Thursday, October 6, 2011

How Generation Y will reshape customer loyalty

New study explores Millennial attitudes towards loyalty, privacy and technology: Gen Y skeptical of location-based offers, mobile wallet; but will reveal personal details for fast, free and easy rewards

MONTREAL, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Comprising more than 1.7 billion consumers worldwide—77 million in the United States alone—the Millennial Generation, also known as Generation Y, presents some profound implications for marketers as it comes of age and takes the reins of the global consumer economy. According to a proprietary study released today by Aimia to coincide with its global rebranding from Groupe Aeroplan, Inc., Millennial consumers will change the way companies and brands build sustainable customer loyalty.

To compare the attitudes and behaviors of Millennials to older consumers, Aimia commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online study of more than 6,000 consumers in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The first part of this study, "Born This Way: The US Millennial Loyalty Survey," focuses on Millennial Consumers in the US. Aimia will release subsequent reports on UK and Canadian Millennials in October and November 2011, respectively.

"The US Millennial generation is bigger than the Baby Boom generation and three times the size of Generation X," said Rick Ferguson, Vice President Knowledge Development for Aimia. "With the Baby Boom generation retiring, it's critically important for marketers to understand how Millennial attitudes towards technology, data privacy and rewards will change the way brands build strong, profitable relationships with their best customers."

The US Millennial Loyalty Survey presents a comprehensive view of customer loyalty expectations among the next great cohort of consumer spending. Among the high-level findings are these important insights:

Loyalty Behaviors

Over three-quarters (77%) of US Millennial consumers claim participation in loyalty and reward programs, compared to four in five (82%) non-Millennials consumers.
Over three-quarters (78%) of US Millennials are more likely to choose a brand that offers a loyalty or reward program over a brand that doesn't offer one.
In unprompted responses, US Millennials rate loyalty rewards as the top incentive they look for in exchange for sharing personal information with marketers.
Nearly half of US Millennials (44%) are willing to promote products or brands through social media in exchange for rewards.
When introduced to the concept of a US coalition loyalty program, 74% of Millennials and 87% of older consumers rate the ability to earn a common currency among multiple partners as their top desired loyalty program benefit.

Mobile Technology

US Millennials are skeptical of the value of location-based marketing offers delivered via smart phone, with only one in ten (13%) claiming to have responded to such an offer.
Using a mobile device as a substitute for carrying a plastic loyalty card is the top requested mobile payment application for Millennials, (26% express interest); meanwhile, only one in ten (13%) express interest in using a mobile device as a credit or debit card.

Privacy

US Millennials are significantly less concerned than non-Millennials with data privacy and security overall. Of all named marketing channels in the survey, loyalty and reward programs are perceived as the most privacy-friendly by Millennials: Only 14% of Millennial loyalty program members are concerned about sharing personal information with loyalty programs.
Nearly half of US Millennials (47%) agree that they're more likely to share personal details with a brand that offers loyalty and reward incentives.

"Millennials are even more willing to participate in loyalty and reward programs than their parents, but they expect reward programs to be free, easy and fast," continued Ferguson. "This generation also relies heavily on outside information to make purchase decisions—information that is often out of the realm of control for marketers. The winners in building sustainable brand loyalty with Millennials will be those who break through the information overload to deliver value at the level of the individual customer."

Part One of our three-part series on Millennial Loyalty, "Born This Way: The US Millennial Loyalty Survey," is available upon request or by visiting aimia.com.

About The Survey

Aimia commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct the online survey among adults 19 and older in the United States, Canadaand the United Kingdom. The survey was conducted among 2,282 adults in the U.S. between June 30 and July 14, 2011; among 2,045 adults in Canada between July 8 and July 19, 2011; and among 2,113 adults in the United Kingdom between June 30 and July 19, 2011. Figures were weighted to be representative of the general population in each country.

About Aimia

Groupe Aeroplan Inc., doing business as Aimia, is a global leader in loyalty management. Aimia's unique capabilities include proven expertise in delivering proprietary loyalty services, launching and managing coalition loyalty programs, creating value through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the emerging digital and mobile spaces. Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan,Canada's premier coalition loyalty program and Nectar, the United Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program. In addition, Aimia has majority equity positions in Air Miles Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as a minority position in Club Premier, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program.

Aimia is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: AER (currently) and changing to TSX:AIM effective October 7, 2011) and has over 3,800 employees in more than 20 countries around the world. For more information about Aimia, please visit www.aimia.com.

