Retailers aren't spending on the right areas to protect data
The retail sector has been the subject of some of the most high profile data breaches in recent years. Add to this the willingness of customers to switch allegiance in the event of a breach and it's clear the industry needs to take security seriously.
A new survey from enterprise data protection specialist Vormetric in conjunction with 451 Research focuses on retail companies, detailing IT security spending plans, perceptions of threats to data, rates of data breach failures and data security stances.
Amazon Fresh now delivers groceries in London
Amazon Fresh has arrived in the UK and starting this week the online retailer delivers groceries in London.
This is the first time that the service will be available outside of the US and initially it will offer over 130,000 grocery items to consumers living in north and east London. A host of new items including thousands of fresh produce, dairy and bakery items will be available through the online delivery service.
Businesses that don't allow card payments are making customers' life difficult
People like paying with plastic and those businesses that don’t enable easy card payment methods risk destroying themselves, a new survey suggests.
According to a report by Worldpay, 60,000 of small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) in the UK are "making life difficult" for those that dislike carrying cash around and they’re risking ruining their own businesses because of it.
Remembering Apple Store at 15, and marveling its changes
Fifteen years ago today, the first Apple Store opened at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va. I was there, covering the event for CNET News. Four days earlier, then CEO Steve Jobs briefed journalists—bloggers, bwahaha, no—across the way at upper-scale Tysons Galleria. Most of us thought his scheme was kind of nuts, as did analysts, and news stories reflected the sentiment. Recession gripped the country and rival Gateway was in process of shuttering more than 400 retail shops. Timing was madness.
But companies that take big risks during economic downturns are most likely to reap rewards later. Retail would be Apple's third walk across the tightrope during 2001. The others: iTunes (January); OS X (March); iPod (October). I've said before that these four are foundation for all the company's successes that followed, including iPhone. But 15 years ago, battling the Wintel duopoly with less than 2 percent global PC market share, Jobs figuratively walked a tightrope across the Grand Canyon carrying original Macintoshes in each arm.
Online payment fraud set to grow over the next four years
Fraud is nothing new on the internet. From phishing scams to ransomware, we've seen it all. However, the fastest growing part of this dark market seems to be online retail payment fraud. There's a lot of money to be made in this segment of the economy.
According to a new report, online retail fraud accounted for a whopping $10.7 billion in 2015, but, even worse, it's an up and coming thing. Juniper Research claims it could grow as high as $25.6 billion by the year 2020.
Using the 'physical web' to boost in-store sales
Bricks and mortar businesses have been in the dark. They were blinkered to what was happening within their locations, and how customers were interacting with the space. There was huge potential to fail to engage with customers effectively, repeating marketing mistakes continuously.
Meanwhile, their online counterparts had a huge advantage -- website analytics. It gave them an expanse of data sources to explore. If they asked the right questions and found the answers, they could understand every step of their customers’ journeys. They could continually optimize their offer -- and give customers what they wanted.
The importance of in-store mobile technology
Over the last decade we’ve seen a significant increase in mobile technology and it is now becoming the heart of customer experience; forcing retailers to figure out how the digital and physical relationships can work together.
Retailers must now decide whether to equip their personnel with mobile devices, introduce more self-service kiosks or expand mobile technology even further; all in the aid of delivering a personalized approach and improving the in-store experience for shoppers.
Consumers believe retailers don't understand them
Retailers have long depended on email marketing as an affordable and effective way to reach their customers, maintain loyalty and drive purchases.
On average, consumers opt-in to receive emails from two retailers and this can lead to them receiving around 13 emails a week. But a new survey reveals that 82 percent of people feel that this constant flow of offers means that the retailers they are loyal to don't understand them.
Hell, yeah, Amazon should open more bookstores
There is collective head-scratching across the InterWebs about a Wall Street Journal report that Amazon will open as many as 300, or even 400, stores selling books. The company's massive success selling ebooks and the cost and selection advantages of warehousing their physical counterparts make the concept seem nonsensical. I contend that it's brilliant.
Amazon is in process of expanding online services into the purview of local retail, which biggest competitive advantage is immediacy. In conjunction with the $99-per-year Prime program, the online retailer offers faster shipping; same day, and within hours, in some locales. The company increasingly contracts its own carriers, as well. Immediacy requires presence. What better location than a bookstore that also warehouses other goods and provides customer service operations? That's all without considering the branding opportunities, which, as Apple Store demonstrates, can be huge.
Xbox One gets new bundles for the new year
It may be time for the Consumer Electronics Show, but Microsoft no longer maintains a presence at the big event. The days of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer keynotes are long gone now. That does not mean the company has nothing to announce, though.
Today Larry Hryb, also known as Major Nelson and the head of Xbox Live, is unveiling a set of new bundles for the gaming console.
How the Internet has forever changed five major industries
The digital revolution has resulted in disruption to many industries, with whole new business models created, new brands rising to the top of many industries and those companies failing to adapt, falling by the wayside.
The digital age has impacted industries in both goods and service -- from travel and transport, to publishing, retail and music. The switch from physical to digital has revolutionized both the production and distribution of books and music.
Walmart introduces its own payment app for Android and iOS
Android Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay -- it seems to be the latest trend in mobile devices. Each wants you to use its service and, in some cases all will work at a particular retailer. But, instead of accepting the existing ones, Walmart has decided to launch its own rival to them.
The giant retail chain is announcing Walmart Pay with the good news being that it isn't launching its own phone that you need to purchase first. It will work with both iOS and Android; Windows Phone users once again get left out. Walmart is the first retailer to launch its own payment service.
Retail data breaches threaten customer loyalty
A high percentage of Americans would change their shopping habits if their favorite retailer was hit by a data breach according to a new study.
Data security specialist Vormetric commissioned the survey over 1000 US adults from Wakefield Research which found that for 85 percent of respondents the significant personal consequences that can result from a breach would cause them to find a new place to shop.
Xbox One had a big Black Friday according to Microsoft
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are in the books as the big holiday looms ever larger on the horizon. But what gifts will be given this year? According to Microsoft a number of people will be unwrapping its products that morning.
Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, says that Xbox One had record sales on the biggest shopping day of the year. Not only that, but he claims Windows 10 gaming continues to rise, which is hardly surprising. The operating system is only recently on the market and consumers are switching to it. Hryb claims that in November Windows 10 gaming hours exceeded Windows 8 for the first time.
Cyber Monday a success? Amazon and Adobe think so
The "biggest online shopping day" is now behind us. Cyber Monday certainly brings out the deals, but do people really take advantage of them? According to a couple of announcements it would seem that the answer to that is yes.
Both Adobe and Amazon are reporting record sales, with Adobe citing a number of $3 billion. That same number was reported this morning by CNN. Obviously these are not sales to Adobe, but it tracks the data in general. The company calculates $11 billion in total was spent between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. It also claims that "out-of-stock" rates hit an all-time high.
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