E-Commerce

The companies could bring something new, such as merchant acquiring to community banks, but their merger could also cause anxiety about giant vendors.

Brick-and-mortar retail isn’t dead yet. Though the trend of retailers closing stores in the face of stiff competition from e-merchants is certainly troubling to commercial real estate lenders, it would be a mistake to conclude that all retail loans are risky. Here's a look at which ones are the safest and, potentially, the scariest.

The chance of losing money on an integration with a service such as PayPal is extremely low, and you could achieve a double-digit reduction in cart abandonment, writes Chad Reid, a director at JotForm.

Modern, global merchants need comprehensive, integrated frameworks that reduce costs, manage risk and exposure, provide direct connectivity and redundancy to optimize reliability and keep control over the customer experience closer to the merchant, according to Eric Rosenthal, managing director of the Americas at Rapyd.

The U.S. e-commerce explosion is driving about $150 billion annually in returns, and Returnly is riding the trend with a service to eliminate the waiting time for consumers to receive funds from items they plan to return to the merchant.

E-commerce's opposite threats of cart abandonment and fraud create butting heads, but advanced authentication could give merchants a new way to manage both challenges.

Those of us who have found ourselves in roles as stewards of the public trust in this sector are finding agreement in a variety of protocols that bridge even the stodgiest savings account with the coolest app-based e-wallet, writes Bryan Woods, president of Spend Inc.

U.S. companies have a leg up on international competition. Yet, many retailers are opting to focus on domestic customer bases, claims Steve Villegas, vice president of partner management at PPRO.

Thin margins and lengthy payment cycles can make cash flow challenging, but the payment terms of an invoice can ease some of that pain, contends Brandon Spear, president of MSTS.

It may seem shortsighted, but online retailers need to be laser focused exclusively on what has traditionally worked to maximize online sales, writes Devaraj Southworth, co-founder and CEO of Thirstie.

The 2019 outlook for China’s cross-border e-commerce sector remains positive due to strong consumer demand, favorable regulations and tech-savvy shoppers’ interest in convenient mobile pay options, writes Franklin Chu, managing director for Azoya USA.

Working with technology developer Next Retail Concepts, Mastercard has connected to a virtual version of Los Angeles boutique retailer Fred Segal, where users may virtually pick merchandise on the shelves of the iconic store in West Hollywood, explore it from various angles, and make purchases with a discount for using Mastercard.

Amazon and Shopify will likely improve and expand the “last mile” for e-commerce orders, putting the heat on UPS and FedEx, according to Radu Spineanu, co-founder and CEO of Two Tap.

On five days starting with Thanksgiving and continuing through Cyber Monday customers purchased millions more products compared to the same period last year.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday up the ante for payment crime, but there are steps retailers and payment companies can take, according to OneSpan’s Will LaSala.

AI-driven analytics can help both pure-play and brick-and-mortar brands understand the frustrations of their users at an elemental level — which buttons remain unclicked, which form fields make them leave, and which customer paths are dead ends, writes Jonathan Cherki, CEO and founder of ContentSquare.

Given Chinese consumers’ appetite for U.S. and foreign brands, retail companies planning to participate in this year’s holiday sales in China should consider capitalizing on China’s huge holiday sales by adopting mobile pay and influencer marketing and by emphasizing quality and authenticity, according to Franklin Chu, managing director for Azoya USA.

A multichain architecture that allows synergy between different platforms is the only viable option for ambitious applications, writes Evan Kereiakes, core researcher at Terra.

In its 10th year promoting an unofficial Chinese holiday celebrating singlehood, Alibaba’s online sales hit a record $30.8 billion (RMB213.5), exceeding last year’s record by 27 percent.

Adapting to Chinese consumers’ expectations of mobile pay options can help international retailers remain relevant and competitive by offering an easy, smooth, and interactive customer experience, writes Franklin Chu, managing director for Azoya USA.