New Legislation Equals Big Savings for Online Businesses, States BestOnlineMerchantAccounts.com

The new Durbin legislation could represent a windfall for online business owners across the country. While much has been made of the negatives of this legislation, those ecommerce websites that are set up with an updated account can reap significant savings over their current margins.

CHARLESTOWN, Mass., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The new Durbin legislation could represent a windfall for online business owners across the country. While much has been made of the negatives of this legislation, those ecommerce websites that are set up with an updated online merchant account that takes advantage of the new Durbin pricing available, can reap significant savings over their current margins. Specifically for online businesses this legislation represents an additional reason to consider a switch from a 3rd party provider like PayPal to a traditional merchant account.

Due to the new legislation, the difference in transaction costs on purchases made with debit cards will be expanded greatly. These savings will only be seen by websites that have been set up with a merchant account that passes on the savings. Along with Durbin pricing, online business owners should be looking for additional features in their internet merchant service provider including the ease of use and installation, as well as the security it provides to consumers.

This is another reason small businesses are encouraged to avoid working with merchant processors that require contracts or cancellation fees. The Durbin legislation forces banks and credit card issuers to limit processing costs, but merchant processors were unaffected by the legislation, with the hope that market forces will drive them to lower their prices in turn or lose customers. For those businesses currently under contract, there is no way to guarantee that Durbin savings will be realized. By working with a processor that does not employ contracts, merchants will always have the ability to realize future savings.

BestOnlineMerchantAccounts.com offers in-depth analysis on the top online merchant account providers available to small business owners today. These online merchant account reviews cover the ease of use, pricing, features and security ratings for each provider, as well as breakdowns on the companies' history and customer support. Additionally the website has numerous articles containing best practices and advice for improving an online business website both topics specific to credit card processing and general usability.

SOURCE BestOnlineMerchantAccounts.com

Green America: $5 Debit Card Fee is Latest Reason for American Consumers to Join the Protest Against Big Banks

As Wall Street Occupation Continues, Green America Cites Latest Abusive Big Bank Fee as Reason for Americans to "Break Up" with Mega Banks and Switch to Community Lenders

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As protestors continue to occupy Wall Street and consumers across the country are increasingly outraged by the abusive practices of mega-banks, the nonprofit Green America (http://greenamericatoday.org) is urging Americans to "break up" with their mega-banks and, instead, shift their money to community investing institutions nationwide. The latest outrageous mega-bank gouging of consumers: the rise of the $5monthly debit card fee.

Unlike mega-banks, community investing institutions serve local communities, providing loans to support affordable housing, small businesses, and social services. They often lend money to people overlooked by big banks, such as women entrepreneurs, green businesses, and people providing vital services in their communities, such as child care. Also unlike mega-banks, community investing institutions do not engage in abusive and predatory banking practices, since they have a mission of building communities.

"Consumers are increasingly fed up with the fact that mega-banks pay their executives millions in bonuses, while charging consumers outrageous fees, foreclosing on homes, and failing to invest in Main Street," said Todd Larsen, corporate responsibility director for Green America. "Bank of America's recent announcement of charging $5 per month for debit cards is just the latest outrage. We're helping more and more Americans to move their money out of mega-banks and into community investing institutions that are working to rebuild our communities and that value their customers."

Over the past 10 years, the funds invested in community investing institutions grew from $5 billion in assets to nearly $40 billion. Much of this growth has been fueled by individual investors. To help individuals break up with their mega-bank, Green America provides resources, including a comprehensive guide (http://www.greenamerica.org/pdf/guideinvestcommunities.pdf) for finding community investing options (available free as a download, and in print copies (http://www.greenamerica.org/socialinvesting/communityinvesting/orderguide.cfm) to individuals, or in bulk to community organizations), and stories of consumers who have broken up with their mega-banks and made the switch to community investing institutions. (http://www.greenamerica.org/socialinvesting/communityinvesting/2011Kotzenberg.cfm)

MEDIA CONTACTS: Leslie Anderson at landerson@hastingsgroup.com and (703) 276-3256; or Todd Larsen attlarsen@greenamerica.org and (202) 872-5310.

Green America is a national membership organization dedicated to harnessing economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Green America's Community Investing Program can be found on the web at: http://www.greenamerica.org/socialinvesting/communityinvesting/.

SOURCE Green America, Washington, D.C.

Personal Argentina and Gemalto Deploy SIM-based Facebook® Service

October 05, 2011 01:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, announces that Personal Argentina will go live with the Facebook for SIM software application. Personal Argentina will provide its more than 17.4 million customers with an innovative new way to access Facebook from any type of handset, and without the need for a data plan.

