Competitive Strategies

With the judge in the massive credit card interchange litigation apparently insisting on a trial, a new and unsettling element of uncertainty now hangs over the nearly 20-year-old case, in which merchants allege anti-competitive behavior by the big credit card networks in setting interchange fees. The latest development comes nearly …

Community banks, known for their personal touch and deep community ties, face unique challenges and opportunities to deepen those relationships. Introducing commercial credit cards is a strategic decision that aligns well with their commitment to local businesses. Offering a best-in-class commercial card program meets the needs of local enterprises and …

Shift4 Payments Inc. announced it has acquired a majority interest in Germany-based point-of-sale provider Vectron Systems AG in a transaction previously reported by Digital Transactions News. Vectron serves roughly 65,000 merchant locations throughout Europe. Shift4 also said it has closed on its previously announced deal for Revel Systems, a point-of-sale technology company serving more than …

Everyone has encountered the upsell. It’s the extended-warranty offer when buying a TV, or the ask to add a Danish to the coffee you just purchased. Now, CardFree Inc. has released a tool to help merchants automate the upsell with its new Smart AI Upsell feature. A component of CardFree’s …

EBay Inc. is recruiting Venmo as a payment option, the big e-commerce marketplace announced early Thursday. The move, which comes about a week after eBay announced it will no longer accept American Express cards effective Aug. 17, is part of a strategy to add alternative payment options that appeal to …

Men have supplanted women as the primary buyers of gift cards, says a report from Blackhawk Network. The shift is attributable to men taking on more household responsibilities, such as shopping and gifting, the report says. Blackhawk has been conducting the survey for nearly a decade. Types of gift cards …

Shopify Inc. merchants looking for a way to add a chatbot with artificial-intelligence capabilities to their Web sites have a new option with the Sendbird Inc. chatbot. San Mateo, Calif.-based Sendbird’s chatbot is used by 4,000 apps, including DoorDash, Noom, and Yahoo Sports. Ottawa, Ontario-based Shopify says the Sendbird AI …

Providing consumers more ways to pay and engage with merchants play key roles in driving consumer purchasing decisions, according to Fiserv Inc.’s Spring 2024 Carat Insights Report. One way for merchants to engage on a deeper level with consumers is to offer apps featuring loyalty and rewards programs and that …

Apple Inc. says iPhone users will be able to send funds to each other by simply holding their iPhones next to each other. It’s a further refinement of Apple’s financial services, which jumped off in 2014 with the launch of Apple Pay. In a video presentation Monday, Apple executives say …

Entrust Corp., a provider of identity technology, on Monday launched its Citizen Identity Orchestration platform, which is aimed at governments’ delivery of public services. The new platform, intended for such functions as benefits delivery, tax filing, health-care access, and border crossings, uses artificial intelligence for identity verification, issuance of digital …