Thursday, September 29, 2011

Traditional POS Purchases To Plummet Due To Mobile, IHL Reports


StorefrontBacktalk: Written by Evan Schuman

Retailers will buy an average of 10 percent fewer traditional POS units, opting instead to use mobile checkout, according to an IHL Mobile study slated to be released next week. But that may be a misleadingly small change, because some sectors—such as specialty retailers—will see traditional POS purchases plunge by 20 percent in that same timeframe, which means “roughly 200,000 units going away. That’s more than NCR ships for an entire year worldwide,” said IHL President Greg Buzek.


Read more: http://storefrontbacktalk.com/payment-systems/traditional-pos-purchases-to-plummet-due-to-mobile-ihl-reports/#ixzz1ZLyhPvqP

PYMNTS News Briefing 9/29




Regulation Roundup
Featured Commentary 
  
As the Oct. 1 implementation date for the Durbin Amendment nears, major banks, like U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo, plan to shelve their debit rewards programs entirely. But MPD Managing Director Margaret Weichert points out a few banks - both large and small - are using innovative reward programs to cement customer loyalty and consolidate transaction behavior with a single institution.
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Featured Event

The 10th Annual Smart Card Alliance Government Conference will survey opportunities and challenges for government issuers, accreditation and testing authorities, procurement programs, and the industry to meet the government's market demands. The conference features comprehensive coverage of efforts toward strong authentication technology in government identity programs. 
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Today's Top Story
09.29.11


IBC Bank spoke with PYMNTS.com about choosing to eliminate 55 branches, in lieu of taking away free customer products and services, due to the Fed's new debit rules. "Government many times passes regulations that end up hurting the very people they were intended to help," says the bank. Read More

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MOBILE PAYMENTS
    



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Briefing Room: Handicapping PayPal and Google in the Mobile Transaction Platform Race  






International Payment News from Cards International



  Issue date: 29 Sept '11
The latest data on credit cards by Equifax shows that delinquencies have fallen, subprime card accounts have increased and banks are issuing more cards over all. The levels are nowhere near as high as those before the recession – but are banks returning to old tricks already, asks Duygu Tavan
(Subscriber only)| Read full story »
Most businesses that accept credit card or debit cards are still struggling to comply with PCI DSS, a report by Verizon has revealed. Verizon had found this last year as well.
| Read full story »
Orange and Barclaycard are to launch the second handset in their Quick Tap range.
| Read full story »
NCR is rolling out a new ATM and branch security solution for financial institutions across Europe.
| Read full story »
Liaison Technologies has partnered with ExoIS to offer PCI DSS-compliant services to companies
| Read full story »
Euronet Worldwide has acquired German incentive company cadooz from Palamon Capital Partners.
| Read full story »
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Euronet White Paper on P2P Solutions for Financial Institutions


Gilbarco Gas Pumps to Greet Customers by Name, Offer Personalized Retail Promotions


SOURCE: Gilbarco Veeder-Root
September 29, 2011 08:05 ET
ApplauseTM With Integrated Loyalty Will Redefine Customer Fueling Experience
GREENSBORO, NC--(Marketwire - Sep 29, 2011) - Convenience store cashiers may not remember their customers by name or recall their favorite soft drinks, but fuel dispensers soon will -- thanks to the enhancements announced today by the industry's leading forecourt merchandisingprovider, Gilbarco Veeder-Root. The company's Applause™ Media System and Applause™ TV with Outcast will help retailers differentiate themselves by personalizing the customer experience -- and boost site profits by tailoring content, promotions, and on-demand coupons based upon loyalty status and purchase history.
"We are launching an extremely robust loyalty interface for our Applause media platform," said Richard Browne, Vice President of Marketing for North America at Gilbarco Veeder-Root. "Targeted digital media at the forecourt gives c-store retailers a huge advantage over other retail formats. Retailers can greet fueling customers by name, anticipate their interests, and provide relevant offers or coupons for immediate redemption inside the store."
Using the Applause loyalty interface, the POS-independent solution will also allow retailers to easily combine mobile couponing and social media promotions directly from the pump. Gilbarco Veeder-Root is partnering with top loyalty providers Excentus, Kickback Points and Outsite Networks to design a generic interface to allow retailers to work with their preferred loyalty partner.
"Personalized marketing increases consumer interest and retailer success," said Pat Lewis, CEO of Kickback Points. "With Applause, we add the benefits of printing coupons straight from the fuel dispenser and providing a direct link to social media and mobile technologies -- it's a win-win."
"By maintaining their point of sale independence and gaining input from loyalty providers, such as Excentus, Gilbarco is definitely ensuring the flexibility to have an innovative solution," said Mike Melson, Senior Vice President Technical Operations for Excentus.
Gilbarco Veeder-Root will offer retailers this new functionality through the Applause digital media platform, which utilizes large color screens integrated in the dispenser to drive customer loyalty and in-store sales. Visit Gilbarco Veeder-Root at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show, October 2 - 4, McCormick Place, Chicago. Gilbarco Veeder-Root, booth 6432.
About Gilbarco Veeder-RootGilbarco Veeder-Root is the worldwide technology leader for retail and commercial fueling operations. We offer the broadest range of integrated solutions from the forecourt to the convenience store and head office. For almost 150 years, Gilbarco has earned the trust of its customers by providing long-term partnership, uncompromising support and proven reliability. In fact, we help manage the business and maximize the bottom lines for 19 of the top 20 convenience store operators in the U.S.
Gilbarco Veeder-Root. Technology with a human touch.

