Predictive Analytics

A new study from Juniper Research has found that the increased rollout of contactless payment services using fingerprint scanners will push the number of biometrically authenticated transactions to nearly 5 billion by 2019, up from less than 130 million this year.

The research observed that at present, only two services, Apple Pay and Samsung, used fingerprint scanners for authentication, with availability currently limited to the U.S. and U.K. for the former, and the U.S. and South Korea for the latter.

E-commerce and payment solutions provider First Data is in a new partnership with a financial services company led by a PayPal co-founder that is said to increase average order values by as much at 80%, and conversion rates by more than 20%.

Purchases made via Facebook advertisements are more frequently occurring via mobile device.

According to new data released by the Facebook IQ marketing insights division, three in 10 purchase conversions from Facebook ads between January and May 2015 took place on a mobile device (24% on a phone, 6% on a tablet). During that same period, the frequency of mobile purchases increased 35%, according to Facebook IQ’s latest internal analysis.

Purchases made via Facebook advertisements are more frequently occurring via mobile device.

According to new data released by the Facebook IQ marketing insights division, three in 10 purchase conversions from Facebook ads between January and May 2015 took place on a mobile device (24% on a phone, 6% on a tablet). During that same period, the frequency of mobile purchases increased 35%, according to Facebook IQ’s latest internal analysis.

FedEx says a big boost in online shopping will propel its business between Black Friday and Christmas Eve at least 12.4% above 2014 levels.

FedEx expects the holiday period to include three shipment volume spikes: Cyber Monday and the first two Mondays in December.

The company said it was adding 55,000 employees for the holidays to handle the increased demand.

As omnichannel and e-commerce-only stores have exploded in popularity, delivery timescales and costs have become a key differentiator for retailers. In parallel, advancements in supply chain technology created new opportunities for retailers to make more informed decisions about shipping operations to protect and increase margins.

Mall owner Westfield Corporation has created a new big data and analytics unit and made a key hire to oversee the important function.

Westfield named Raghav Lal as its new chief data and analytics officer to lead a newly established big data and analytics group that will be responsible for conceptualizing, developing and deploying the company’s data strategy. The move is a significant hiring investment to centralize the company’s wealth of data effectively, efficiently and safely for its customers and retailers alike, Westfield said in a statement.

One of the nation’s largest mall operators is updating its parking lot lighting with a tech-savvy solution.

Amid a slew of news from Target HQ on Monday, the retailer also announced that, as part of the White House’s Climate Pledge, it would be working toward eight new sustainability commitments. The company has had success so far when it comes to sustainability, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 9% since 2012 and eliminating more than half a million metric tons of carbon dioxide from its buildings.

The commitments are for the company to achieve the following benchmarks by 2020:

Mobile devices are becoming the norm for every facet of consumers’ lives, including shopping.

According to a new infographic from membership-based retailer DirectBuy, 29% of U.S. adults describe their smartphone as something they can’t live without, 44% sleep with a smartphone by their bed to avoid missing notifications, and 67% check smartphones for notifications even without receiving some type of notification.