E-Commerce Sales up 49% This Fall from 2019 and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 12/28/20

Retail sales, excluding the automotive and gasoline categories, grew 3% in the Oct. 11 to Dec. 24 period year-over-year, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. E-commerce sales volume grew 49% in the same period compared to the year-ago period.
Some Walmart stores in north Alabama stopped accepting credit cards when the stores’ Internet service failed owing to the explosion in Nashville near an AT&T building. The stores use AT&T for Internet. Walmart issued a statement saying they were working with local personnel to restore service. The Christmas morning blast damaged buildings, injured three persons, and disrupted AT&T’s wireless service in some areas.
Tranquilmoney Inc. released a Web-based version of its software, which allows pharmacies to identify payments owed by matching payments received to corresponding claims.
A boom in e-commerce transactions, and the increase in fraud that goes along with it, are sparking a round of acquisitions in payments and fraud-fighting technology, with one recent deal being IBM Corp.’s acquisition of Expertus Technologies Inc., which processes more than $50 billion daily.

Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals