Consumers are offering data, a new currency, in exchange for truly exceptional experiences. Like monetary currencies, the value consumers receive for this new currency will vary, depending on where they exchange it. To succeed, your app must offer an experience in line with consumer value exchange rate expectations. Mobile apps are changing consumer behavior Consumers…
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What does the Visa ban by a Kroger subsidiary mean for other merchants?
In response to ever increasing payment processing costs, a collection of 21 stores and five gas stations owned by a Kroger subsidiary in California have announced they will stop accepting Visa credit transactions on August 14th. Kroger overall does have a strong relationship with Mastercard through a co-branded card program partnership. Is this move to…
Insights from the Think Tank session
The following has been re-posted from NACS magazine. “Surround yourself with smart people” is career advice that I continue to put into action. At this year’s Conexxus Annual Conference, nearly 160 attendees had the opportunity to do just that during the Think Tank session. Joining me on stage were business leaders Stephen Hines, chief…
What’s Holding Up Contactless Payments in the US?
Contactless payments in the US have been lauded for years as the next consumer payment trend. Aside from a few very large retailers and transit use in cities like New York, Boston and Chicago, however, there are not many merchants that accept contactless payments in today’s market. This post will discuss why US contactless payments…
Consulting and Parenting
Have you ever thought about becoming a consultant? Maybe you want to hire a consultant and aren’t sure you understand how one approaches the job? Well, if you’re a parent (some of you), have a friend who is a parent (most of you), or were ever a kid yourself (all of you), then you already…
Contactless Wearables: A Successful Implementation
For us in the Payments and ID markets, in the issuer (card) or acquirer (terminal) industries, it is common to hear about contactless technology. We are aware it involves complex specifications from ISO, the payment brands (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, CUP, Interac, etc.), the processors, terminal and card manufacturers, and the work hours…
Winning with Electronic Invoices
The following has been re-posted from Convenience Store Decisions. The original post can be found here. Electronic invoices offer clear and measurable benefits and are supported by Conexxus EB2B Working Group, but there’s a need for more supplier engagement. By Ed Collupy Store managers, cross functional retail headquarter teams, merchandise and consumer packaged goods suppliers,…
My Compliance Assessment Didn’t Go Well… Now What?
It’s a scary situation: after all the meetings, evidence gathering and reviews, the compliance assessment comes back with red flags. Regardless of the type of compliance assessment (PCI, SOX, SOC-2, etc.) the prospect of fines and/or business interruptions can put a dark cloud over any organization. So what do you do if it happens? There…
Voice Assistants: A New Mobile Frontier for Merchants, Part II of II
In my previous article, we took a look at the rise in adoption of voice-activated personal assistants by consumers. This follow-up will examine the effect that the rise in voice assistant adoption will have on the merchant landscape. Voice-activated assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, are allowing consumers to control home automation functions,…
Customer Retention: Q&A with Loyalty360
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360. The original post can be found here. Customer retention in 2018, regardless of industry or brand, is completely different than it was even five years ago. Daniel Kahan, Consultant with W. Capra Consulting Group, sat down with Loyaty360 to discuss common mistakes businesses make with customers, how…
Cashiering Enters the Mobile Age
The following has been re-posted from Convenience Store Decisions. The original article can be found here. Hand-held devices aren’t just convenient; they are the secured cash registers of the future. By Ed Collupy Looking back, I always wanted the opportunity to checkout a customer using a brass cash register, not just seeing and admiring…
Leveraging Payments to Enhance Your Business Model
The subscription-based business model offer clear advantages, and many merchants may be overlooking opportunities for their business to grow in this space. Companies like Netflix and Hulu naturally lean toward a subscription revenue model, but less obvious products have found their way into the subscription space as well. The Subscription-Based Market “Subscription boxes,” such as…