Friday, October 24, 2025
Home Blog Page 28

Retailers coming up with stricter policies and free returns soon can be a past

retailers

At present, gift purchasing and returning go hand in hand. As per research, consumers are going to return about 18% of products sold during the holidays. Costs are increasing, and this is squeezing the margins. Thus, several retailers are reconsidering their policies in terms of returns. Maybe, they will shorten the return window or even start to charge restocking or return fees.

Stores like Old Navy and Gap are popular for their return policies. And they have shortened their return window to within one month. REI and LL Bean once promised that they would offer lifetime returns. But now, they are charging a fee of about $6 for all the mailed returns.

These returns are not to cover the costs but to deter the customers from returning. During the pandemic, free returns were very convenient. But now, the rising shipping and labor expenses are making things problematic. Retailers struggle with their excessive inventory. And most of the time, the returns do not end up on the shelf. This makes it difficult for retailers to improve sustainability and streamline expenses.

The rule is that the supply chain will move only in a single direction. So, the more amount of money the retailers will lose, the more price they will raise to makeup.

Therefore, changing the return policy is easier than increasing the buying price. It is easy for the customers to digest.

If the return option is crucial to you, it is better to know the policies beforehand. For this, you may need to dig up more. Customers need to know what to return and when to make better decisions. So, it is essential to consider the return policy while making a purchase. Or else it may harm your bottom line.

If you want to avoid returns, you may consider in-person shopping. It minimizes the gap between reality and your expectation.

Bank transfer wants to jump to merchant checkout

bank transfer

Customer and its acute presence are very important on any financial platform. The adoption of newer methods happens when customers are comfortable experimenting. This is a tricky factor. But if customers get ready, the platform experiences rapid growth. But very few customers are willing to experiment, especially with a bank transfer.

A study suggests that 29% of customers are willing to experiment with a newer payment method. They are very or extremely interested in this type of experiment. We also see that the younger generation is more willing to try out new payment methods. They are most interested in online bank transfer. Most FIs and merchants view the younger generation as their target customer group.

We also have an interesting statistic here. 23 percent of the customers can pay more money to get a better billing experience. This is crucial as customers want even their billing experience to be good. This is a unique conclusion, as experience matters a lot.

A PYMNTS and Nuvei collaboration asked people about their decisions as a customer. Thirty-seven customers say that they use online bank transfer for recurring payments. Also, twenty-six percent say that it is their preferred way of payment. The FIs and merchants say that they want to convince them to use it for shopping as well.

Thirty-five percent of people want to use online bank transfer. When asked for a reason, they said it was for speed. Customers want to get some benefit out of the payment method they are using. They can spend more money if they get a better experience. 29 percent of customers who earn more than 100,000 dollars can pay more to get a better system.

Forty-six percent of people already know what online bank transfer is. They are familiar with the digital payment system. They often use it to make payments. More customers should get used to online bank transfers during merchant checkout.

Instant payments in Federal Reserves future

instant payments

Federal Reserve is the main institution for everything finance and money-related. The central bank also has a positive mindset among people. The population views it as a sign of trust, patience, and resilience. They are together responsible for the movement of trillions of dollars every day. There is work undergoing to initiate instant payments. Most people forget this.

Mark Gould is the main guy behind this. He is the chief payments executive for Fed’s Financial Services. He said that they are continuously working to improve the financial system. They hope to implement digital and instant payments.

The FedNow service will have its launch next year in June-July. The launch is very important because instant payments will go on the road the same year. This will give a big boost to high-net-worth individuals and businesses. They can have access to real-time transactions throughout the system.

The Federal Reserve wants to help both big and medium-sized businesses. They want to give everyone access to easy buttons and easy payments. The first new payment rail will also come after almost 40 years. The goal is to enable any American customer or business to make instant payments from any place.

The Federal Reserve has great expectations from FedNow. They expect it to be the center of future innovation. The officials often compare FedNow to the first iPhone. They say that it will overtake everything, just like an iPhone overtook the world.

The service is an indispensable part of the Fed. The service will have no problem finding customers. Fed has connections with every major financial institution in the country. The service of instant payments will be at the fingertips of almost everyone very soon.

Innovation in the field of payments is skyrocketing. There is no limit whatsoever. Even if we get stop finding new ideas, we need to ensure safe instant payments. So, cybersecurity implementation can be the next big step. Frauds are on the rise, and the Fed cannot hide for long.

Invisible payments are the glue behind ecosystems

invisible payments

The whole world has become online. A virtual ecosystem can perform any type of work. But there lies a key question among all types of ecosystems. That is how you manage payments virtually. Many challenges also abound in this ecosystem. Invisible payments seem to be a good enough solution.

