Mobile payments

Amazon is rightfully thought of as an e-commerce juggernaut, but the company's latest move — opening additional headquarters in the New York and Washington, D.C. areas — has drawn attention to how its presence changes the physical world.

While it takes a lot of effort from many different parties to reduce digital and financial inequality, it all starts with affordable internet connectivity, writes Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies.

Now that states such as Michigan, Utah and Missouri voted in favor of legalization in this year's midterms, legal marijuana is poised to become a growth industry.

Amazon Go’s cashierless checkout model has made its impact felt across the board, motivating large chains like Walmart and Kroger's to respond. But the biggest threat it poses is to convenience and fast-food brands like 7-Eleven.

Uber Technologies Inc. is rolling out a new rewards program starting Wednesday, offering its most loyal users cash back on rides, priority airport pickups and free phone support.

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.

Amazon’s transit-friendly posture should provide momentum for digital ticketing and other subway improvements in Queens, N.Y., and northern Virginia — and if recent history is any indication, Amazon may take an active role in improving that infrastructure.

Think of Western Union, and its yellow placard advertising an agent location comes to mind. It's a physical branding and marketing component that few money-transfer providers can match — but one that's of diminishing value in a digital world.

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.

Amazon’s dominance is in no danger, but the e-commerce giant is looking over its shoulder as Walmart and other retail powerhouses close in. The fourth quarter could be a tipping point for Amazon, which recently lowered its holiday sales growth forecast.

Kenyans using the M-Pesa wallet to make payments and receive funds can now send cross-border payments through a connection with Western Union's global platform.

The Bank of England issued a challenge for consumers who usually pay with cash to go cashless for a week, as an educational experience prior to its upcoming conference, Future Forum 2018.

After advancing into some retail settings in Italy last year, the Jiffy P2P payment service is now an option at the country's Carrefour Italia "super stores," supermarkets and express stores.

Cash is unlikely to go anywhere, while application programming interfaces promise a wealth of new innovation, according to Devon Watson, CMO of Diebold Nixdorf.

Payments technology veteran Will Graylin is looking to build support for OV Loop, a universal conversation and commerce app he developed that harnesses any handset’s texting capabilities to support voice, text or video messages with an e-wallet to store tokenized payments.

While B2B will never perfectly mimic the B2C space, there’s a lot businesses can learn from their consumer-facing counterparts, writes Mark Bartlett, marketing chief at FPX.

Amazon Go’s getting a lot of the attention among cashierless store projects, but it's far from alone. However, any attempts to dethrone Amazon are just as likely to help it succeed.

A Sam's Club warehouse in Dallas will test a wide range of mobile technology including — artificial intelligence, augmented reality, voice and cashierless checkout — to stay competitive against Amazon Go's high-tech spin on retail.

Shopify is no stranger to social media — it’s had a partnership with Facebook for three years — and it sees Venmo users' social sharing habits as the perfect means to expand its mobile commerce platform.

To combat this loyalty fatigue, retailers need to design their programs to be frequent, relevant, interactive and visible, writes Mehmet Sezgin, CEO and founder of MyGini.