Masterpass speeds checkout for Costco shoppers in Canada

Mastercard announced that Masterpass will be live in the coming weeks at Costco.ca for Canadian shoppers. Costco joins a rapidly expanding roster of online merchants including Air Canada, Joe Fresh, Pizza Pizza, Indigo, Landmark Cinemas and London Drugs offering fast, easy and secure digital payment with Masterpass. “Canadians are increasingly shopping online and expect an

Total and Worldline Partner with African Fintech InTouch to Support Deployment of Guichet Unique, an Innovative Digital Solution for Retail Networks

Total and Worldline signed binding technological, commercial and financing agreements with African fintech InTouch. Under the agreements, Total and Worldline will support the deployment of the Guichet Unique solution in eight African countries — Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, the Republic of Guinea and Senegal. Guichet Unique provides retail networks with a

Prime Members Enjoyed Biggest Global Shopping Event in Amazon History

On a day with incredible deals reserved exclusively for Prime members, sales on July 11 surpassed Black Friday and Cyber Monday, making it the biggest day ever in Amazon history. With hundreds of thousands of deals, this year’s Prime Day was too big for 24 hours – so Prime members had 30 hours to shop.

6th CEM Africa Summit To Take Place In Cape Town This August

ABC-CEM

The largest Customer Experience Management Summit in Africa will take place on the 16th and 17th of August 2017 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town. Now in its 6th year, the summit has grown exponentially, already showing a 35% increase in attendees on 2016’s event. With swift advancements in technology, industries need

Walgreens Boots Alliance Enters into Agreement with Rite Aid to Buy 2,186 Rite Aid Stores and Related Assets

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.,announced a new definitive agreement with Rite Aid Corporation under which Walgreens Boots Alliance will purchase 2,186 stores, three distribution centers and related inventory from Rite Aid. The consideration for the transaction will be $5.175 billion in cash, the assumption by Walgreens Boots Alliance of the related real estate leases and the

Jumia Nigeria Celebrates 5th Anniversary and Re-states Commitment to Nigerian Market

Foremost ecommerce retailer, Jumia Nigeria has hit the five-year mark in Nigeria and is celebrating with its customers, employees and partners in the #YouMakeUsJumia campaign. Jumia is throwing a Super Birthday Sale with up to 70% discounts on Jumia.com.ng. In addition to the online promotion, the #YouMakeUsJumia campaign includes live street parties around Nigeria and

TransferTo and MallforAfrica Team Up To Accelerate Digital Payments And Connect Africa To The e-Commerce World

TransferTo, a global B2B Cross-Border Mobile Payments Network, has partnered up with MallforAfrica (MFA), an award-winning global e-commerce platform, to offer shoppers living in Africa with direct online access to over 200 major retailers across Europe and the USA. Over the last few years, e-commerce has been growing in popularity across Africa. According to McKinsey,

Digital Retail Wallet: 5 Reasons It Makes Sense

The retail landscape is evolving rapidly as emerging technologies and trends are changing expectations of the in-store experience. As retailers look to find their place in this brave new world, many are now seeing payments as an opportunity. With 92% of US retailers expecting to maintain or increase investment in payments over the next 12-18

National Credit Regulator Refers Foschini Retail Group (Pty) Ltd To The National Consumer Tribunal For Breach Of The National Credit Act

The National Credit Regulator (NCR) has announced that it has referred Foschini Retail Group (Pty) (Foschini) to the National Consumer Tribunal (Tribunal) following an investigation by the NCR which revealed Foschini has charged consumers a club fee on credit agreements. The club fee charged by Foschini is reflected in consumers’ credit agreements. The charging of

ICT Retail Spend In SA Is On The Increase, Despite A Struggling Economy

Despite economic pressures, investment by the South African retail sector into information and communication technologies (ICT) seems to be holding steady. New analysis by Frost & Sullivan titled “ICT Enterprise Spend in Retail, South Africa, Forecast to 2019” shows that cloud-based services, managed services and cellular connectivity are expected to represent close to ZAR1.8 billion

Carrefour Banque Offers Instant Activation Of New C-zam Account With Gemalto Digital PIN

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, is supplying Market Pay, a payment institution wholly-owned by Carrefour Group, with payment cards and a Digital PIN solution for C-zam. This new ‘boxed’ account is available on the shelves of over 3,000 Carrefour French retail stores since 18 April. Once the account has been opened, the card’s