Integrating payment in an ecosystem is a very tricky thing. It depends on the type of ecosystem one is using. Maybe it is dealing with lots of customers from different parts of the world. The payment system should integrate all the possible methods. This is to make sure the service gets paid for. Invisible payments come in very handy here.

One of the most difficult ecosystems is traveling. The booking of all commodities takes a huge amount of work. The amount of planning is intense. The payment structure is quite complex. What if the plan gets canceled? Then, everything should get communicated in advance as well. This takes even more hard work and planning.

Invisible payments are a must for an all-out payment ecosystem. Some ecosystems try to modernize the paper-based process. They bring in digitization and ease the process. This is particularly useful for government-based organizations.

These organizations always work on pretty large scales. It means that they are always dealing with a huge number of people. For any individual or collective work, they need time if the work is paper-based. But the same work done digitally can simplify the process to its core. That is why invisible payments are so useful.

One of the most massive markets for a digital revolution is the automobile market. Everybody loves to buy cars. Cars are the symbol of success and status in our society. The payment ecosystem related to the whole car market is very vast. It includes fuel, toll, and parking, among others.

Invisible payments can integrate the whole car market. The only divide that will continue to exist is company-specific. A car and its driver and go anywhere without their smartphone or card. The system will make the payment automatically. The car driving on the road will become proof of the transaction.

Increase satisfaction by automating digital identity

digital identity

The pandemic saw the rise of the virtual world. Everything became online, from schools and universities to businesses as well. This led to an increase in corporate fraud and corruption on many levels. There were many opportunities available for fraudsters to try out their luck. Digital identity also came to the forefront.

Payments fraud is a big problem among corporates and banks. 77 percent of executives say that reduction of payments frauds is the main goal. With this, Phishing attacks are also on the rise. The fraudsters are also stealing more and more amount of money.

Pablo Molina is a chief information security officer at Drexel University. She said that higher educations are also the target nowadays. It is because the data itself is very valuable for cybercriminals. They can use it to steal your digital identity and torture you for no reason. The institutions are working hard to fight deepfakes and scams.

Nithai Barzam is the chief operating officer at nsKnox. He said that, overall, manual processes tend to be the weakest link in any system. They are also the weakest link in business-to-business payment fraud prevention plans. The transactions, when done manually, are easy targets for fraudsters. They require less complicated methods to trick people in this way.

Many corporate firms are not at all satisfied with their fraud detection systems. The exact number is 68 percent of them are not satisfied. Some more numbers suggest a more dangerous picture. 52 percent of big companies experienced some kind of fraud. All these companies had a revenue of over 10 billion dollars. 20 percent of these companies say that the fraud impacted more than 50 million dollars.

All of this happened in 2020 and the period after it. 98 percent of companies also reported fraud attacks in 2021. There is no coverage on news channels or social media about these frauds. These companies lost almost 3.5 percent of their annual revenue to fraud itself. This is a major loss for companies.

Altana creates Google Maps for business to increase global supply chain visibility

supply chain

All companies worldwide communicate through a complex supply chain. It includes products, raw materials, and consumers. There is a need for more visibility into the factors affecting this network. This clarity will be beneficial across political borders.

Evan Smith is the CEO of Altana Technologies. In a press release, he stated that most global business issues occur within this network. It is not enough to look at the individual relationships between companies.

Smith stresses the importance of this network. He states that most of the data is unclear now because companies only analyze it at the lower levels. Enterprises need to treat it as one big supply chain spanning the globe.

The calculations for a network of this size will be complex, but the means to do it are available. Smith states that Altana Atlas uses machine intelligence and structured data. They aim to move towards Globalization 2.0. They use updated information about the global supply chain. It helps them predict the localized as well as remote risks surrounding trade.

This global network is where Google Maps for Business Networks comes in. Smith has prior experience with renewable energy and textile supply chains. He believes creating a map by filling in consumer data is vital. The Altana Atlas acts as a Google Maps equivalent for businesses. It connects around 420 million data entries worldwide in various languages.

Atlas is one of many such supply chain networks. A few businesses have come up with similar databases. But Smith states that industries need more than the current degree of connectivity. All businesses need to incorporate global networks. Additionally, the different networks should communicate for better risk assessment.

Equipped with machine learning, Atlas takes hypothetical products as input. It then predicts their movement through the virtual system. These results give the scope of Altana products in the real-world consumer network.

Smith said that he looks forward to tackling the issue of purchase order financing in the supply chain. Altana has raised around $100 million to help researchers and developers add it to Atlas. Smith considers this a significant step in the future. All enterprises need this feature.

