For many years, people have been predicting that cash will disappear. With the majority of U.S. and Canadian consumers reporting to use cash at least some of the time, though, it’s unlikely that cash will ever be eliminated completely, at least in the near future. However, as consumers’ interests change and technology advances, it’s becoming clear that the public is quickly preferring the ease of card or digital options when making payments, and in fact, 20% of people report that they no longer even carry cash.

Millennials have major spending power. They are spending $600 billion per year, and by 2020 they’re expected to make up 30% of all retail sales. With that in mind, it’s important to consider what millennials’ spending preferences are.

Clover is not your standard card processing terminal. Its sleek and compact design is a modern interpretation of terminals of the past, and will instantly modernize any storefront. Equipped with capabilities that extend far beyond processing transactions, Clover’s all-in-one terminal and POS system is perfect for small business owners who are juggling a variety of responsibilities with limited time and resources. Rather than switching between many software systems or even outsourcing, Clover’s technology can be customized from a selection of over 200 apps that will help manage employees, track inventory, and provide business analytics. Clover is doing for small business owners what the smartphone has done for everyone else- organizing life’s many facets into integrated technology at our fingertips.

Sometimes, all you need is some extra capital. Fundomate makes getting an unsecured, uncollateralized business loan simple.
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Fidelity has partnered with Fundomate to bring the advantages of simple loans to business owners like you.

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Every now and then you come across an online tool that is so useful, you want to shout about it from a rooftop – or a blog post.

We all use PDF documents during the course of a day, but it can be frustrating to make changes to PDF documents.

PDFescape is a free online tool and is the answer to all your PDF editing needs! Some of the most popular uses are:

While many businesses and organizations accept payments online, a significant amount of sales are still done the old-fashioned way – by phone. But manually staffing phone lines means there will inevitably be lost revenue, due to high call volume and when the office is closed.

With a pay-by-phone solution, you can accept payments around the clock through an automated system. Utilizing IVR (Interactive Voice Response) technology that is fully customizable, the system will guide callers through the available options, and securely process credit card payments in live time. And that is just the start.

Fidelity offers the most cost-effective Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solution that enables automated phone payments. Our Pay-By-Phone service offers a powerful, yet easy-to-use system that is available around the clock, and has many benefits for businesses and nonprofits.  To illustrate, a charity running a raffle fundraiser can offer donors a hotline. Callers will hear a pre-recorded welcome message and be presented with the following flow:

While the world moves towards a more digitized society, research shows that brick and mortar retail is not going away either. According to the United States Census Bureau, 90 percent of retail’s transaction value is spent at physical stores. Additionally, a study conducted by Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Institute found that 70 percent of consumers want to experience touching and feeling products before purchase. While digital has transformed retailed in many ways, it seems that in-person retail is here to stay.

However, while customers prefer to make the purchase in-store, there are still many functions of brand recognition and the product decision-making process that happen online.  Research by SharkNinja describes the processes that occur online and offline. By understanding where processes usually occur, companies can anticipate consumer needs and draw them all the way through the pipeline to closing the sale and beyond.

The Attack

“Wannacry” was a recent ransomware attack that victimized hundreds of thousands of merchants globally.  It exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft operating systems, which has since been resolved although the malware continues to spread through retailers systems via two methods:

• The ransomware is disguised as an email attachment, which attacks the system when a user opens and downloads it.
• A worm on a system that was already infected looks for other systems vulnerable to the attack and targets them.

The effects of this attack were devastating for the infected merchants in terms of financial loss, reduced consumer trust and the loss of confidential data. All merchants, whether or not they were targets of the attack, can benefit from adopting security measures and best practices to protect their sensitive information and bolster their systems against potential threats in the future.

Mobile pay is going to become the new way to pay. Consumers, especially those under 35 years old, appreciate the convenience and speed of paying with a phone. With over three-quarters of the US using smartphones, 77 percent to be exact, consumers rely on their phones more than ever for the completion of day-to-day tasks. While a person may not always carry a credit card or cash on them, you can be sure that they have their phone in their pocket or hand. Mobile payment acceptance is an important and forward-thinking strategy for business growth today.

Several distinct benefits come as a result of mobile payments. The first tier of advantages come with all near-field communication (NFC) payment acceptance, such as Apple Pay. The next level is for those companies that choose to invest in the creation of a mobile app.

“Unified Commerce” is the new buzzword of retail. Simply put, it means that consumers want their in-store and online transactions to flow seamlessly. According to a new survey by Ayden, in-store experiences are still vital to consumers, but they would like them to complement their activities online. In fact, 63 percent of the 2,000 participants said that they would spend more if services were delivered to them such as: buy online and return in-store, mobile payments, payment method recall, and seamless transaction lookup.

How can a corner store compete against the new Kroger built just blocks away? Is it possible for a boutique clothing store to compete with the local mall? The challenge for small businesses competing with corporate chains seems insurmountable. Larger businesses have broader product offerings and deeper budgets for marketing and infrastructure. However, small businesses can differentiate themselves by meeting two important consumer needs: personalization and security, according to new research conducted by PYMNTS.com.