“The new Facebook for SIM by Personal allows us to continue multiplying accesses to social networks, anytime, anywhere, for millions of customers who could be connected, regardless of device they have”

The software application, which is embedded inside the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM), allows you to easily access core Facebook features from the phone’s main screen, through an intuitive and interactive menu. You can receive notifications of wall posts and messages, view friend requests and status updates. To begin using the service, you simply login using your existing Facebook account credentials and it just works.

"The new Facebook for SIM by Personal allows us to continue multiplying accesses to social networks, anytime, anywhere, for millions of customers who could be connected, regardless of device they have," said Ezequiel López Alcalá, Innovation and Value Added Services Manager, Personal.

“The launch of Facebook for SIM reinforces Personal’s history of delivering innovative solutions,” added Guillaume Lafaix, Vice President Sales Latin America South Cone at Gemalto. “At Gemalto, we share Personal’s vision that access to Facebook should be available to everyone, including those without access to PC-based internet, smart phones, or mobile data plans.”

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

View the Facebook for SIM demo

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2010 annual revenues of €1.9 billion and over 10,000 employees operating out of 87 offices and 13 Research & Development centers in 45 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure. Gemalto delivers on the growing demands for personal mobile services, identity protection, payment security, authenticated online services, cloud computing access, modern transportation, e-healthcare and e-government services. Gemalto does this by providing secure software, a wide range of secure personal devices, and managed services to wireless operators, banks, enterprises and government agencies.

Gemalto is the world leader for electronic passports and identity cards, two-factor authentication devices for online protection, smart credit/debit and contactless payment cards, as well as subscriber identification modules (SIM) and universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) in mobile phones. Also, in the emerging machine-to-machine applications Gemalto is a leading supplier of wireless modules and machine identification modules (MIM). To operate these solutions and remotely manage the software and confidential data contained in the secure devices Gemalto also provides server platforms, consulting, training, and managed services to help its customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the Company is poised to thrive over the coming years.

For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.

EFS Transportation Services and TCH Plan to Merge Businesses by Creating Joint Venture

October 04, 2011 04:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

ATLANTA & OGDEN, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, and Transportation Clearing House, TCH, a leading transportation payments organization today announced plans to create a joint venture company. First Data will contribute its EFS Transportation Services business to the new venture to be merged with TCH. Both companies provide unique services that, when combined, will be a leading payment card provider to the transportation industry.

“Outside of the obvious strategic benefits of combining these two highly complementary cultures, this merger will allow us to further accelerate the transformation of the payments landscape for our Industry”

“In forming this joint venture company, we are committed to maintaining the high level of personal customer support and services our EFS clients have come to expect,” said Ed Labry, president of First Data North America. “We are pleased that in anticipation of this company’s formation, TCH has recently hired Scott Phillips, a well-known industry veteran, as its chief executive officer, who will lead the new venture.”

“Outside of the obvious strategic benefits of combining these two highly complementary cultures, this merger will allow us to further accelerate the transformation of the payments landscape for our Industry,” said Scott Phillips, chief executive officer of TCH and chief executive officer of the joint venture. “We are excited to establish our role as the new Industry leader by bringing unparalleled service levels, customer driven innovation and new technology to make our Industry better.”

Pending finalization of due diligence and customary transaction documentation, the parties anticipate completing the transaction in the middle of the fourth quarter of 2011. No transaction terms are being disclosed.

Notice to Investors, Prospective Investors and the Investment Community Cautionary Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations of First Data. All forward-looking statements, including the parties expectation to complete a transaction and to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2011, are inherently uncertain as they are based on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected. Important factors upon which First Data’s forward-looking statements are premised include, but are not limited to the parties ability to reach final agreement on the terms of the transaction following completion of due diligence. First Data undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About TCH

Established in 1998 and headquartered in Ogden, Utah, TCH offers payment cards that support various transportation and financial needs. TCH payment products are accepted at over 7,500 locations in the United States and Canada. TCH's portfolio includes: TCH Fleet Fuel Card, TCH Express, FP Solutions, SFJ Express, TCH Fleet MasterCard^®, TCH SmartPay, and TCH Checks and MoneyCodes. Backed by experts in the trucking industry, TCH maintains cutting edge technology in money transfer and data processing. For more information, go to www.tch.com.