Mastercard aims to provide an option to reimburse debt instantly

Mastercard

Small businesses need an efficient cash flow. Freelance workers prefer to align with companies that can pay them with speed. Thus, Mastercard is pushing to incorporate real-time disbursements. It will help more companies provide quick payments. It will be an attractive feature for the customers.

The Senior Vice President of Mastercard, Debit, North America, is Vickie Van Meir. She stated in a press release that 170 million people received payments in 2021. 47% of those people would appreciate instant disbursements. Thus, Van Meir foresees a push for cashless transactions with instant debit. It is the most vital area of customer demand.

She stated that people prefer instant payments across various businesses. It includes freelance gigs, retail, hotels, eMarketplaces, and restaurants. Tipping and refunds are two quick transactions that need to be fast. Thus, enabling these options in a business will attract workers and consumers.

Van Meir said that Mastercard Debit Cards promise safety and security to users. It will reassure all payment parties because it is secure. Also, the payment is visible at once. It will lead to an increase in trust between businesses, employees, and customers.

She has also expressed that online gaming is a sector where instant payments are a necessity. Players tend to shy away from games that take 10 or more days to cash out the money that players have earned. Online gamers are an instant rewards-focused demographic, and push-to-debit cards can help.

Additionally, many SMBs (Small and Medium Businesses) lack a workforce. They do not have the technological capacity to manage a crowded pay cycle. Instant payments will help remove the pressure of accounting. It will help businesses improve their other aspects.

According to Van Meir, instant debit reimbursements can be payment management systems. It applies to SMBs. It relieves them from using manual labor to track payments and invoices. It allows freedom to earn and spend cash.

Van Meir aims to see instant Mastercard push-to-debit payments in all sectors. It is achievable within this decade. She has expressed the goal of a secure and quick digital environment.

Study reveals whether customers spend more on Amazon and Walmart

Amazon and Walmart

Amazon and Walmart are two corporate giants. They are in constant competition with customers in America. Both companies have attempted to gain an edge by entering the other’s market. Amazon started providing groceries, and Walmart acquired Jet.com for online shopping. PYMNTS has studied their growth and finalized who is in the lead.

Amazon’s demand increased a lot in Q2 and Q3 of 2022. It was when the lockdowns hit, and everyone started shopping online. PYMNTS has studied the two companies since 2018. PYMNTS states that Amazon is the clear winner of the race.

From Q1 2019 to Q4 2020, Amazon’s retail spending increased from 4.4% to 8.1% of its customer’s income. In contrast, Walmart went from 7.7% to 8.4% in the same duration. Thus, despite Walmart’s early lead, its growth rate is slow as more consumers turn to Amazon. Walmart’s customer spending dropped to 3% in Q2 2022.

Amazon and Walmart are close competitors for consumer retail spending. Yet, Amazon is the unquestioned leader in eCommerce. Its market share in Q2 2022 is 45%, while Walmart holds 5.4%. Amazon’s massive lead is due to its complete control over the products and delivery.

In Q2 2022, Amazon holds a 14% share of discretionary spending, while Walmart holds only 4.9%. The Prime Membership deals are a reason for this. Amazon has a superior range and customer review system in clothing and apparel. Thus, it holds 9.2% of the share, while Walmart holds 5.3%.

Amazon has now overcome Walmart in furniture spending. In Q1 2019, Amazon held 2% less than Walmart. Yet, it gained traction as more people opted for furniture shopping online. Amazon has 10% of the furniture spending in Q2 2022, while the other platform has 7.3%.

Amazon has always held a tremendous advantage over Walmart in electronic appliances. Amazon controls 21% of the market share, while Walmart holds 4.4% in Q2 2022. Walmart’s only lead in 2022 is 4.8% of health and personal care sales, while Amazon has 3.6%.

From Q2 2021 to Q2 2022, the platform had an 11.5% increase in total sales, while Walmart had an 8.1% growth. So, when it comes to the competition between the two platforms, Amazon is the clear winner. Walmart still has a long way to go.

Small businesses get advanced accounts from FinTechs

FinTechs

The economy is softening. SMBs (Small and Medium Businesses) must manage several avenues at the same time. For more efficiency, they are opting for enterprise-level systems. These systems control the financial aspects, and FinTechs are providing it to them.

SMBs are striving to improve their profits and finances. They will do so by developing clearer methodologies. They aim to analyze their incomes and expenses. Managing the procedures of payment and profit is also vital.

The CFO of Plastiq, Amir Jafari, gave a press release. He said SMBs are searching for a system to organize their management processes. He also stated that small businesses aim to enhance their profits.

Jafari continued to state that manual management of business finances is archaic. He considers them equal to opening an envelope or reading an invoice. In his opinion, automated payment processing is the foundation of any company. It needs to be more widespread among small businesses.

SMBs also demand more options for B2B (Business-to-Business) payment methods. It will, in turn, offer more payment options to the customers. They look forward to automated payment. It will lead to a smoother business flow and greater customer satisfaction.

Plastiq, the FinTechs company, provides this advanced system to small businesses. It helps companies better manage their billing, income, and payment procedures.

This system will aid any business in growing its capital. The company can incorporate new products. Increasing the number of products will lead to a broader customer base. The company can then match steps with bigger competitors. It can, thus, establish itself in the market.

At the time of the press release, Jafari stated that the following 18 months would be critical. Small businesses will grow with the help of enterprise-level software. It will help them in the current economic environment of inflation.

Recently, mega-corporations have achieved a monopoly over the marketplace. They have left smaller industries in the dust. FinTechs hopes to restore the balance by introducing their automated AP/AR system.

Lead of Amazon in Consumer Discretionary Spend is unchallenged

Amazon

Walmart and Amazon are on the top. These are the most powerful competitors when it comes to retail spending. The apps, mobile devices, and online payment tech made online shopping efficient. Physical shopping has become friction-filled. Consumers are looking for convenience. This made shopping a hybrid experience. It has blurred the line between online and physical commerce.

The retail giants are moving into one another’s forte. Amazon has moved into Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Amazon Subscribe & Save. Walmart moved into eCommerce. Both of them expanded into the retail-adjacent areas. To be more particular, it is the health and wellness sector.

Walmart and Amazon are establishing themselves as leaders. They are offering access to everyday needs. Also, these 2 brands are competing for the discretionary income of the consumers.

Inflation took a toll on customer spending for the essentials like healthcare products and groceries. Also, it impacted discretionary spending.

By the end of Q2 2022, Amazon accounted for consumer retail spending by 6.5%. It included 3.1% of the entire consumer spending. Walmart outperformed it with 7.1% consumer retention spending. The platform held 4.4% of consumer retail spending in Q1 2019. It increased in Q4 2020 and became 8.1%. Walmart held 7.7% of consumer retail spending in Q1 2019. It reached 8.4% in Q2 2020. In Q2 2022, Walmart’s share went to 7.1%.

Amazon holds 14% of discretionary spending. Walmart, on the other hand, only holds 4.9%. And it is taking the lead in every discretionary spending. It includes appliances and electronics, home furnishings, apparel, hobbies, music, etc. Amazon held a 14% share by Q2 2022. During the pandemic, it reached 17% in Q4 2020. But Walmart is losing its grounds in consumer discretionary spending. It held a 5.6% share in Q1 2019. And it went down to 4.9% by Q2 2022.

Amazon is coming up with the latest techniques and strategies to attract customers. It facilitates seamless service to the customers. Also, Walmart is all set for a comeback.

How to Be Promoted in a Tech Niche: 4 Steps to an Impeccable Resume

When looking for career advancement, it’s crucial to have a resume that specifies that goal but is also up for the challenge. That’s why we’ve made this article to give you some handy tips that you can use today to apply to your own career journey.

Speaking of resumes, perhaps you feel your skill at crafting one isn’t adequate enough, and career advancement is a huge move for you that might easily become overwhelming.

We have a solution for you. Most importantly, you can take advantage of it right now. Skillhub is a stellar resume service that connects you with professional writers who know the ins and outs of crafting a winning job application. They will use their knowledge of the modern job market realities and recruiter demands to craft a concise but impactful resume. So, you can invest in professional services to maximize your chances of getting that promotion.

And if you’d like to give it a try and create an impeccable resume for a tech niche on your own, keep reading.

Choose a Format

You already know that showcasing your skills and expertise is a must for the tech industry. This goes for projects as well. So, if you’re going from the junior to the middle level, a combination resume format might be your best pick. However, if you want to position yourself as a senior with years of relevant experience, you can use the reverse-chronological format.

Whatever you’re sending in for career advancement and upgrade, always tailor it to the job description. Assess the job post first before making a move. Assuming your resume passes the applicant tracking system filters and gets into the hands of the recruiters, we hope that you’ve refined it so that it:

  • is easy to read and has a smooth layout;
  • looks context-appropriate;
  • effectively demonstrates your experience and skill set.

One more tip: It’s best to tailor your resume to each application you send instead of using the same document over and over again. You don’t have to start from scratch. Keep the text; just make sure your format is appropriate. Have a template ready and switch to different resume formats if you need to.

