PYMNTS

JANUARY 29, 2018

It’s time to talk more about what we’re really trying to accomplish for consumers — and for our businesses — and less about the tactics some are trying, with mixed success, to accomplish that. It’s seemingly all about tactics these days. The 2018 predictions seem more like a laundry list of trends and tactics that’ve emerged over the last several years than a discussion of the profound impact these trends have had on the consumer and business payments experience.

Securities 67

Securities Accounting Sales Banking 67

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

Brick-and-mortar retailers have an opportunity to surprise and delight shoppers with digital, connected and omnichannel experiences in the physical store, but many are struggling to make that opportunity pay off. To be fair, reimagining an entire industry is no easy task. Trevor Sumner, CEO of PERCH , said that people aren’t seeing TV ads anymore, and active engagement between brands and their customers on Facebook is dwarfed by the number of shoppers who pass by a store display on any given da

Education 62

Education Retail Sales Investments 62

PYMNTS

JANUARY 31, 2018

In life, 40 percent of anything is a lot. In online banking, 40 percent abandonment is … intolerable. As many as four in 10 consumers have at some point in their journey into online banking found the process frustrating enough to give up, as estimated by Signicat. The survey from that identity assurance provider, conducted across 2,000 individuals, found that when it comes to applying for financial products at a financial institution (FI) — from checking accounts to credit cards — 40 percent of

Banking 61

Banking Securities Accounting Technology 61

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

Whether their money is on the Pats or the Eagles, one thing is for sure: Football fans will be spending a lot of it this Sunday (Feb. 4), especially if they’re attending the Super Bowl in person. ATMs in and around U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will see a spike in activity with the influx of consumers for the big game. That’s to be expected for financial services company Diebold Nixdorf , which partners with U.S.

Banking 60

Banking Securities Budgeting Retail 60

Speaker: Michael Veatch, Senior Director, Implementations & Ella Aguirre, Director of Solution Consulting

Embedding payments can be a transformative step for software companies looking to enhance their platform capabilities, boost customer satisfaction, and drive long-term growth. However, the success of payments hinges on a single thing: implementation. Drawing on real-world insights and experiences, payments implementation experts Michael Veatch and Ella Aguirre will explore actionable strategies that can lead to a transparent, friction-free launch and mitigate potential challenges like technical

Investments

PYMNTS

JANUARY 31, 2018

In what was described by eBay as an effort to improve customer experience and offer sellers a more competitive cost structure, eBay announced news on Wednesday (Jan. 31) that it will intermediate payments through a multi-year implementation that may last through mid-2020. This move marks a significant change in how buyers and sellers will interact and transact across the company’s online marketplace — namely, by letting shoppers complete their purchases within eBay’s website.

Risk Management 59

Risk Management eCommerce Investments Numbers 59

PYMNTS

JANUARY 31, 2018

The import-export game is not an easy one to play, and sometimes logistics can be anything but logical — especially for smaller firms that go the traditional route. These groups use middlemen known as freight forwarders, acting as agents who work with service providers like trucking companies and customs agents. One company, Fleet , which originally launched as Shipstr in 2014, seeks to change the way logistics is done through an online marketplace.

Transportation 56

Transportation Sales Investments Numbers 56

PYMNTS

JANUARY 30, 2018

Modern consumers want it all: free shipping, live site support, product reviews, many types of payment acceptance and, especially, quick checkout times. If they don’t get what they want, they’re likely to walk — or, well, click — away. Last year, all those clicking consumers, frustrated by slow and complicated checkout procedures, took $200 billion in potential revenue with them.

Retail 56

Retail eCommerce Sales 56

PYMNTS

JANUARY 31, 2018

Following a malware attack that allowed “unauthorized parties” to access customer credit card information, off-price retailer National Stores is seeking to prevent fraudulent activity and improve the security of its point-of-sale (POS) systems, the company said in an announcement. “We have been working closely with the FBI, cybersecurity experts and payment card brands to contain the incident and protect our customers’ payment cards,” National Stores Chief Executive Officer Michael Fallas said a

Securities 55

Securities Sales Numbers Accounting 55

PYMNTS

JANUARY 30, 2018

Volusion , the eCommerce platform catering to small businesses (SMBs), announced news on Tuesday (Jan. 30) that it’s partnering with Apple Pay to create a “Buy Now” button for its merchants. In a press release, Volusion said merchants can now accept Apple Pay , eliminating the need for customers to enter their payment, shipping or contact information every time they make a purchase online.

eCommerce 54

eCommerce Securities 54

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

Accounting

PYMNTS

JANUARY 29, 2018

Money that crosses borders usually has an arduous trek. Consider the fact that payment that originates in one country does so in the “home” currency but gets settled in another currency once received. Along the way, there are foreign exchange fees, documents to manage and sundry regulations to navigate. In short, there are a lot of speed bumps in place.

Foreign Exchange 53

Foreign Exchange Problem Solving Currencies Compliance 53

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Money can’t buy happiness, but blockchain can buy fame, and that’s kind of the same thing, right? Okay, maybe not exactly, but the two are pretty close, depending on who you ask — say, for instance, content producers on platforms like YouTube. If blockchain could buy these creators a shot at wider recognition for their crafts, chances are that opportunity would make them pretty happy.

Entertainment 52

Entertainment Currencies Investments Leverage 52

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

The Plenti coalition loyalty rewards program has hit a bit of a rough patch, with several partners leaving the service and retailers opting out of accepting members’ earned points, Retail Dive reported Wednesday (Jan. 31). AT&T dropped out last fall, and Alamo, Direct Energy, Enterprise, Expedia, Hulu and Nationwide exited the partnership at the beginning of 2018.

Retail 51

Retail Marketing 51

PYMNTS

JANUARY 27, 2018

Lines to get into the store are a rare sight at any brick-and-mortar retailer these days, let alone a supermarket. That’s exactly what French supermarket chain Intermarche brought upon itself this week, however. The chain slashed prices on popular chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella and suffered Black Friday-like crowds and chaos as customers fought to stock up.

Retail 51

Retail Education Leverage Marketing 51

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

Accounting

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

To reach more consumers and foster more eco-friendly operations, IKEA is testing out renting its furniture offerings in Japan, Curbed reported Wednesday (Jan. 31). The furniture rentals will be geared toward customers who might not be ready to purchase furniture, many items of which could cost hundreds of dollars. In addition, IKEA plans to make the initiative environmentally friendly by recycling furniture consumers might otherwise throw out.

Startups 51

Startups Economics Planning Retail 51

PYMNTS

JANUARY 31, 2018

Facing the shifting preferences of consumers, H&M has announced that 2018 will feature fewer brick-and-mortar store openings as it moves to adapt to increasingly digital shopping patterns. The move comes after years of rapid growth from the fast-fashion giant, which now finds itself struggling somewhat to integrate into the eCommerce landscape. Shares were down more than 33 percent over the last year, and H&M faced considerable criticism in the last few weeks following a reportedly racis

eCommerce 51

eCommerce Currencies Retail Sales 51

PYMNTS

JANUARY 30, 2018

As Spanish fast-fashion retailer Zara renovates its flagship store in a London mall, it has come up with an innovative solution to sell to customers: opening a digitally enhanced pop-up store in the same building, industry news source Chain Store Age reported. The 2,150-square-foot location will feature both women’s and men’s clothing, but with a unique twist: All merchandise will only be available for online purchase.

Communication 51

Communication Retail Technology 51

PYMNTS

JANUARY 29, 2018

Grocery shopping is clearly no longer confined to the aisles of the local Kroger or even a superstore like Target or Walmart. With services like AmazonFresh and Peapod, consumers can load up on kale, chicken — or whatever they need for their next meal — from their computers or smartphones. Online grocery sales are a booming business, with the eCommerce segment expected to make up 20 percent of all grocery sales by 2025.

Retail 50

Retail Manufacturing Advertising eCommerce 50

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Join us in this webinar, where we share best practices on how to think about the reconciliation work each month, when best to do reconciliations, how they should be prepared, and some common pitfalls to avoid. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how to properly prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations and its impact on the financial statements.

