By John Stewart As the holidays approach, retailers and banks can expect to sell more electronic gift cards than ever, if research released Monday by Bankrate.com is any indication. The survey, which covers 60 general-purpose and proprietary gift cards, shows two-thirds are available as e-cards, up from 59% last year. …

By John Stewart Larger screens, buy buttons, and streamlined checkouts are expected to combine to raise the profile of smart phones in e-commerce. And now there are numbers to show just how much retail sales volume the devices will generate. Smart phones will account for $27.7 billion in retail mobile …

XpressBuy Inc., developer of a buy button that can be used on the Web, in social networks, apps, and emails, says four of the largest e-commerce platforms have integrated its technology into their systems. Retailers using Demandware Inc., IBM Corp.’s WebSphere Commerce, Shopify Inc., and eBay Inc.’s Magento now can …

Corporate card stalwart American Express Co. says corporate cards it issues on behalf of U.S. employers now can be used with Apple Pay. AmEx says its portfolio is the first major corporate card file to be activated for Apple Inc.’s mobile-payment service. Apple Pay’s potential for additional spend with corporate …

No category of payment-card-accepting merchants, including health-care providers, is immune from the EMV liability shift coming Oct. 1. Yet, some payments providers specializing in servicing clinics and hospitals say there is a lack of understanding among their clients that goes beyond what acquirers have found in other merchant categories. “Health …

By John Stewart It is a commonplace notion that unicorns are to be encountered only in myth. But in the world of venture capital, they are becoming increasingly numerous. While it was once considered extremely rare for a privately held startup to achieve a $1 billion-plus valuation, there are now …

By John Stewart With Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. making headway with online merchants with their streamlined checkout services, it was only a matter of time before network rivals introduced their own versions. American Express Co. did just that Thursday, announcing what it is calling an “unwallet” to allow its …

Possibly as soon as later this year, the processing giant will undergo a mammoth IPO. Here, a payments-industry analyst sizes up what the company can offer investors. The world’s largest payment processor, First Data Corp., is girding for an initial public offering, likely later this year. It promises to be …

It’s a huge decision for any business, but it can be especially crucial for a small one, says Dan Leberman. Here are some important considerations to make the job a little easier. Even if you have coding experience, tackling a heavy-lifting payments integration carries substantial opportunity cost. And if you …

With a little more marketing oomph behind it, the gift card market rebounded in 2014 after a down year in 2013, according to a report released Wednesday by Mercator Advisory Group. Virtual gift cards, a small but key segment of the market, held their own and may soon benefit from …