Keep Your Voice Active

Don’t write in a generic and dull manner on your resume, and avoid using the passive voice. If you do notice such mistakes, be sure to rephrase and rewrite the text in the active voice. If you don’t know what this means, let’s go through it together. Look at this example:

Passive and vague: “Strong technical ability in Python. Showcased skills in Javascript…”

Active and precise: “Built full stack web app with Python to enable users to…”

Active voice means getting into details about your accomplishments, using quantifiable results, and being as specific as possible.

Pay Attention to Crucial Details

If you’re already looking to upgrade your position, then you should have a few substantial projects under your belt. For example, if you’re a programmer, you should include the following:

  • projects you’ve led or completed in your own time;
  • the duration of your work in each job position you’ve had;
  • awards and the date you obtained them;
  • accomplishments instead of work duties;
  • numbers and details that prove your competencies;
  • the list of software you’re proficient in.

By looking at all these components, the recruiter can get a full picture of your expertise and work history. It’s also important that you make your achievements tangible: the fewer questions one has when reading your resume, the better. This is a sure way to impress any recruiter.

Leverage Informational Interviews

By conducting informational interviews with professionals who are already in the field that you want, you can get valuable insights on how to climb the career ladder. So, network with the right people, and don’t be shy to seek advice. Here’re some questions you can ask.

  • What are the qualifications that I need to advance on this career path?
  • What qualities and skills are important to achieve success in this role?
  • Did you have a mentor to help you get promoted in this field?

Final Thoughts

Going out of your way to advance your career is not an easy feat, especially if you’re ambitious and working in a highly competitive industry. We hope this article will help you refine your resume to make you look perfect for the job you’re aiming for.

Whatever your desired position is, take the job hunt seriously and prepare a flawless application. Don’t leave room for mistakes: do your best to present a professional image with the right tools and a strong resume. If you follow our advice, your chances of landing a higher-paid role will skyrocket. So, don’t let it up to fate, and use your resources wisely. Then, strike when it’s hot and watch the result.

36% rise in Visa Direct Transactions with real time payments

real time payments

Visa’s Tap to Pay is still on top. It facilitates real time payments and quick payouts. It does things through Visa Direct. Payment volume has surged by 10% in the fiscal 4th quarter with the credit out-spacing debit. The debit volume increased 5% in the continuous currency to $1.4 trillion. The credit volume grew by 20% to $1.48 trillion.

The cross-border volumes were 49% high. The total number of cards in force increased by 9%. Debit cards increased by 10%. Credit cards grew by 7%. The merchant locations, like locations from payments facilitators, increased by 11%. It indicated network acceptance expansion. It is leading to better real time payments that are smooth and effortless.

The tokenized credentials grew 9% every year and are up 13%. The company sees tokenization as crucial to the ecosystem’s security. People expect it to have a positive impact on merchants and issuers when it comes to fraud.

The penetration of Tap to pay grew by 10%. And now, the total is 54% of the face-to-face transaction. However, it excludes Russia.

20 extra nations have helped with this. The tap-to-pay transactions have crossed the 1 billion transaction mark in the fiscal year. In the United States, Tap-to-Pay has generated over 1 billion tap transactions for the 1st time in July.

Visa logged about $1.5 trillion in payments volume for the entire year. In the 4th quarter, the B2B payments were about $400 billion. The focus is on card-based payments when it comes to B2B. Also, it includes accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cross-border payments.

Visa’s robust security added all such potential and offered peace of mind to the customers. It facilitates seamless real time payments. Satisfied customers love the services. This is the primary reason behind the growth.

People are putting their best efforts into coming up with the best tech to improve customer satisfaction. It will be the ultimate reason behind the growth and expansion of the company.

eCommerce and SaaS firms need automated solutions for non-payroll expenses

SaaS firms

Software-as-a-Service eCommerce providers have inadequate management over and visibility of their non-payroll spending. It leads to slow progress, errors, and losses. A survey revealed that 62% of CRM (Customer Resource Management) firms use a system for this. Yet, considering SaaS firms, only 32% of them own such a system.

The firms that do not have a system to manage non-payroll spending are attempting to acquire one. Airbase and PYMNTS arranged a collaboration. They assessed 225 knowledgeable executives at SaaS firms. The study took place between 18th May and 6th June 2022.

Their result was ‘Improving Financial Performance: How SaaS Firms Manage Non-Payroll Spend’.  The study outlined the benefits of a non-payroll cost management system.

The survey also concluded that most eCommerce companies use a spend management system. CRM and Project Management firms are in the lead, with around 95% of them using a system. Still, 90% of all firms need a clear idea of their non-payroll spending and complete control over it.

Solving the issues will reduce 11% of the financial losses of the firms. Additionally, Web Hosting firms can save more than the average values. They will reduce their losses by up to 15%.

