From the first moment that humanity started to identify its primary needs, it was clear that many tasks required more than one individual to complete them. The first humans had to make teams, organize, and eventually, exchange with other teams… So began payment transactions. Many years later, money was invented; and many (many, many) years…
Category: DIGITAL+
Has Success Made You Overlook the Threat of Digital Disruption?
20 Questions to Help You Get Past Success Bias Industry after industry has faced digital disruption. None have been immune, yet companies can continue to enjoy industry leading success while a competitor or start-up builds a disruptive product or business model. For example, Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, famously said that the iPhone wouldn’t…
End-to-End Mobile Service or Technology Facilitator?
My family’s recent ordering experience was straightforward and easy – 45 minutes after we placed a food delivery order through an app, our food arrived – the food I wanted was included while my wife’s food was missing completely. At that moment, our incomplete order made us part of an ongoing debate without our realizing…
How C-stores Can Ward Off the Infiltration of Amazon
The following has been re-posted from Convenience Store News. The original article can be found here. By Tammy Mastroberte, Convenience Store News – 03/21/2019 An Amazon Go store NATIONAL REPORT — Debuting its cashierless store concept in December 2016, Amazon entered the convenience space with Amazon Go. Now, with 10 locations open in Seattle, Chicago…
Don’t Miss Your Future – Four Blind Spots that Retailers Need to Recognize
Since Marc Andreessen’s prediction in 2013 that “…retail guys are going out of business and ecommerce will become the place everyone buys…,”1 there has been a cascade of opinions and predictions about the digital disruption of retail. Hindsight teaches us that digital disruption is about more than technology. In spite of the dire predictions, incumbent…
NACS Show: Innovating Like a Start Up
The following originally appeared in Convenience Store Decisions and features W. Capra Senior Consultant, Jim Duboyce. Sheetz aims to empower an incubator team to strategize new initiatives for Sheetz that will position it for the future. In a Sunday, Oct. 7 educational session on innovating like a start up, Moderator Jim Duboyce, senior consultant, W. Capra Consulting,…
W. Capra Discusses Technology Adoption
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360, and is taken from a recent interview between Loyalty360 and W. Capra regarding technology adoption. The original post can be found here. How does W. Capra view technological adaptation for brands? Is it a necessity in today’s market? History is littered with once prosperous organizations that failed to…
India Drafts Policy to Reduce Influence of Large Tech Companies
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360. The original article can be found here. The draft of a new e-commerce policy has emerged in India, one that calls for a “level playing field” between Indian businesses and global competitors. The policy, if enacted, would require tech companies like Amazon or Google to store data collected…
Does Your App Accept the New Consumer Currency – Data?
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…
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…
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…
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,…