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 »
Apple’s recent software update includes a new product called the iCloud Keychain. With the feature, consumers can save sensitive information in a secure online file. Specifically, Keychain will save passwords and credit card information for all of their Apple devices. The program also helps Internet users create safer passwords. Given the new functionality allowing users
iCloud Keychain to Now Store Credit Card Data [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 »
Two years after the Durbin Amendment became law, the consequences of this historic legislation are still unfolding. In the coming months, new developments in Durbin implementation could lead to historically low debit swipe fees for merchants. Last July, U.S District Judge Richard Leon ruled on a Durbin-related lawsuit that pitted a consortium of retailers against
Durbin Debit Fees Revisited [2023 Update] Read More »
Host Merchant Services, an industry leading provider of payment processing and e-commerce services for small and medium businesses, announced a promising new partnership with cloud consulting firm AlignCloud. This partnership is the product of extensive research and collaboration and the bold new alliance represents an exciting opportunity for customers to benefit from the combined expertise of
AlignCloud and HMS partner up 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 »
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 »
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 »
The Official Merchant Services Blog would like to announce that Host Merchant Services has now added next-day funding to their already impressive line of services. Merchant services customers appreciate getting their deposits the next business day, as this is critical for funding payroll and inventory purchases for the week. Merchants can now expect funding for MasterCard,
Next-Day Funding Now Available 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 »
Today the Official Merchant Services Blog brings you another update on the ongoing Interchange lawsuit settlement. We began talking about the possibility of ‘The Big Cash Comeback’ back when the settlement was first announced in July, and later we discussed the opposition to the settlement. Last week a federal appellate court denied a retailer’s appeal to review part of the controversial settlement
Interchange Settlement Update: Challengers Awaiting Final Approval Read More »
This holiday season, the Official Merchant Services Blog brings you the latest on Facebook’s newest venture, Facebook Gifts. On Tuesday, the company announced that any U.S. member can now send Facebook friends tangible gifts, which includes wine, digital gift cards and even charitable donations. Facebook Gifts The Facebook Gifts program, previously available only to some users of the
‘Tis The Season, For Facebook Gifts [2023 Update] Read More »
Today the Official Merchant Services Blogbrings you some predictions for this holiday season. In particular, there are six key trends to watch. Over the last 12 months the E-commerce sector has rallied against challenging economic conditions and driven innovation in business and shopping models. A flurry of technical innovations, most notably the emergence and rapid adoption of
Holiday E-Commerce Trends [2023 Update] Read More »
Today, the Official Merchant Services Blog shines a light on a little known holiday that falls between Black Friday, and Cyber Monday called Small Business Saturday. Since Host Merchant Services has many small businesses in its customer base, we wanted to take a moment to spotlight this newer day of shopping focus and frenzy. This is the third year
Small Business Saturday: Nov. 24th Read More »
Today’s edition of the Official Merchant Services Blog will take a look into the newest data breach, involving NY-based Barnes & Noble Inc. Barnes & Noble revealed last week a “sophisticated criminal effort” had taken place at 63 stores, resulting in hacked PIN pad devices putting some of its customers at risk. The company discovered
Barnes & Noble Data Breach [2023 Update] Read More »