Samsung

London – Moms with kids younger than 18 are known to be discerning, and only two retailers made the list of top 10 best perceived brands among these special ladies. According to the latest Brand Index from market research firm YouGov, Amazon.com ranked number two with a score of 58.8, Skechers came in at number eight at 48.1, and Samsung nabbed the number 10 spot at 47.7.

New York -- Sears Holdings Corp. is hoping to spark a turnaround in its struggling Hometown and Outlet Stores division with a 51-store refresh program that starts with seven stores in Arizona.

The store refresh includes a new product assortment, redesigned merchandising, new fixtures & signage, and comprehensive employee training, among other changes.

Facebook has become the latest tech powerhouse to get into the payments game by adding a feature to its Messenger app that lets users send money the same way they would a send text.

The news follows similar moves by Apple, Samsung and Google, all of whom announced new payment offerings over the past few months.

Just in time for spring’s college basketball showdown, Hhgregg is offering a winning deal to customers who shop in-store or online.

The retailer is offering zero down and no-interest financing until January 2018 on qualifying purchases from now until March 28.

Digital payment gains slow, steady traction

On the heels of Samsung’s announcement that it would roll out Samsung Pay in the United States this summer, PayPal has announced it is buying mobile wallet technology startup Paydiant.

Paydiant technology powers payment apps for such retail brands as Subway and Harris Teeter supermarkets. But its most notable retail client is the merchant consortium MCX, which is developing an in-store payment app (widely viewed as an alternative to Apple Pay) called CurrentC. Walmart, Best Buy and Sears Holdings Corp. are part of MCX.

New York -- It takes a scorecard these days to keep up with the fast-moving mobile payments industry. On the heels of Samsung’s announcement that it would roll out Samsung Pay in the United States this summer, PayPal announced it is buying mobile wallet technology start-up Paydiant.

Barcelona -- Samsung Electronics Co. added new fire to the mobile payment market and its competition with Apple, unveiling two new flagship Galaxy smartphones and a mobile payments system in partnership with MasterCard.

Samsung Electronics Co. has thrown another hat into the mobile payment ring with its recent smartphone launch.

The company has unveiled two new flagship Galaxy smartphones and a mobile payments system in partnership with MasterCard. The new Samsung Pay will enable MasterCard cardholders to use their new Samsung Galaxy S6 phones for everyday in-store purchases. (Both phones will ship with the technology built-in.)

San Francisco – The mobile payment market continues to heat up. On the heels of Samsung’s news that it will acquire mobile payment firm LoopPay, Visa Inc. announced it is expanding its online payment service, Visa Checkout. The financial services giant said the digital checkout service, which launched in three markets in summer 2014, will be available in a total of 16 markets by the end of 2015.