News

EMV is here, sort of
The highly anticipated EMV deadline of October 1 has come and gone, leaving many retailers and payment solutions providers to ponder what’s next?

As of Oct. 1, 2015, any U.S. retailer that does not have the necessary POS hardware, software, and operational and network protocols in place to process an EMV-compliant chip card transaction faces a shift in fraud liability.
Closing the 'intimacy gap'
Most of us don’t know our customers.

Picture the shopper who walks into a store. They’re blank canvases with no visible history, and that means there’s no easy way for sales associates to shape what happens in the next 10, 20 or 30 minutes, before they walk back out the door.

Visa: It’s the chip, not the PIN

As chip-based EMV cards become the payment norm for retailers, Visa continues to assert that PINs and even signatures are unnecessary security measures in a rapidly evolving payments landscape.

In a conference call, Visa executives explained why the company is taking the view that not only is PIN verification not a major concern, but neither is obtaining the customer’s signature.
YouTube shows new sales potential

Videos just became more valuable to retailers. YouTube is releasing Shopping ads, a new advertising format that lets viewers click and buy products directly from videos.
Lionel roars into omnichannel

Lionel LLC has been making and selling model trains for 115 years, but that doesn’t mean the company is behind the times. Lionel is using NetSuite NetCommerce to run its end-to-end omnichannel commerce business.

The implementation, which only took four months, powers the company’s consumer-facing e-commerce websites for its Lionel Trains and Lionel Racing brands, call center, inventory management, order management, marketing, customer support and financials.
Want it now? Social media can help

Social media has evolved into a powerful marketing tool for retailers. But so far, social commerce is not yet a major transactional channel.

Twitter is the latest social platform to attempt to take advantage of social media’s immediacy to offer direct purchase functionality aimed at impulse shoppers.
Study: Holidays may be merry, but not mobile

Consumers may make merry during the upcoming holiday season, but mobile devices may be less a part of the action than retailers like.

According to a new survey from marketing automation platform provider Bronto Software, only 19% of holiday shoppers plan to purchase from a tablet, and 22% from a smartphone.

Consumers will use mobile devices to search for the best deal: 65% will look for promotions and coupons, 63% will check prices on that store's website and 61% will search for lower prices at another store or site.
Publix pledges $4 million to Habitat for Humanity

After a new donation pledge from Publix Super Markets, the international nonprofit Habitat for Humanity will be able to build 40 new houses in 2016 in the Southeast, where Publix serves all of its customers.

The $4 million donation, announced Monday, will go to more than 80 different Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Retailer Spotlight: Q&A with Marty Hanaka, CEO, City Sports

A change at the top has given new energy to Boston-based specialty retailer City Sports. In July, the company tapped veteran retail executive Marty Hanaka as CEO. He replaced Edward Albertian, who resigned in June.
Target kicks off the holiday price wars

The competition for retailers selling online just got a lot more intense with a new price-match policy from Target just ahead of the prime holiday shopping season.

Beginning Oct. 1, Target will price-match the websites of 29 major retailers in stores and for purchases from their website.
Costco readies expansion ahead of holidays

A strong dollar and tumbling gas prices made Costco’s fourth quarter sales results seem weak. They weren’t and now the company plans to open 12 more clubs before year end.
Study: Payment card issuers throw in their chips

As the Oct. 1 fraud liability shift for EMV-compliant chip cards looms, payment card issuers appear ready for the change.

According to a new study from the electronic payments industry group Payment Security Task Force (PST), the eight financial institutions that belong to the PST reported that 30% of their U.S. consumer credit and debit cards contain EMV chips as of June 30.