Despite the popularity of a spend management system, CRM firms need more knowledge. They also need better control over the non-payroll spending before processing it. It is not possible yet, due to the complexities of manual analysis. 

AP (Accounts Payable) teams spend 18% of their time on manual tasks. It includes non-payroll payment management in eCommerce. 22% of all firms face visibility issues due to manual processing. SaaS firms are the most vulnerable to it.

Web Hosting AP teams spend 36% of their time taking care of non-payroll spending. As a result, 40% of these companies brought up issues with processing.

The report outlines these points. It solidifies why eCommerce firms need a non-payroll management system. It will overcome significant issues with the workforce and finances.

B2B payments sees a rise in innovation

B2B payments

B2B payments are one of the most important ways of transactions in the business world. Many institutions prefer this way of payment. Financial Institutions are also making their way to improve B2B payments. They want to bring speed and convenience when dealing with consumer transactions. This is what everyone desires when they make a payment.

Many firms are finding new ways to deal with problems related to B2B payments. Cards are easier to use. But they can be expensive. It creates a big gap. Many companies are using top banks for transactions. The banks then charge huge fees to make profits.

B2B payments create more difficulties when dealing with interchange and foreign exchange transactions. Customers are also fed up with these problems. Despite the digital age we live in, this field has not changed. The customers have shifted to other alternatives. That is why the usage of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is on the rise.

The finance field is now dominated by fintech. They are making use of the digital age to their advantage. Banks and other FIs need to change in this ever-changing world. They should work on how to innovate and compete. They should hop in on the fact that embedded finance is the key.

Qolo is a fintech firm. It works on the system of B2B payments. Patricia Montesi is the CEO of this firm. Qolo is working with many banks that are still stuck in their age-old system. Qolo is integrating its technology on top of the existing system. In this way, many banks and FIs can take advantage of the digital age. They can easily serve in the B2b payments market.

The CEO of Qolo, Montesi, was overcome saw when she saw the success of Qolo. The banks and FIs were looking for a solution. When Qolo announced a solution for B2B payments, they jumped right in. She also says that despite the advantages, Payments also have some disadvantages. We must recognize the disadvantages and move carefully.

Interview with Michelle Bacharach from FindMine

Team eCommerce Next interviewed Michelle Bacharach from FindMine to get more insights on AI/ML, Personalization. Following is our interview with her:

Can you tell us about how the technology/AI of FindMine works?

FindMine uses Machine Learning to essentially train the system to act like a new marketing or merchandising team member.

Think of how you’d train a new team member at a brand or retailer: share with them the vision of the brand, some guidelines, show them past examples of marketing content or campaigns, share what KPIs are important, what the customer is like, what you WANT the customer to be like, etc. and then have the new employee go make an email campaign to review together with the boss, iterate and then eventually the training period is over and that person can be “hive mind” with the brand and produce email content or whatever their job is without oversight).

FindMine follows that exact same process, but instead of training one individual person, it’s training an entire engine that can then produce content at the same quality but at 10000x the pace.

The human merchants and marketers are the creative directors driving the system’s direction and are an integral part of the equation – without the (limited) amount of content that the creatives in the brand already produce, the system wouldn’t know what is “on brand”. The problem is that the creative teams, merchandisers, marketers in the organization are human so they cannot be everywhere at once and have to leave opportunities untapped because they cannot possibly create enough content for every product, for every customer, for every channel. So FindMine’s system picks up where they leave off, creating inspirational shoppable content for everything they didn’t have time to get to, and casting them in the role of creative director vs. producer.

What are some ways brands can enhance the customer shopping experience online and increase loyalty (and, in turn, grow shopping carts?)

Brands have a unique position with respect to consumers – they are experts whereas the consumers are not. Share that expertise anywhere and everywhere you can and improve loyalty as well as short term revenue dramatically. We studied over 200 retailer and brand’s sites and found that there’s a huge correlation between the amount of inspirational, shoppable content that is shown in the ecommerce environment and KPIs like bounce rate, time on site, and pageviews/visit. The results were clear: the more of this expert content the better the KPIs. Our own customers’ experience with FindMine reflects that as well: they all have higher CLTV from their consumer after adding FindMine to their suite because FindMine increases 100x+ the amount of this inspirational content.

How does FindMine meet a market need for retail/e-commerce?

