, according to Paul Perry, a contributor for the technology company Relay.

As more U.S. e-commerce merchants look to accept cross-border payments, they must contend with payment processes that are less straightforward than they are used to — but which consumers have come to expect.

Traditional loyalty programs provide customers with tangible benefits, such as a free item with purchase or a reward for return visits. But these are limited in reach, argues James Roedding, vice president of product and data Rewards Network.

The U.S. Supreme Court turned away an appeal by Amazon.com Inc.’s Zappos unit, letting a lawsuit proceed over a 2012 hack that exposed the personal information of 24 million customers.

Before we can advertise the security benefits of digital wallets, we have to address their vulnerabilities, writes Jared McClure, co-founder and COO of CrayPay.

Attracting surprisingly technology-savvy older consumers is a lucrative—and surprisingly easy—goal for online retailers, as long as payments fraud protection is solid and understantable, argues Monica Eaton-Cardone, co-founder and CEO of Chargebacks911.

Google's ambitious new gaming platform, Stadia, could fundamentally change the way people make purchases online, according to Daniel Wolfe, editor in chief of PaymentsSource.

However, before we put all of our eggs in the blockchain basket, we need to examine whether the technology is ready to protect merchants from chargebacks and fraud, contends Suresh Dakshina, president of Chargeback Gurus.

In the era of digital transformation, it can be easy to mistake activity for achievement. A disciplined approach is needed, writes Tim VanTassel, a vice president at FICO.

Legislation banning shops from refusing to accept cash has moved swiftly this year. But this trend is running head-on against retail models like Amazon Go, which are built from the ground up to operate without cash.

The companies could bring something new, such as merchant acquiring to community banks, but their merger could also cause anxiety about giant vendors.

An initiative by Visa and Lloyds doesn't go far enough and is counterintuitive to the card network's move to reduce cash, argues Mark Horwedel, a strategic consultant to CMSPI.

A proactive and preventive security strategy will go a long way to building consumer trust and ensuring continued loyalty, writes Maria Allen, global head of financial services for Unisys.

A focused approach on product standards and social responsibility can help build healthy relationships with Gen Z shoppers, who will, in turn, promote products to their family, friends and followers, writes Steve Davidson, vice president of warranty products at Fortegra.

Our annual Most Influential Women in Payments feature, now in its seventh year, highlights the women who are creating change and opportunities in the payments industry. For the first time, the editors of PaymentsSource have also recognized one woman for lifetime achievement.

First Data’s transformation over the past few years has involved much more than transaction automation, and has relied heavily on the creativity and ingenuity of executives such as Mia Shernoff.