Magento Commerce Announces Record Growth in Europe

Magento, the worldwide leader in cloud digital commerce innovation, announced significant growth and adoption of its next generation cloud platform and solutions across Europe. The record-breaking year includes significant growth in its flagship platform with 42% year over year growth in new license revenues in Europe. The company’s impressive momentum is a product of its

Nanopay Introduces Self-Service MintChip Retail Payment Platform For Canadian Merchants

nanopay Corporation, a secure, real-time payments platform provider, unveils Canada-wide availability of its new self-service MintChip Retail Payment Platform. The nanopay platform enables merchants to accept digital cash (in Canadian Dollars), which delivers all the benefits of traditional cash at a fraction of the cost of existing payment options, without charge-backs or fear of counterfeit

Walgreens Showing Mobile Apps Aren’t Just for Millennials

The Walgreens mobile app, already one of the most popular retailer apps in the marketplace with tens of millions of users nationwide, has garnered a particularly robust following among older Americans — a demographic rarely associated with mobile app adoption. Walgreens data show more than 20 percent of its app users are age 55 and

How to Use Technology in the Retail Sector

We’re talking about the future potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), augmented reality, and automated drone delivery. We’re talking about beacons and smart mirrors and geolocation services. But really, the retail technology conversation needs to be happening at a more practical and immediate level. In South Africa, the bulk of purchasing power is in the hands

First Data Launches New Merchant Solution to Prevent Fraud Across All Commerce Channels

First Data, a global leader in commerce-enabling technology, announced the launch of Fraud Detect, a comprehensive fraud solution for merchants around the world. Fraud Detect leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning, fraud scoring, cybersecurity intelligence, and information from the Dark Web to provide merchants with the capability to detect fraudulent in-store, at the pump, online,

Wirecard Turkey Enables Payment For Nationwide E-commerce Platform Startsub

Wirecard Turkey, a subsidiary of the German based Wirecard AG which is a leading company for payment and internet technology, is now collaborating with Startsup, the operator of Aydanaya.com and the first company in Turkey to offer subscription-based e-commerce services and goods under a single roof. While making regular purchases that appeal to their taste

New Research Shows NCR Leads In Self-Checkout And EPOS Technology

NCR Corporation leads the world in self-checkout (SCO), according to research published by strategic research and consulting firm RBR. According to RBR, NCR has been the overall market leader since 2003 and maintains its dominant position within the SCO market with 73 percent global shipment share in 2016. According to RBR’s “Global EPOS and Self-Checkout

PayU Moves To Connect Businesses To N200bn Online Payment Market

PayU  has rolled out strategies to intensify efforts to connect businesses to Nigeria’s online payment market. Annual online payments in Nigeria is estimated to surpass N200 billion this year from N167 billion in 2016. Country Manager of PayU Nigeria, Ms Juliet Nwanguma, says, “In order to pursue PayU’s aggressive expansion in the online payment market

Wirecard Checkout Portal Expanded To Include Shipping Tool SendCloud

Comprehensive shipping services for retailers including a multi-carrier solution SendCloud, a tool for the optimisation of shipping processes, is a new cooperative partner of the Wirecard Checkout Portal. The shipping tool reflects the trend which has seen many consumers demand increased flexibility and customisation in the field of online shopping. This also applies to shipping

The Six Big Trends In Retail Payments

Every month, South African retailers receive billions of Rands in payments from their customers. Behind the scenes, payments technology plays a critical role at retailers, ensuring a fast and smooth shopping experience. It’s a crucial part of our financial backbone that most consumers take little notice of despite interacting with it daily at stores, online

Delivering Cashless E-commerce In Africa

Africa’s online retail sector presents an exciting opportunity for retailers to grow their businesses by connecting with new customers. According to Jumia, Africa’s number one online retailer, the e-commerce sector must focus on delivering a stronger consumer experience if it is to reach its full potential of developing into a $50 billion industry by 2018.

