News

Following a successful pilot of authenticating mobile transactions with facial photos and fingerprint biometrics in 2015, MasterCard is bringing the new technology mainstream.

Dubbed “selfie pay” and initially tested with employees of First Tech Federal Union in summer and fall 2015, the solution is delivered via a special MasterCard app that lets customers take a photo each time they make an online purchase. They are required to blink during the photo to prove it is being taken live.

Dublin, Ohio -- Crawford Hoying announced that they have completed two leases totaling 18,900 sq. ft. of retail space in its Bridge Park development for The RAM Restaurant & Brewery (The RAM) and Mesh Fitness.

Slidell, La. -- Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties announced new tenants and updates to Phase II of Fremaux Town Center in Slidell, Louisiana.

Newly signed tenants include: Books-A-Million, moving from its current location at Northshore Square Mall, will occupy 7,500 sq. ft. and is expected to open on March 3; Five Below will occupy a 8,024 sq. ft. space and is expected to open April 6; Allure Nail Spa, and LensCrafters are opening spring of 2016.

A brand best known for its whimsical neckties and smiling pink whale logo is opening a flagship in the Big Apple.

Vineyard Vines will open a 6,000-sq.-st. store in Grand Central Station. The company is also slated to open stores at Somerset Collection, Troy, Michigan, in early May, at Hyde Park in Tampa, Florida, in August, and at Stanford Town Center in mid-March and The Village of Corte Madera in mid-June (with the latter two locations in California).

South Korean electronics giant Samsung on Monday opened what it calls a “consumer technology playground” in the trendy Meatpacking District of Manhattan.

Named for its address, 837 Washington Street, the 55,000-sq.-ft. Samsung 837 is packed with eye-popping features, from a three-story array of televisions made up of 96 Samsung 55-inch TVs to a truly futuristic, fully-immersive virtual reality experience. There is also a café, art gallery and theater.

It’s not going to be so easy for the 11 million-plus active members of Starbuck Corp.’s loyalty program to earn freebies.

Starting in mid-April, the coffee giant is making a change in its “My Starbucks Rewards” loyalty program whereby members will earn points, or “stars,” based on the dollars spent on the purchase. Currently, customers earn a star for each transaction, regardless of how much they spent, and are entitled to a free item after earning 12 stars.

Specialty retailer The Limited is attempting to build loyalty even when a customer isn’t satisfied with a purchase.

The Limited is deploying Narvar Returns, a solution from post-purchase experience platform provider Narvar. Narvar Returns provides customers with an intuitive digital experience where they can select eligible items from their order, share feedback and choose the most convenient return method.

One in three consumers has changed brands because of the information they found while shopping online, according to research from Google.

That means that great product content can make or break your brand’s online presence. Unfortunately, many brands struggle with how to make sure that their product content is accurate and meets not only shoppers’, but retailers’, needs, as it is hard to do both well.

Retail employees are using mobile communication technology in their jobs, but a more established channel is still most popular.

According to a study of 500 professionals within a variety of industries including retail from Infinite Convergence Solutions, 57% of retail employees use email most frequently for business communication. This made email significantly more popular than mobile messaging; (24%) or voice calling (19%).