online shopping

Ahead of Black Friday a new study shows that, while 95 percent of Americans are concerned their data could end up in a breach, 78 percent are still willing to share personal information for discounts, perks, or free shipping.

The report from Incogni, based on a study of over 1,000 US adults, finds that volunteering personal information for discounts or access to content and rewards has become so routine that few likely consider the implications before doing so.

For anyone who makes a lot of purchases from Amazon, a Prime subscription makes a lot of sense. And for young adults, the deal just got a whole lot sweeter.

Ahead of Prime Day 2025, Amazon has launched a new Amazon Prime subscription tier which is incredible value for anyone who is of the right age. Specifically for people aged between 18 and 24, the new Prime for Young Adults includes everything that is found in a regular subscription, but it is a fraction of the cost.

Amazon may be one of the biggest names in online retail, but in recent years the likes of Temu has started to encroach on its territory by offering products at absurdly low prices.

Now Amazon has come up with a response. Amazon Haul is a new shopping experience that has launched in beta for US shoppers. Building on the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service, Haul is home to “affordable fashion, home, lifestyle, electronics, and other products with ultra-low prices”. Most things are priced under $10, so what’s the catch?

Google Pay, the digital payment service that has been around for over a decade, is being killed. Starting June 4, 2024, the standalone Google Pay app will no longer be available for use in the United States. But don’t worry, Google Wallet is stepping up to take its place, offering a platform for storing payment cards, transit passes, and more.

So, what’s the deal with this change? Google Wallet is apparently five times more popular than the Google Pay app in the U.S., so it seems like a pretty logical move. Until June 4, 2024, you can still manage your Google Pay balance in the app. After that, you’ll need to head over to the Google Pay website for balance management and bank transfers.

Online transactions are fraught with security concerns -- both for businesses and for consumers. Yet, even while those consumers harbor worries that their personal identifiable information could be stolen if security precautions are weak, they also have limited patience when doing business online and will abandon a website if the transaction takes too long or requires too many steps.

This creates a knotty situation for businesses: They must minimize customer frustrations while still making sure security measures are tight and requiring that users prove they are who they say they are.