American Express offers Crash Courses on Social Learning Experience for Small Businesses


Interactive Platform Encourages Learning While Entrepreneurs Go Head-to-Head in Virtual Battle of Wits
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OPEN Forum, American Express OPEN’s leading resource and networking site for entrepreneurs, and New York TechStars startup Veri, a social learning platform that takes free online content and turns it into a fun way to learn, today announced the launch of Crash Courses for small businesses (www.openforum.com/crashcourses). 
The partnership represents American Express OPEN’s latest collaboration with the growing New York startup community.
“It's not every day that early stage tech startups and Fortune 100 companies like American Express are able to collaborate”
For time-strapped entrepreneurs, sitting in a classroom to learn how to better their business is nearly impossible. OPEN Forum Crash Courses will help business owners grasp fundamental business functions such as online marketing and social media in an interactive, fun and easy way.
Unlike traditional lecturing methods, the series of online educational courses challenge users to hone in on subject matter that gives them the option to learn more as they go through each of the topics. Users collect IQ points to see where they stack up against other business owners as they pursue their personalized learning journey.
“Crash Courses will help redefine how entrepreneurs learn, providing custom learning experiences that are actionable, inspiring, valuable and fun,” said Stacey Gutman, director, OPEN Forum, American Express OPEN. “OPEN Forum and Veri are the perfect catalysts for entrepreneurial education—OPEN Forum brings industry-leading content and insights for small businesses and Veri is an innovative startup transforming the social learning space.”
"It's not every day that early stage tech startups and Fortune 100 companies like American Express are able to collaborate," said Lee Hoffman, CEO and co-founder of Veri.
Crash Course Line-up
Starting today, entrepreneurs will have the ability to take eight courses, each focusing on a different skill set that can be implemented into their businesses.
Five of the eight courses are specifically designed to educate business owners on online and social marketing, including Facebook for Your BusinessWebsite ConversionLocation-Based MarketingSearch Engine Marketing and YouTube Marketing.
According to American Express OPEN’s 2011 Spring Small Business Monitor, 44 percent of business owners are tapping digital marketing tools and services to reach customers and prospects. This number has risen from 38 percent in the fall 2010.
“Above all else, business owners need to generate new demand for their products and services,” said Gutman. “Our launch courses are geared towards helping entrepreneurs maximize online marketing and reach consumers where they are spending most of their time – online.”
Additional courses will teach business owners how to be better leaders (Leadership Skills for Success), how to find and hire the right employees (The Art of Hiring) and how to pitch your business to investors, partners, or customers (Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch).
Content for current and future courses is created by many of OPEN Forum’s more than 200 industry experts. Launched in 2007, OPEN Forum is designed to forge meaningful business connections within the small business community and provide insights and advice from some of the best minds in business. These include Guy Kawasaki of Alltop, Henry Blodget of The Business Insider, Adam Ostrow ofMashable, Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends and John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing.
Supporting the New York Community
The introduction of Crash Courses is the latest example of American Express OPEN’s commitment to working with the New York startup community.
“The startup community in our backyard continues to be a booming ecosystem that is bringing new innovations and technologies to the forefront,” said Gutman. “American Express OPEN’s resources and small business community make us an ideal partner in helping entrepreneurs get to the next level of their operations.”
Beginning in 2010, American Express OPEN collaborated with New York-based startup Clickable, an award-winning developer of online advertising solutions, to launch two software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions: SearchManager and YourBuzz.
Earlier this year, OPEN Forum announced a strategic alliance with Kohort, where OPEN Forum sponsors the Tech Entrepreneurship Channel. The Kohort platform offers organizations and groups, such as those with an entrepreneurial focus, a platform to connect communities through membership directories, communications, events, ticketing, dues, and the ability to manage organizational structure through multiple tiers of subgroups.
American Express OPEN is also a sponsor of TechStars’ New York Chapter. TechStars is a mentorship-driven seed stage investment program which runs three month long curriculums for startups. The most recent class, which includes Veri, was followed by BloombergTV during the mentorship period. The experience is currently being broadcasted across the country and can be found atbloomberg.com/tv/shows/techstars.
About American Express OPEN
American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners and online tools and services designed to help improve profitability. Learn more at www.OPEN.com and connect with us at www.openforum.com,www.facebook.com/open and www.twitter.com/openforum.
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress,www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.
About Veri
Veri turns online content – including articles, blog posts, and videos – into a fun and free way to learn. Users can take courses by answering community-generated questions and consuming content within any topic. Veri was part of the inaugural TechStars NYC class in 2011. Learn more at www.veri.com and connect with us at www.twitter.com/veri.

