Omnichannel

New York – An overwhelming majority (79%) of shoppers say they shop at their favorite retailers/brands because they trust the brand, according to a survey of 15,000 online shoppers by the PwC US Retail & Consumer practice.  In other survey findings, 37% of U.S. shoppers do not use their smartphone for shopping because of security concerns, and 61% noted deals and promotions as the reason for following a brand’s social media site.

New York -- PayPal and Samsung on Monday announced a collaboration that will make Samsung Galaxy S5 users the first to be able to log in and shop at any merchant that accepts PayPal on mobile and in-stores with only their fingerprint.

The new secure, biometric feature, available in April, means Galaxy S5 users will no longer need to remember passwords or login details across millions of PayPal merchants. PayPal will be the first global payments company to support Samsung’s mobile fingerprint authentication technology.

Ebates, the owner and operator of the world's most rewarding shopping programs, has appointed Yen Lee as SVP of corporate development.

London  -- ECommera, a provider of Big Data and omni-channel commerce solutions for retailers, has completed a $41 million Series C funding round. Dawn Capital led the round together with investors West Coast Capital, Frog Capital, EPlanet Capital, WPP and new partner Wti.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- HP is releasing a Windows 8.1 tablet-based POS solution designed to make it easy for small business retailers to effectively manage their business and cut operating costs. The HP TX1 POS solution provides the ability to run essential POS applications and popular productivity applications.

Dillard’s CEO William T. Dillard II voiced disappointment in the retailer’s gross margin performance despite what he called a profitable fourth quarter. Although comparable sales grew 2%, the retailer said lower-than-anticipated sales necessitated heavy markdowns.

Recent news that Starbucks will soon start offering a feature on its Square payment app that automatically prompts customers to leave a tip for appropriate purchases and also calculates “basic,” “better” and “best” tip amounts serves as a reminder of the three rules of modern CRM. Automate, automate, automate.

New York -- MasterCard has unveiled MasterPass in-app payments, designed to enable consumers to make secure purchases within a mobile app. The solution eliminates the need to store payment card credentials across numerous mobile apps, providing consumers with a fast and simple payment experience.  

MasterPass in-app payments will be made available to developers and merchants beginning in the second quarter of this year.