SACSC Research Conference Delivers Insights

Consumer, technology, trends and the future of South African retail were the pillars that made up the 2017 South African Council of Shopping Centre’s (SACSC) Research Conference. The conference, which is in its seventh year, saw more than 200 delegates who represent the country’s most respected companies and brands, in attendance. The conference highlighted the

Consumer Aspirations Affect Retail

The concept of ‘aspirations’ is not easily defined as each person has their own definition and understanding of the term. However, general consensus points towards improving one’s current state of living and improving the way one lives his or her life as the general definition. With the rapidly emerging black middle-class, consumer aspirations have become

Woolworths Launches Mobile Order, Pay And Collect With wiGroup

New mCommerce platform enables mobile order and pay in retail stores by leveraging existing infrastructure. South Africa’s hyper-competitive hospitality and quick-service restaurant industry has just received a shake-up with the launch of Woolworths’ innovative NOW NOW concept, powered by mobile transacting technology specialists wiGroup. NOW NOW is built on a new mcommerce solution developed by

Tesco Gives Customers Greater Flexibility With New Monthly Delivery Saver Plans

Tesco has announced it has extended Delivery Saver, its subscription service for online orders, introducing monthly membership plans. The new monthly plans offer customers the benefits and flexibility of Delivery Saver without having to commit to a six month or yearly plan. Customers can save up to £20 a month on a monthly plan* and

Walmart Slashes Prices Again on Domestic Money Transfers While Launching Mobile Money Sending Platform

Three years ago, Walmart introduced its groundbreaking money transfer service, Walmart2Walmart Powered by Ria, with the goal of bringing customers dramatically lower costs and a simpler money transfer experience. Since that time, Walmart’s customers have enjoyed nearly half a billion dollars in fee savings through using this service, putting more hard-earned money back into their

Release of Card Fraud Stats 2016

The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), on behalf of the banking industry has released its Card Fraud Stats for 2016, which reflects an overall increase in card fraud for 2016. Credit card fraud increased by 13% from R331.4m in 2015 to R374.4m in 2016, with debit card fraud increasing by 3.1% for the

SA eCommerce Merchants And Shoppers Receive Financing Boost

South African eCommerce merchants can now finance their businesses easily and shoppers can make purchases on credit just as easily. This is the result of two collaborations entered into by PayU, SA’s largest online payment gateway. The collaborations, with leading merchant financing company, Lulalend, and consumer credit provider, Mobicred, are set to boost an eCommerce

Mastercard Unveils Next Generation Biometric Card

Mastercard unveiled the next generation biometric card, combining chip technology with fingerprints to conveniently and safely verify the cardholder’s identity for in-store purchases. South Africa is the first market to test the evolved technology, with two separate trials recently concluded with Pick n Pay, a leading supermarket retailer, and Absa Bank, a subsidiary of Barclays

Visa Launches Enhanced Transaction Data for Amazon Business Customers in the U.S.

Visa Inc, has become the first card network to enable participating issuers to provide their U.S. commercial accountholders a comprehensive view of their Amazon Business purchases. The new enhanced transaction data functionality, initially available to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi and PNC Bank, N.A., U.S. commercial accountholders through Amazon Business, provides full line-item details on Amazon

PCI Security Standards Council to Create Associate Qualified Security Assessor Certification

The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) announced at the PCI Middle East and Africa Forum, plans to evolve the PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) program to attract new cyber talent globally and ensure its sustainability and quality in a changing payment environment. The initiative will be rolled out in phases, beginning in 2017 with

J.C. Penney, Sears and Kmart Store Closings the Latest Casualty as Amazon Continues to Dominate Retail Sphere

 News outlets are taking notice of J.C. Penney, but locally-owned small businesses – the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” have been dealing with everything from big box stores to e-commerce. In the wake of 138 store closings announced by J.C. Penney plus another 150 Sears and Kmarts — most in small cities — national

Woolworths Holdings Announces Results For Second Half of 2016

Despite difficult trading conditions in both South Africa and Australia, Group sales increased by 6.7% to R37.8 billion, and profit before tax increased 37.9% following the sale by David Jones of its Market Street property in Sydney for a profit of A$172 million (R1762 million). Adjusted diluted headline earnings per share (adHEPS) declined by 2.4%

Tesco Extends Same Day Grocery Click and Collect Service

Tesco has announced it is extending its Same Day Click and Collect service, allowing customers to pick up their online groceries more quickly and easily than ever before. Customers can now order an unlimited number of items before 9am and book a two hour window to collect their groceries from midday onwards. This new slot

The Future of Payments: Making Payments Invisible

The customer journey has changed. As digital technology becomes ubiquitous in our everyday lives the way we discover, browse, select, and pay for goods and services continues to evolve. Multi-channel and omni-channel solutions are allowing customer to initiate the customer journey in one channel and complete it in another. This is causing new retail sales