The market has been so focused on personalization and rightly so, but has overemphasized understanding the customer (first party data) and building the pipes to have a 1:1 conversation with that customer, to the detriment of  the third and most important piece of the puzzle – the conversation itself. If the brand has 50,000 unique, fine-grained customer segments and the ability to individually target each, but Marketing says, “OK! Here are the 5 assets that are brand-approved that you can send out!”), the brand only has FIVE SEGMENTS! The lack of immediately composable content that accounts for all the possible variety needed to fill those 50K segments is a huge miss in this market. That’s the need FindMine fills, and FindMine is an integral component of the overall success of the personalization investments brands and retailers are making. Without FindMine, any investment in the first two pieces of the personalization puzzle are completely wasted.

What do you envision for the future of FindMine? Any specific goals in mind?

As the industry moves toward more synthetic rendering media (e.g, CGI models, AR/VR, 3D rendered products) FindMine stands ready to create unique and powerful assets that tell the story of the brand and meaningfully drive product sales. I wish the industry would adopt these underlying rendering media sooner because there’s such a transformative customer experience possible with that level of quick content production!

About Michelle Bacharach

Michelle Bacharach is CEO and Co-Founder of FindMine, an award-winning content engine that uses machine learning to scale content curation for the world’s top retailers. As a product and strategy expert, Michelle is experienced in growing companies by launching software, apps and websites to millions of people, putting together joint ventures, and conceiving of new products. She has an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!), where she wrote her honors thesis on managing innovation in multinational organizations.

About FindMine

Privately held and headquartered in New York, venture-backed FindMine is the leader in AI powered dynamic content creation for brands. FindMine’s content engine guides online
shoppers with dynamic shoppable content (editorial-themed pages, style guides, Complete the Look and more) that increase key sales KPIs across e-commerce, email, ads and social media, as well as in-store applications. FindMine works with top retailers and brands such as Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Rogers, adidas, Destination XL, Perry Ellis and many more.

Inflation is winning the race instead of income

inflation

The economy of the whole world is dwindling, with inflation on the rise. First, the pandemic brought a wave of destruction. There was a great loss of life. Subsequent lockdowns and restrictions also brought the economy to its knees. The loss of life leads to the reduction of GDPs all over the world.

The Russia-Ukraine war divided the West and the East. Russia and its allies are trying to force economic restrictions. They are doing it by making energy resources expensive. The West is imposing sanctions on Russia. It is, in turn leading to more inflation.

The common people are stuck in this chaos. Inflation is annihilating the household budget of the common man and woman. The freedom to choose and buy whatever you can is going away. The budgets are getting stricter due to inflation. The common household is chasing discounts. Those who can’t chase discounts are chasing less quality but cheap goods.

The goal is to save as much as possible. The United States is one of the biggest economies in the world. If the US faces any financial challenge, the world is bound to face it. The US houses around 70 million consumers. They believe that the doom of the recession is upon us. This came from a PYMNTS study conducted among 2632 customers in the US.

The data around this inflation is quite staggering. 87 percent of customers in the US have confirmed that their incomes are not rising. The rise itself is not enough to meet the demands of inflation. 87 percent is a very big number. Just imagine 87 percent of 70 million is 60.9 million consumers.

These 60.9 million customers will lower their spending. There will be no things bought without a strong purpose. They will switch to lower quality goods and more discounts. This whole phenomenon is in itself a universal pay cut. We don’t know when the situation will change for the better.

Mobile check deposit is the favorite among fraudsters

mobile check

There were big calls to remove the paper check system. But despite many financial instabilities, this method stood the test of time. It is still very popular for mass disbursement. Fraudsters love this mobile check method as it helps them drive their households.

Mobile check fraud is thriving under our noses. Some banking tools even assist fraudsters in this case. This fraud is also doubling every two years. This is a grave concern for the concerned people. The real cause behind this is the shift to the online world. Fraudsters are free to steal their data lying open in the online world.

If you look around yourself, you feel that physical checks are extinct. But they are still among the favorites. They amount to billions of dollars of transactions between companies and consumers. This has also gone further change with time. Now, we have remote deposit capture.

This only increases complexity for both the users and the bank. This is a more helpful situation for fraudsters and organized systems. Not only is mobile check increasing fraud but bringing in new ideas for it as well. There should be a way to control it.

The mobile check and remote capture are two different methods. Banks believe they hold money for different periods for both of these. The procedure for clearing or depositing money is also different sometimes. Because of this, banks feel that they are fraud safe. But they are not. Fraudsters do their work, and it gets late when banks notice it.

The fraud is also complemented by the different quality checks. They are fake checks, stolen, and counterfeit checks. The frauds happen in safeguarded banking spaces with these cheques. The problem is quite real. Many organizations are trying to solve it as well.

The goal is to stop being reactive to these frauds. The fraudsters are like chameleons. They change their color as per the situations they are in. The banks should go one step ahead and stop them. The banks should also stop the flow of fake checks in the system.