Visa Inc. to Announce Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2011 Financial Results on October 26, 2011


SAN FRANCISCOSept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) will report its fiscal fourth quarter and full-year 2011 financial results on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. The results will be included in a press release, with accompanying financial information that will be released after market close and posted on the Visa Investor Relations website.
Visa's executive management team will then host a live audio webcast beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time) to discuss the financial results and business highlights.
All interested parties are invited to listen to the live webcast at http://investor.visa.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on Visa's Investor Relations website for 30 days.
Concurrent with this press release, Visa will impose its customary "quiet period," during which time company executives will not be interacting with the investment community. This quiet period will extend until fiscal fourth quarter and full-year 2011 earnings are released on October 26, 2011.
About Visa: 
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks--VisaNet--that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, please visit www.corporate.visa.com.
Contacts:
Victoria Hyde-Dunn, Investor Relations
Visa Inc.
Tel: +1 415 932 2213
E-mail: ir@visa.com
Will Valentine, Media Relations
Visa Inc.
Tel: +1 415 932 2564
E-mail: globalmedia@visa.com

SecuredPay Announces 2nd Patent Approved for Real-Time Payments on Wireless Mobile Devices


ATLANTASept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- SecuredPay Solutions publicly announced today that they have been issued their company's 2nd U.S. Patent that covers Electronic Real-Time Payments on Wireless Mobile Devices. "...Our patent covers electronic payments on the vast majority of today's wireless devices, from the latest cell phones to the ever increasing number of tablets we are seeing in the market. Any device that is processing secure real-time payments and not saving the customers card data on those devices - which is a huge security concern if they are - is likely to be covered under our patent. And now that we have our 2nd patent in place we are looking to partner with or license to companies that are already in this space, or those looking to establish control of this space..." says SecuredPay's CIO Lance Larsen.
"SecuredPay was formed to address real security concerns regarding who has access to a customer's card data and how that data is stored. A merchant's minimum standard should be to protect their customers' identity" said Roy T. Nelson, SecuredPay Chairman and original co-founder of the nationwide Melting Pot fondue restaurant chain. John M. Johnson, SecuredPay's Executive Vice President of Business Development stated that "...SecuredPay's proven track record in the financial industry and proven approach to being ahead of the technology curve has positioned us very well to assist other companies that are emerging in this market space."
John also notes "...recent events have shown us that the market demand for the control of intellectual properties related to wireless devices and wireless processing is heating up, as evidenced in part by the latest patent bidding wars between companies including: Apple, Microsoft and Google. They obviously see the advantages of controlling the patents that will shape the future of mobility and how merchants and customers alike will leverage the devices that are in everyone's pockets." SecuredPay was the first company to obtain PCI ("Payment Card Industry") certification for SWIPE ("Secured Wireless Internet Payment Environment"), a product which allowed PIN debit card acceptance on a Windows based mobile wireless device using a virtual PIN PAD. "We have a solid record of successful development partnerships with companies such as HP (Hewlett Packard), Epson, TRENDnet Networking, TokenWorks Inc. and WaveSoft Technologies Corp. Overall SWIPE successfully proved our "Never Leaves the Customer's Hand" philosophy in several restaurant hospitality environments."
SecuredPay's President Chris Faircloth stated "...leading industry sources have projected an estimated $984 billion dollarwireless mobile payment industry by 2014. As part of that market, SecuredPay, and those with whom they partner, will have the real ability to shape the mobile payment industry not only now, but for the foreseeable future."
SecuredPay Solutions, Inc. LLC
Phone: 404-919-0004
Website: www.securedpay.net
Media Contact: John M Johnson SedcuredPay Solutions, Inc., 404-324-3449, john@securedpay.net
News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com
SOURCE SedcuredPay Solutions, Inc.

