Card Surcharge Ban Defeated in California – for Now
Surcharge Ban The ability for merchants to impose a surcharge on customers using credit cards moved forward during the first week of January as a California appeals court ruled against the state’s long-standing no-surcharge law. The group of small business owners who brought the lawsuit were victorious in the ruling which effectively put a 1985 […]
Chargeback Relief Policy Ends April 2018
In 2015, Visa and American Express initiated chargeback policies designed to decrease fraud liability for merchants and acquirers during the EMV chip migration. The policy (which blocked all counterfeit fraud chargebacks of less than $25 and limited issuers to 10 chargebacks per account) was enacted in July 2016. The primary goal of the policy was […]
The Expansion of Mobile Ordering
Mobile ordering has increased exponentially in recent years as younger generations with money use their smartphones for more than simply texting and managing social media accounts. More importantly, to merchants, they’re consumers and their mobile habits are influencing how we order food and other goods. This new breed of consumer knows what they want, and […]
Retail Sales Up Since November – Especially E-Commerce
As expected, holiday spending has driven sales growth from November until the middle of December – and it will most likely continue through Christmas. Mastercard’s SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic indicator of spending data for the card brand, recently reported strong retail growth of 3.6% compared to the same time last year. This has led, in part, […]
Ecommerce Storefronts Open a New Window
Ecommerce giants like Amazon are experiencing exponential growth while brick-and-mortar retailers continue to close physical locations. Why, then, would savvy online merchants attract customers by using brick-and-mortar window dressing techniques? The short answer is: because they work. We accept the following: Nearly every brick-and-mortar store’s front window displays a sign telling patrons which types of […]
Will mPOS Outgrow Micro Merchants?
Mobile point of sale systems (mPOS) are designed to be a good fit for micro merchants that don’t currently accept credit cards. These inexpensive credit and debit card readers integrate easily with smartphones and tablets and can perform transactions at hard-to-serve locations such as farmers markets, sports and concert venues, and school campuses. They not […]
A New Kind of Fraud: Transaction Laundering
What is transaction laundering and why might an application be denied because of it? What is Transaction Laundering? Previously known as “undisclosed aggregation” or “factoring,” transaction laundering occurs when a merchant processes transactions on behalf of another business. This other, “hidden” business is often engaged in dangerous or prohibited activities. Using an approved merchant’s […]
U.S. Online Retail Sales Growing Exponentially
As retail expands and ventures more and more into the online world, American consumers are taking notice, purchasing goods from websites at an unprecedented pace. How unprecedented a pace? So rapidly that online retail sales accounted for 50% of U.S. retail sales growth in 2016. Furthermore, the business advisory firm, FTI Consulting, has forecasted that […]
How New POS Technology is Helping Merchants Conduct Business
Developments made in POS systems are affecting both brick and mortar and online merchants – in positive ways It’s no secret – payments are changing. From EMV and mobile payments to biometrics and more, the way we pay for goods and services is evolving. To keep pace with the expanding payments landscape, point of sale […]
7 Big Reasons to Shop Small
In between the frenzy of Black Friday and mania of Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday stands out by offering customers unique products and a more relaxed shopping experience. American Express started the Small Business Saturday tradition on November 27, 2010. Since then, the Shop Small movement has gained considerable momentum – and there’s a good […]