Your Friday roundup of global payments news is ready for launch. We start with a look at 2018 gift card preferences and what’s on the horizon. Then we move over to China for a look at a boom in biometrics payments. Ever ordered dinner from DoorDash or GrubHub? We profile the five fastest-growing leaders in the booming fast food delivery market.
Amazon Go and the cashless movement could hit a wall with 10 states and cities that want to ban cashless stores. The new Apple credit card may shake up the industry with its attractive banking features when it launches in May. Amazon’s market dominance is chronicled in a Bloomberg report. No wonder it’s a target of Elizabeth Warren. Walmart takes social media heat for dropping its price-matching program. It’s cheesy but soon you’ll be able to order Domino’s pizza in your car. All the news and pizza you can use for your weekend reading.
2018 gift card preferences, growth and features
First Data has some fascinating research on 2018 gift card preferences, growth and trends in the UK. If you’re a retailer or online seller using gift cards as part of your marketing strategy, you’ll want to learn more. One of the big surprises is the enduring popularity of physical gift cards. 62% of consumers surveyed said they preferred to buy a physical gift card, while only 18% preferred a digital gift card. Read more…
Forget QR codes, pay with a smile
In China, more than 580 million people made a payment with their mobile phone last year and 68% used a mobile wallet for off-line payments. In many cases, this increasingly cashless society uses QR codes for purchases at locations including noodle shops, fast food restaurants, electronics stores, street vendors and subway transportation. Cashless payments are already everywhere in China. Read more…
On-demand food delivery growing fast
In the US, fast food is a $200 billion industry. The on-demand food delivery business is also growing fast and is now estimated to be a $2 billion-plus a year industry according to a new report from Edison Trends. Let’s look at some of the biggest players and how consumers are buying meals and paying for delivery. As of Feb 2019, Edison Trends shows DoorDash has grown fastest since its 2018 snapshot of the industry. Read more…
10 places where the US wants to mandate cash
US lawmakers are not enthusiastic about the cashless trend being driven by the likes of Amazon Go, sweetgreen, and numerous other merchants of all sizes. Several cities and states have proposed or enacted legislation banning cashless stores, in an effort to preserve choices for consumers that prefer to operate with cash. Here’s the status of states and cities that currently enforce or are considering a ban on cashless stores. Read more…
The Apple Card is the best thing to happen to Apple since the iPhone
With its new credit card, Apple is taking a page from Amazon.com’s strategy and acting like a loyalty leader, changing the game for brands that matter or at least act like they do. Apple Card is launching with no fees or late payments, a low APR, cash-back rewards, and — significantly — a value proposition that neatly integrates into Apple Pay and its iOS. Read more…
The enormous numbers behind Amazon’s market reach
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren made the case that Amazon (plus Google and Facebook) have amassed an alarming concentration of power, arguing for structural change to the tech industry. Even if the Massachusetts senator’s call to break up Amazon is mostly aspirational right now, it’s not hard to see why Warren felt justified in putting the Seattle leviathan on her list of targets. Perhaps more than any other U.S. technology company, Amazon has come to resemble a conglomerate, with a growing presence in multiple markets. Read more…
Walmart sparks social media upset after cutting price-matching
Walmart on May 14 will stop offering its Savings Catcher price-matching service in stores, angering customers who expressed their frustration on social media. The service, which required customers to have a Walmart.com account and be enrolled in Walmart Pay on the chain’s mobile app, offered gift card refunds to customers who submitted their electronic receipts for comparison with rival stores’ advertised prices. Read more…
Domino’s adds in-car pizza ordering
Pizza giant Domino’s is getting into connected cars. In a deal with Xevo, the in-vehicle commerce service for carmakers, Domino’s is launching the latest AnyWare pizza ordering platform to come pre-loaded in cars starting later this year. The pizza ordering feature will be automatically loaded in millions of cars with the Xevo connected car platform, which comes in new cars including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Toyota and Cadillac. Read more…
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