Last year alone, around 7.3 million women, infants, and children benefited from WIC’s supplemental nutrition program, which means that a significant number of food purchases made in the U.S. are paid for with WIC paper vouchers. However, this paper voucher system is now undergoing an upgrade to a new electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system, also known as eWIC (electronic WIC). Here’s what merchants need to know about the upgrade to eWIC:

With summer on its way, you’re probably dreaming of a day at the beach or planning your next vacation. But, don’t forget about a very important deadline coming up: starting on June 30th, merchants will need to be fully migrated to Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.1 or higher, in accordance with the Payment Card Industry’s (PCI) standards. Here’s what you need to know.

The vast majority of merchants are familiar with the Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), and they even understand why it’s so important to be PCI compliant. But when it comes to actually becoming and maintaining PCI compliance, many merchants find themselves feeling overwhelmed and confused. The path to PCI compliance can be complicated, requiring the merchant to familiarize themselves with the various requirements, and then implementing practical solutions to meet these requirements. To help you get oriented with this process, here’s a quick 5-step guide to PCI compliance:

The checkout process just got a little bit faster! As of April 14th, all four major card issuers- American Express, Visa, Discover, and MasterCard- have eliminated the requirement for cardholder signatures at checkout. While in the past, the customer signature played a big role in preventing fraud and transaction disputes, it has become largely unnecessary due to security advances.

Now that you have a better understanding of the importance of building an email list, it’s time to to take a look at some of the best ways to go about it. Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to amp up your existing efforts, these tips will be sure to put you on the right track.

You’ve probably heard it said before that your success lies in the size of your network. And for merchants, this couldn’t be more true. By creating and maintaining relationships with current and potential clients, you can successfully build loyalty and sales. And fortunately, one of the most effective ways to develop strong relationships is also the easiest: email marketing. Here are 5 reasons why building an email list for business-to-consumer communications is so important for your bottom-line.

In our last blog post, we explained frictionless technology and how it has been making waves recently. Now, we are going to discuss some practical ways that smaller businesses can implement friction-reducing techniques to keep up with the changing face of retail.

The shopping experience, whether it be in-store or online, centers on providing the customer with value- both in terms of the actual product or service, as well as the interaction as a whole. More than ever, retailers are realizing that in order to create this positive experience, they need to eliminate any unnecessary steps in the checkout process. This approach is known as frictionless shopping, and it is disrupting the retail environment more than ever because of recent technological advances. Keep reading to learn more about frictionless shopping- and see why it matters so much.

On December 22nd of 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law after winning approval from the Senate. The tax reform has since received mixed reviews: while the White House forecasts that its tax cuts for corporations will increase the average household income and grow the economy, many disagree with this premise. Regardless of who’s right, though, the tax reform is sure to have a big effect on businesses. Here’s a quick overview of how it will most likely affect merchants, and specifically, for whom the changes will be most advantageous.

Online retail giant Amazon.com had a record-breaking 2017, spurred on by both new initiatives and long-standing practices that have been effective in targeting consumer interests. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods slashed prices on groceries to the delight of health conscious customers everywhere. The company tapped into increasing interest in voice recognition technology by rolling out Amazon Echo devices, which became a top seller during the holiday season. And, Amazon Prime membership rates reached new levels this past year, revealing how much shoppers value quick and cheap online shipping options.

In the face of Amazon’s tremendous growth, it’s easy for retailers to despair. However, while it’s true that Amazon has advantages over other merchants -and especially e-commerce merchants- it also has its drawbacks. Here are several ways you can maintain a competitive edge over Amazon: