Study: Consumers prefer to explore products on mobile
While the majority of time spent in apps is unrelated to shopping, commercial apps tend to produce higher conversion rates than digital alternatives, a global study by Criteo has found. It also found that consumers explore more products on mobile than they do via desktop. Read more …
What shoppers want from retailers on social media
Two-thirds of consumers in a recent survey said they’ve visited a retailer because of a social media post they saw. Make the most of your social marketing with these insights.
Millennials turn gift cards into mobile money management tools
Young consumers are increasingly using retailers’ gift cards for themselves, loading them onto mobile apps, according to a report by Mercator Advisory Group. The cards appear to serve as a kind of money management tool as users taking advantage of retailers’ app-based loyalty and prepaid programs. Read more …
What to watch for in mobile payments
Mobile point-of-sale, ordering and contactless payments are now well established, but the trends continue to develop. Raymond Pucci reviews four to watch: tableside POS, mobile order and pay at restaurants, the addition of new payment features and wider adoption of contactless payments at checkout. Read more …
Self-Service Checkouts Can Turn Customers Into Shoplifters
Self-checkout lanes more than double the average rate of retail loss to about 4%, according to a study of retailers in the US and Europe that concluded the technology likely spurs otherwise law-abiding citizens to steal. Shoplifting accounted for about $17 billion of the $44 billion retailers lost to...
The chip card transition in the US has been a disaster
Over the last year or so in the US, a lot of the plastic credit cards we carry around every day have been replaced by new one with chips embedded in them. The chips are supposed to make your credit and debit cards more secure—a good thing!—but there’s one...
10 quick tips for preventing chargeback fraud
Chargebacks — disputed credit or debit card charges that result in the return of funds to a customer — can be a financial drain for retailers. STORES Magazine talks with Chargeback Gurus, a company that helps retailers fight chargeback fraud, and identifies 10 tips for reducing fraudulent chargebacks. Read...
The Fresh Market adds e-receipts, personalized offers
The Fresh Market has partnered with software firm Index to streamline its in-store checkout process and add e-receipts. The move also gives the retailer access to more customer data and allows The Fresh Market to make personalized offers based on shoppers’ purchased items. Read more …
Visa, MasterCard move to speed up move to chip cards
In separate announcements this month, Visa and MasterCard said they will speed up the process to certify chip-card readers. More than half of retailers surveyed by NRF and Forrester Research recently said they have the equipment but are still awaiting certification. Read more …
Online Organic Grocer Raises $111M in Funding
After an initial struggle to gain traction with investors, Thrive Market raised $111 million in a new round of financing. The online grocer startup was founded three years ago by a group of entrepreneurs and is based on a subscription model. Read more …