Data & Analytics

Bentonville, Ark. -- One-in-three microbusiness owners (31%) depend more on a second job for their personal income than they do on their business, yet 69% say owning their business is the ideal job. In collaboration with Gallup, Sam’s Club has unveiled a new quarterly tracking poll focused on America’s smallest businesses, or microbusinesses, with five or fewer workers.

Minneapolis – All lawsuits relating to the 2013 data breach at Target Corp. will be consolidated before a single court in Minnesota. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has assigned all data breach suits to be heard by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in Minnesota.

Former Office Depot executive Monica Luechtefeld has joined the board of e-commerce solutions provider PFSweb.

Luechetfeld spent 20 years at Office Depot serving in a variety of leadership roles in the areas of e-commerce, supply chain, information technology, marketing and business development. She left Office Depot in 2012 after holding senior roles such as EVP of European e-commerce, EVP of e-commerce and digital marketing and founded her own consulting firm. Luechetfeld was also a founding member of the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org organization.

The American Red Cross has enhanced its ability to respond to disasters with support from Dell to open a new digital operations center in north Texas.

The Red Cross embraced social media in a big way in 2012 when it became apparent that Twitter, Facebook and other digital communication methods were the first place people turn when disasters strike. The relief organization opened the Red Cross Digital Operations Center roughly two years ago in Washington, D.C. with support from Dell and now the two are working together to open the north Texas location.

Michael Manos has joined payments security provider First Data as chief technology officer after holding a similar role at AOL.

In his new role, Manos will be responsible for First Data's global technology infrastructure and reports to company president Guy Chiarello.

There were a lot of developments in the world of data security last week with a judge agreeing to consolidate lawsuits related to the Target data breach in a Minnesota court, more hearings in Washington, D.C. and troubling research about consumers sharing personal data on public Wi-Fi.

The shift toward electronic payments has had the unintended consequence of hindering shoppers’ ability to donate to charitable causes at the point of sale, but not anymore.

New York -- Consumers worldwide are increasingly using multi-platform devices, especially mobile, to enhance their in-store shopping experience, according to a study by global digital and technology agency DigitasLBi.

In the study, "Connected Commerce: A Snapshot of the Modern Shopper,” 71% of Americans say that using a mobile phone while shopping inside a store could affect their buying decisions.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples is letting the public help determine the top three winners of its “Make Your Idea Happen” contest, which allowed entrepreneurs to share their ideas for a chance to receive all the products they need to bring their business to life. The retailer received more than 16,000 entries online and via Facebook.

The contest was announced in early January, and entrants were asked to submit a 100 word or less overview of their idea. Staples narrowed the submissions down to 10 finalists.

San Jose, Calif. -- VeriFone Systems announced today that five devices in its PAYware Mobile line of EMV- enabled mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) devices have been approved by the Visa Ready Program. The program is designed to ensure that devices, software and solutions used to initiate or accept Visa payments are compatible with Visa’s requirements.
 
By adopting PAYware Mobile devices that are Visa Ready approved, merchants enjoy the benefits of secure electronic payment acceptance from virtually any location.