The massive data breach at Target is a big shining beacon illuminating exactly how behind the times the United States remains when it comes to credit card security — namely EMV® chip technology. EMV is a worldwide standard for credit and debit card payments based around the use of chip card technology. The acronym stands for Europay, MasterCard, […]
Can Chip Cards Stop the Hax? [2023 Update] Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog tackles the big news in the payment processing industry today: The major hack of discount retailer of Target that stole credit and debit card data from 40 million accounts right smack dab in the middle of the holiday shopping season. The sophisticated hack reportedly took place over several weeks — starting
40 Million Target Customers Hacked [2023 Update] Read More »
With the 2014 holiday shopping season about to grind down to the home stretch, the sales figures are already rolling in. And once again, online transactions have maintained their brisk and healthy growth from years past. Cyber Monday chalked up record sales, rising a reported 17 percent from 2012 according to USA Today. Cyber Monday,
Marketplace Fairness Act Looms [2023 Update] Read More »
Bitcoin is a topic that most people who spend time on the Internet have heard about. A Bitcoin is not a tangible coin like traditional currency. It is a virtual currency that can be bought, sold and mined electronically. For Andreas Kennemar and Marcus Erlandsson, an idea involving Bitcoins turned out to be beyond profitable.
Bitcoin Craze Generating Big Profits For Some [2023 Update] Read More »
I just sat down at my desk and took a few moments to read Antonio Regalado’s fascinating column on E-Commerce from MIT Technology Review. I recommend it to anyone who runs a business, or really anyone who plans to buy something in the next month or two — you know, during the Holiday Shopping Season.
The Death of E-Commerce? [2023 Update] Read More »
Safeguarding Stored Cardholder Data with Tokenization In this era of connectivity, consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their personal data. Leaders in the merchant services industry are actively engaged in developing new ways to protect customer information. Here at Host Merchant Services, we commit to security by providing our clients with tokenization, the
Tokenization Makes Card Use Safe Read More »
Google Wallet dropped NFC Loyalty Points and Gift Cards Google recently announced fundamental changes to its Google Wallet service. On August 21, Google Wallet stopped supporting NFC redemption for gift cards and merchant loyalty points. In these competitive times, more and more businesses have come to rely on loyalty programs to spur consumer activity. By
NFC loyalty down by contact for Google [2023 Update] Read More »
Across the ideological spectrum, business experts agree that the rise of Big Data is rapidly changing modern marketing and sales. In this transformational time, customer intelligence systems are proliferating at a remarkable rate. Although adopting these systems often involves overcoming logistical hurdles, the rewards of sophisticated data gathering are indisputable. Proper customer intelligence is vital
Big Data, Payments And Customer Loyalty – Part Two Read More »
Businesses in many industries are contributing to the rise of Big Data, a confluence of modern data-gathering mechanisms. Larger hard drives and faster CPUs enable people to gather and analyze vast collections of commercial information. Though Google is the largest and most prominent data-gathering operation, retailers like Amazon and Walmart famously gather and analyze enormous
Big Data, Payments And Customer Loyalty – Part One [2023 Update] Read More »
The mobile Internet revolution is rapidly changing the longstanding status quo in the payment processing industry. As more people purchase items with their mobile devices, the public is demanding more options and greater security from transaction processing companies. For many long years, big banks and processing companies like Visa and Mastercard faced little competition and were
MCX, Paydiant, and the Battle Over Mobile Wallets [2023 Update] Read More »
Practicing Good Merchant Website SEO Most business owners know by know that the Internet isn’t going away, and if you want to succeed in business you need to have an online presence. Having a website is only the start, however. Without good merchant website SEO, chances are that the business website will never rank high
Merchant Website SEO [2023 Update] Read More »
Merchants that sell goods through an online store have many decisions to make when it comes to setting up and running their new ecommerce business. Just one of these is how will they process payments when customer are finished with their shopping and ready to pay for their transaction. One option is to setup what
Offsite Payment Processing Read More »
If your website runs an online store so that it can sell merchandise to customers, there are several methods that you can use to sell your product to the customer. However, the most efficient method of getting customers to buy your products easily is to use a shopping cart. There are many benefits to shopping
Shopping Cart Templates Read More »
Mobile Payment Processing In modern business, those businesses without a mobile device card reader are missing out on substantial income. Anyone who sells merchandise or services on site will benefit from mobile payment processing through a card reader attachment. Customers are currently paying via mobile devices at a rate of $240 billion annually, and this
About Mobile Payment Processing Read More »
Welcome to the world of entrepreneurship! In today’s era creating and managing an eCommerce online store has become a popular way to transform your passion into a profitable venture. Whether you have a product idea or want to tap into a product category the possibilities are limitless, in the vast realm of eCommerce. Where should
How To Successfully Set Up And Run An Ecommerce Online Store [2024 Update] Read More »
Today the Official Merchant Services Blog brings NFC technology back into the spotlight, with a look at a pilot program U.S. Bancorp is running in two test cities. The company, one of the nation’s more tech-oriented big banks, is joining the ranks of companies testing near-field communication (NFC) technology by pairing a rewards credit card with
iPhones, NFC and Rewards Cards [2023 Update] Read More »
This is the latest installment in The Official Merchant Services Blog’s Knowledge Base effort. We want to make the payment processing industry’s terms and buzzwords clear. We want to remove any and all confusion merchants might have about how the industry works. Host Merchant Services promises: we deliver personal service and clarity. So we’re going to take some time to
Industry Terms: E-Commerce [2023 Update] Read More »
So let’s take a look at Beal’s list of the best free online shopping carts. It starts off with: Number One: Agora Shopping Cart AgoraCart heads up Beal’s list and is described as a customizable and secure open source shopping cart that you can install on an existing website. Beal says you get templates for setting-up
Top Free Online Shopping Carts, Part 2 Read More »