NFC Forum Advances Seamless Data Exchange and Simplifies Development with Publication of 16th Specification


Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol Enables Common Data Format for Peer-to-Peer and Reader/Writer Modes
WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, has released its 16th specification, the Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol (SNEP). SNEP is an application-level protocol suitable for sending or receiving messages between two NFC-enabled devices. The new SNEP specification is available to the public for download at no charge.
“By extending NDEF to peer-to-peer communications, our SNEP specification adds to the usability of NFC technology and broadens its possibilities, enabling enterprises to offer new, creative, and appealing applications to businesses and consumers”
The SNEP specification was published following an approval ballot of NFC Forum voting members. Information on all NFC Forum specifications can be found at http://www.nfc-forum.org/specs/.
The extension of the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) to peer-to-peer use in SNEP is a significant advance. Previously, NDEF was applicable only to NFC tags in reader/writer mode. Now, SNEP enables the use of the openly standardized NDEF in peer-to-peer mode, making seamless interchange of data a reality (see sample use cases below). Application developers no longer need to concern themselves with how their NDEF data gets transferred between NFC-enabled devices. This capability is similar to the way that NFC Forum Tag Type specifications encapsulate the differences between communication layers. By providing this capability, the SNEP specification makes the difference between reader-writer and peer-to-peer operation modes disappear – a major step towards global interoperability of NFC applications.
SNEP Use Cases
Here are two examples of potential applications for NFC technology developed with the new SNEP specification:
  • Simplified transfer of contact information – one person's phone can be configured to automatically send business card information when an NFC peer-to-peer connection is established. The recipient doesn't have to do anything other than to accept the business card and allow it to be entered into his phone book.
  • Collecting movie posters for later use – a consumer can retrieve and store movie posters with NFC tags onto an NFC-enabled phone while just passing by. Back home, the consumer can display the movie information on a flat-screen TV and navigate to the films' web pages, simply by tapping the phone to an NFC-enabled TV remote control.
"By extending NDEF to peer-to-peer communications, our SNEP specification adds to the usability of NFC technology and broadens its possibilities, enabling enterprises to offer new, creative, and appealing applications to businesses and consumers," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "Specification development is an important part of the NFC Forum's mission; the extensive suite of NFC Forum specifications is testimony to the hard work of our members, whose activity yields benefits for the entire NFC ecosystem. We are grateful to everyone who participated in the effort to deliver SNEP."
SNEP Technical Information
SNEP allows an application on an NFC-enabled device to exchange NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) messages with another NFC-enabled device when operating in NFC Forum peer-to-peer mode. The protocol makes use of the NFC Logical Link Control Protocol (LLCP) connection-oriented transport mode to provide a reliable data exchange.
SNEP is a request/response protocol. A SNEP client application sends a request to a SNEP server application to either retrieve data from the server with a GET method or push data to the server using the PUT method. The protocol handles segmentation and reassembly of large messages as well as early cancellation of transfers that would exhaust receiving capabilities.
Beyond the protocol definition, the SNEP specification defines a default server that is available as a well-known service on an NFC-enabled device. This default server functions as a simple Inbox that applies locally defined processing to received NDEF messages. An NFC-enabled personal computer could, for example, open the web page that is provided in a Smart Poster NDEF message sent from an NFC-enabled mobile phone.
About Near Field Communication Technology
NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.
A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, healthcare, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport.
NFC technology is supported by the world’s leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.
About the NFC Forum
The NFC Forum was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum’s mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum’s 160 global member companies currently are developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability.
The NFC Forum’s Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Broadcom Corporation, INSIDE Secure, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.

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