Tesco Announces Changes To Improve The Shopping Trip In Express Stores

Tesco has announced changes to the way it runs its Express convenience stores, as it continues to improve the shopping trip for its customers and simplify its business. The changes follow a successful trial in a number of its Express stores and will increase the overall number of colleagues serving customers. The changes focus on

Walmart Announces New Capabilities in the Walmart App including “Express Lanes” for Faster Shopping

For customers, time is money. To help customers save this new form of currency, Walmart announced new capabilities in the Walmart app that create a faster, easier and more convenient experience for Pharmacy and Money Services customers. Along with these expanded app features, Walmart will create a new store experience that allows customers to skip

The Style Group Innovates Social Retail in Nigeria

The Style Group, a contemporary lifestyle retail group in Nigeria, is leapfrogging the brick-and-mortar sales of fashion, accessories and design services and instead focuses on offering them via modern social media commerce. In the booming social media and eCommerce market of Nigeria, The Style Group’s model is a hit and reaching thousands of Nigerians eager

Organizations Wasting Billions on Customer Loyalty Programs According to Accenture

Organizations are wasting billions of dollars each year on customer loyalty programs that don’t work like they used to, according to new research from Accenture Strategy. With millions of loyalty points sitting dormant and the majority of U.S. consumers (78 percent) retracting loyalty at profit-crushing rates, organizations must pay attention to the new factors driving

Helping Attract More Top Female Engineers To The FMCG Sector

Unilever is running a series of events around the world to raise the profile of engineering careers with students who will be entering the industry in the next two years. Working towards gender balance The idea is to excite and educate students about jobs in the FMCG industry, in particular bringing alive the differentiators –

PCI Security Standards Council Issues Best Practices For Securing E-Commerce

Exponential online sales growth paired with the EMV chip migration in the US makes e-commerce payment security for merchants more important than ever before. As EMV chip technology continues to reduce face-to-face credit card fraud, the shift to ecommerce security becomes increasingly important to businesses large and small. To help merchants shore up their ecommerce

Walmart Launches Free Two-Day Shipping on More Than Two Million Items, No Membership Required

Walmart announced free two-day shipping to home and stores on more than two million items, without a membership fee. The new offer is available starting at 8 a.m. EST today. With this announcement, Walmart has also lowered the minimum purchase required for free shipping to home to $35, from $50. Items being shipped to stores continue to

The Impact of Diaspora Remittances on Health, Education and Enterprise in Africa

Diaspora remittances, money transfers by migrants to their region or country of origin, are becoming increasingly important to the economies of a number of African countries. In Nigeria for example, remittances of about US$35 billion were expected in the last year. Diaspora remittances are the second biggest source of foreign exchange for Nigeria, and according

Masscash Subsidiary Cambridge Food Completes Arch Retail-SAP Integration

Spinnaker Software is proud to celebrate its long-standing relationship with Cambridge Food, a subsidiary of Masscash South Africa, and to announce the completion of a comprehensive integration to its SAP ERP system. The solution comprises Spinnaker’s tried and tested Arch Retail system, which offers comprehensive functionalities for managing the various departments found in typical full-service supermarkets,

Merger between Amdec Investments Culemborg Investment Properties approved

The Competition Tribunal has approved the merger between Amdec and Culemborg Investment Properties, a property letting company offering specialised retail rental. Post-merger Amdec will control Culemborg. The primary acquiring firm Amdec group is a privately-owned property development and investment business. It owns a portfolio of immovable properties and property letting enterprises and actively operates within

Deloitte Global report finds retailers achieve steady growth despite challenging global economy

The top 250 global retailers generated aggregated revenues of US$4.31 trillion in fiscal year 2015, representing composite growth of 5.2 percent, according to the Global Powers of Retailing 2017: The art and science of customers report from Deloitte Global. “Slow economic growth in major developed economies, high levels of debt in emerging countries, deflation or low inflation

NRF Foundation Announces The List Of People Shaping Retail’s Future 2017

The NRF Foundation today announced the 25 individuals named to The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future. The honorees represent the best and brightest individuals impacting the retail industry and will be recognized on January 15 at the NRF Foundation Gala during Retail’s BIG Show in New York City. “Retail is driven by millions of talented and passionate individuals

Tiger Brands Announces Year End Financial Results

JOHANNESBURG, 23 November 2016 Tiger Brands (JSE: TBS), South Africa’s leading fast moving consumer goods manufacturer posted a solid set of results for the year ended 30 September 2016, testament to the strength of its brands and ability of its leadership to navigate the difficult environment. The company recorded an increase in group turnover from