Apple Pay captures the market of digital payments

Apple Pay

Apple launches Apple Pay today. The project is an ambitious vision to change the digital payments industry. Apple pay will be strict on payment mobility and security.

This project is revolutionizing ideas. The company promises to replace cards at the point of sale with digitally enabled wallets. These wallets will be in their Apple phones, better called i-Phone. Apple pay thus will be a convenient option for everyone.

The reports suggest that more than three-quarters of almost all retailers in the United States will accept payment through Apple Pay. Now before this comes the question of iPhone users. So nearly half of the mobile users in the United States are iPhone users.

To conduct a conclusive study, Analysts conduct many surveys among smartphone users. The criteria for the in-store transaction and other payment references are also in consideration.

The conclusion in all surveys comes out that Apple Pay has a lead over all other mobile wallets in most in-store payments in the United States. However, its share of all in-store transactions remains comparatively low and negligible.

In the third quarter of 2022, it captures nearly 44% of all in-store mobile wallet transactions. Thus it becomes the dominant player in the market. In this race, Google pay secures 15% of transactions in mobile wallet checkouts.

Another interesting finding of the project is that the trendsetters account for 9.3% of Apple Pay users in-store. The consumers are mostly from a high-income section of people. They are mostly people older than the middle-aged population.

The best point for the service providers is that the product is a preferred choice for more than half of the population. On top of that, Apple Pay enjoys the trust of all sections and age groups of people.

Tech-connected consumers use this app for 3.5% of their in-person transactions. The company currently explores the features that are receiving good responses in the market.

It is surely one of the highest grocers. The project is receiving good responses among all three age groups of people.

Digital payments paving the way for content creators

digital payments

Social media is now revolutionizing the world of businesses, the freelancing community, and content creators. In the past, content creators found it difficult to find an audience. But now, digital payments and social media marketing make the work a little easier.

Today social media allows freelancers, content creators, and remote workers to shine. Not only in terms of building confidence but also in preparing an audience base.

Now the major issue is helping these pseudo-professionals to get the remuneration they deserve. Whenever a creator wins over a good audience, many firms help them get paid through digital payments.

The recent advancement of Visa’s entry into the creator economy payments game takes the game to a whole different level. Everyone now has their eye on the Visa Ready Creator Commerce program.

The monetizing of the creator economy through digital payments becomes super convenient. Analysts now see content creators as small businesses. They call them “the sole proprietorships of this generation”. The best to uplift them is through digital payments made more accessible.

Data shows that Social Commerce which is mostly a creator-driven firm, will grow to $1.2 trillion by 2025. Esports claim that content creators in the United States make approximately $60,000 a year. It will be surprising to note, but this is close to the national median income.

The fact is that content creators earn more than we expect them to. They globally earn nearly six-figure numbers. They are doing all this while being at home and working from the ease of their place.

Social networks can be incremented through digital payments. If we believe the reports, social network projects will scale up to $1 trillion in the next couple of years.

Now, this growth will receive acceleration with technical advancements in the digital payments section. By making the whole project and system more inclusive and accommodating.

The project launch Visa is working with a company called SamCart. This is an eCommerce platform that focuses on creators.

Fintech might need a developmental change to game-up

Fintech

The fast-growing business world has made a lot of things very easy for different ferns and techniques. Today almost every company runs a parallel Application programming interface. They have updated tech infrastructure, indulge in many Fintech, etc.

The embedded payments system is another option for companies. Fintech currently finds itself in a really difficult and confusing spot. They are hitting difficult speed bumps. Even the time factor plays a very important role.

Fintechs control around $75 billion in deposits. This is a very tiny drop because there are around $20 trillion in total deposits in the United States.

The growth rate is very heady. At the end of the year, Fintech had $50 billion. The APIs in the market are copies. 39% of people prefer digital banking as their primary bank. And only half of them are willing to change their ways.

The suggestion comes that the fintech and neobanks must collaborate. Their function and services will be better if they collaborate. The idea is that banks not only offer checking accounts or earned wages services. Having a bank charter is not enough, either.

For digital enterprises to work, SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) can work and manage commercial applications too. The fact is Schedule management, vendors, and payments are all interconnected. A client looks for all this in his bank services.

Banks are not only providers but are the operating system for their business. In the United States, there are around ten thousand deposit institutions. But there are not many software companies that manage the whereabouts of such sites job.

This becomes the winning point for many digital firms. The digitally savvy upstarts can turn the table towards them. In comparison to the local commercial bank, the digital bank will have an edge.

This is because they can never offer a specialized, customer-oriented business function for the customers. But the good thing is banks are better at risk management. Fintech was different than the normal bank setup.