Reconciliations

PYMNTS

JANUARY 31, 2018

For years, throughout the volatility of cryptocurrency values, some industry experts have assured investors and innovators that blockchain is the disruptor in which the market should place its faith. Alas, there is no such thing as a sure bet, especially in the world of FinTech. And this week, experts have begun to voice their skepticism over distributed ledger technology’s (DLT) promise for a massive shakeup.

Startups 49

Startups Technology Currencies Planning 49

PYMNTS

JANUARY 29, 2018

Following the theft of $530 million in NEM tokens from Coincheck last week, governments will likely call for more cryptocurrency regulation and investors may turn to peer-to-peer (P2P) methods of trading instead of centralized exchanges, Bloomberg reported. “The latest theft will have two immediate effects: more regulation by authorities over exchanges and more recognition of the advantages offered by decentralized ways of trading,” David Moskowitz, co-founder of Indorse Pte in Singapore.

Advertising 49

Advertising Securities Planning Banking 49

PYMNTS

JANUARY 30, 2018

Amazon’s entry into a new market is rarely considered good news in the world of retail. Blue Apron was already having difficulty keeping investors calm. But when the eCommerce giant announced a rendezvous into the meal kit space in August of 2017, the recently public meal kit delivery startup began a (now many months-long battle) to get its stock price back above $3.

Retail 49

Retail Startups eCommerce Marketing 49

PYMNTS

JANUARY 29, 2018

With a faster pace of adoption than previously expected, the majority of U.S. grocery shoppers may purchase at least some of their groceries online within five to seven years, according to a Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen report, CNBC reported. “There is a fundamental shift in retail, and we are seeing an acceleration,” said Thom Blischok, global retail strategic advisor to Nielsen.

eCommerce 49

eCommerce Retail Sales Marketing 49

Speaker: David Warren and Kevin O’Neill Stoll

Transitioning to a usage-based business model offers powerful growth opportunities but comes with unique challenges. How do you validate strategies, reduce risks, and ensure alignment with customer value? Join us for a deep dive into designing effective pilots that test the waters and drive success in usage-based revenue. Discover how to develop a pilot that captures real customer feedback, aligns internal teams with usage metrics, and rethinks sales incentives to prioritize lasting customer eng

Sales

PYMNTS

JANUARY 30, 2018

Eyeing weak demand, tech giant Apple has cut production for its iPhone X planned for the current quarter. The Wall Street Journal reported news on Tuesday (Jan. 30) that production cuts mean that the firm will make 20 million iPhone X devices in the period, half of what had been planned. The financial publication quoted unnamed people “familiar with the matter” and added that component orders had been slashed by 60 percent.

Manufacturing 49

Manufacturing Sales Planning Technology 49

PYMNTS

JANUARY 29, 2018

Earlier this month, Saks Fifth Avenue President Marc Metrick told CNBC that the luxury retailer didn’t need fancy artificial intelligence (AI) to help it succeed in the industry, despite the tectonic shift thrusting every other retailer into reliance on such technologies. “When you think about the online versus the offline experience, we don’t need AI in our stores.

Retail 49

Retail Advertising Technology Sales 49

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

Though this earnings run so far has been marked by many firms incurring the wrath of Wall Street — even in the face of putting impressive numbers on the board — Amazon didn’t face that same fate for the ending quarter of 2017. “Our 2017 projections for Alexa were very optimistic, and we far exceeded them. We don’t see positive surprises of this magnitude very often — expect us to double down,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO.

Advertising 49

Advertising Manufacturing Sales eCommerce 49

PYMNTS

JANUARY 31, 2018

In one of the bigger back-and-forth stories in digital currency, South Korea has announced that it is definitely for real this time sure that it does not plan to ban crypto-currency exchanges. That news comes care of the government’s finance minister and came as welcome news for crypto investors nationwide. Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon’s comments may put to rest worries sparked worldwide over South Korea’s stance on digital currency — after government officials in various departments beg

Foreign Exchange 48

Foreign Exchange Currencies Finance Banking 48

Speaker: Mark Stovel

When it comes to automating, many firms focus on finding the latest tech, believing that efficiency is something achieved through new tools. Yet true efficiency is achieved by delivering real value to clients, not merely by upgraded systems. Without a clear approach, no level of automation can overcome the complexities of serving every client’s needs.

Marketing