As we close in on the Holiday Shopping Season, customer service becomes more and more important. That’s not to say customer service was unimportant prior to now; it’s just that most businesses –– e-commerce ventures as well as brick and mortar stores –– see a large increase in consumer activity during the Holiday Shopping Season. […]
Superior Customer Service Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog functions on the logical premise that our readers are interested in the topics we cover, most notably merchant services. We strive to bring you useful news, tips, and insight that can help you as both a merchant and a consumer. That means that sometimes we delve into complex topics, like
Merchant Services: Why You Need a Processor Read More »
A previous post by The Official Merchant Services Blog featured a story about what credit card companies are doing to make themselves the more alluring choice instead of debit during this holiday shopping season. Today’s post is a bit of a follow up to that, with a specific program that one credit card company is
Merchant Services: Discover on Discover Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog continues its far reaching and ongoing coverage of the Durbin Amendment and the aftermath of what this legislation brings. Just a quick recap of what the Durbin Amendment did: On October 1, the legislation put in place a cap on interchange fees from debit card usage. Prior to the legislation
Durbin Aftermath: Banks Go Ninja Style Read More »
With the Holiday Shopping Season fast approaching –– Black Friday is 11 days away, Cyber Monday is 14 days away –– the payment processing industry is still getting the last pieces in place for a brisk rush in the use of credit and debit cards. The Official Merchant Services Blog continues its series focusing on
The Allure of Credit Cards for Holiday Shopping Read More »
For merchants navigating their business through the e-commerce industry, there’s quite a lot of technical jargon to be aware of. It’s now more important than ever to stay on top of the latest buzz words that go along with the technology that is at the heart of e-commerce. It can sometimes be a hassle to
Merchant Services: Defining Tech Talk Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog tackles the topic of Debit Card processing today. While the blog has extensively delved into the Durbin Amendment and the affects the legislation is having on merchants, one topic we’ve overlooked is Debit Card processing –– specifically PIN Debit vs. Swipe Debit. Difference Between Credit, Debit, and Check Cards First
Merchant Services: PIN Debit vs. Swipe Debit Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog has been following Google+ and its beta for awhile now. We previously detailed the potential upside of Google+ for small businesses in this blog entry. The major setback to Google+ for businesses at that point time was that Google hadn’t fully allowed businesses to function in Google+. That changed three
Google+ is Here for Businesses [2023 Update] Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog has two news items related to Host Merchant Services and the transaction processing industry to announce today. PCI Compliance Initiative First, Host Merchant Services would like to announce its PCI Compliance Initiative is kicking into high gear with a new special offer from its partner HostMySite.com. Host Merchant Services is
Merchant Services News Briefs Read More »
The E-Commerce process needs to be streamlined and strong. Your customers need to be able to find your page when they search, find your products when they get there and buy your products with no hassles. Click, click, purchase. Web Analytics helps you figure out if that process is working.
Use Analytics to Maximize E-Commerce Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog once again picks up its thread about the impact 2011’s holiday shopping season is going to have on e-commerce. Previously we gave merchants tips on improving their e-commerce experience for customers. These tips were primarily focused on things merchants can do with their website and their online shopping cart. Today
E-Commerce SEO Tips for Merchants [2023 Update] Read More »
Much of the content I provide for The Official Merchant Services Blog I write like a news story. The goal there is to provide quality, insightful information on topics that relate to what we feel our visitors and merchants can use in their business. But this is still a blog. And today I’m going to
Customer Service vs. Marketing? [2023 Update] Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog continues its coverage of the holiday shopping season and its impact on the e-commerce industry. Today we’re going to give some very brief, incisive tips on how merchants can improve their e-commerce presence and hopefully improve their profits in the holiday shopping season. Think Like a Consumer, and Put your
E-Commerce Tips for Merchants [2023 Update] Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog continues its series focusing on the upcoming holiday shopping season and how the e-commerce industry is shaping the future of shopping. Yesterday we looked at Mobile Gift Cards and studied their potential to be a popular gift giving idea. They can end up being extremely easy to use and very
Virtual Gifting [2023 Update] Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog brings you a breaking news story following the ongoing aftermath of the Durbin Amendment legislation. Yesterday, Bank of America announced it was going to cancel its $5 monthly debit card fee plan. This falls in line with similar announcements from Sun Trust, Regions Financial Corp., JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Durbin Saga: Banks Reconsider Fees [2023 Update] Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog continues its ongoing coverage of the upcoming holiday shopping season and how it will impact the thriving E-Commerce industry. Yesterday’s blog took a look at some of the statistics revolving around 2010’s holiday shopping profits as well as detailing a trend among online shoppers to begin their holiday shopping in the
The Official Merchant Services Blog would like to wish everyone a very happy Halloween. As we speed our way into the last stretch of 2011, the holidays are going to zoom into view. Holiday shopping season officially tends to start on Black Friday. But in recent years, the boom in online shopping has holiday shoppers
Getting Ready for Holiday Shopping Read More »
The Official Merchant Services Blog completes its three-part series on Payment Gateways. Today’s installment discusses the pricing structure of Payment Gateways and takes a detailed look at the pricing options for the Payment Gateway Solutions that Host Merchant Services offers. What Are the Costs of Payment Gateways? The costs that you will have to pay
Payment Gateways Part 3: Cost Comparison Read More »