About First Data

Around the world, every second of every day, First Data makes payment transactions secure, fast and easy for merchants, financial institutions and their customers. First Data leverages its vast product portfolio and expertise to drive customer revenue and profitability. Whether the choice of payment is by debit or credit card, gift card, check or mobile phone, online or at the checkout counter, First Data takes every opportunity to go beyond the transaction.

Avira Chooses GlobalCollect as Preferred Payment Service Provider

October 04, 2011 04:12 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Avira, a leading supplier of security solutions for professional and private use, has signed a partnership agreement with GlobalCollect, the world's leading payment service provider of local e-payments, to facilitate its e-payment needs

AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avira, a specialist with sound experience in developing security solutions for both single workstations as well as cross-system protection of professional networks, will be using GlobalCollect to process and reconcile international e-payments. Under the current service agreement, Avira processes JCB (Japan), Sofortüberweisung (Benelux/DACH/UK), iDEAL and Direct Debits (Netherlands), Boleto Bancário (Brazil), Webmoney (Ukraine/Russia), and IPS (China) via GlobalCollect’s single-interface payment platform.

“We chose GlobalCollect as our online payment service provider because they are experienced and offer the largest footprint in terms of payment methods”

The intended extension of this partnership will support Avira's strategic expansion plans in two ways: by adding further alternative payment methods like real-time bank transfers, more eWallets, and cash as well as by helping realize Avira’s geographic growth ambitions to enter foreign markets by advising on local regulations and cultural payment preferences.

As a valued-added service, GlobalCollect supplies Avira with daily customized reports containing specific information on every single transaction, including exchange rate details broken down into initial amount and currency, followed by converted amount in the desired remittance currency at a glance.

“We chose GlobalCollect as our online payment service provider because they are experienced and offer the largest footprint in terms of payment methods,” said Travis Witteveen, COO Market & Operations of Avira. “As Avira continues to grow globally, we wanted to partner with a company like GlobalCollect which can handle any local payment transaction, regardless which country the payment originates from.”

Koen Vanpraet, Chief Commercial Officer of GlobalCollect, added: “We look forward to expanding our successful partnership with Avira. Just as Avira prides itself to provide state of the art security solutions, we pride ourselves to do the same when it comes to global payment solutions and guiding e-merchants to boost conversions rates. Given the in-depth expertise of our industry-specific payment consultants, including being able to advise on harnessing growth opportunities in BRIC countries, I am confident this will be a very fruitful business relationship.”

Mobile Network Operators May Miss Out on USD 100 Billion Mobile Payments Opportunity

MNOs might miss out on USD 100 bln m-payments opportunity

Wednesday 5 October 2011 | 12:04 CET

MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) could miss out on USD 100 billion in m-payments unless they implement NFC technology in their handsets, according to a study by ABI Research. Mobile payments are forecast to become a mass market-adopted behaviour in the US and Western Europe by 2016. By end-2013, MNOs and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are expected to flood some markets with NFC-enabled smartphones. The momentum from Google Wallet and other initiatives led by MNOs, such as Citzyi in France, ISIS in the US ant the yet unnamed MNO JV in the UK, is forecast to bring the installed base of NFC mobile payment users to over 16 percent of mobile subscribers in the US and Western Europe by late 2014.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Introducing NFC INDX: Free data for everyone

NFC INDX is a project we have taken on to provide NFC industry statistics to everyone, free of charge on an ongoing basis, but we need your help. Let us explain. NFCRumors and NFC Data have a pretty tight relationship. In fact, we are working on a few initiatives together. Both of our groups have this crazy idea that we want to provide resources to the NFC community free of charge. If you are on the huge NFC Data email list, you will see the creative commons statement listed all over the place as you get your daily fill of NFC news, and if you are a regular here at NFC Rumors you will know we give away graphics and provide news everyday that encompasses the whole industry.

We all believe NFC is one of the biggest things that has happened to the tech world in quite sometime and both organizations appreciate that there are obstacles that need to be overcome. So while chatting one day over a month ago, we came up with a crazy idea of creating polls that start to build a picture of what consumers and businesses want to see happen in NFC. Research houses spend an inordinate amount of hours putting together huge reports that only large companies can afford, but in NFC there are lots of small companies building services and products for everyone. Don't get us wrong, we feel that research houses of the ilk of the Yankee Group, ABI, Juniper and other reputable research houses are worth every penny you pay for them for their reports and competitive data. It's just we can't all afford deep analysis of the industry, and yet small companies and large ones alike need quality data from both businesses and consumers.

Want to get involved?

What is NFC INDX and how can I be involved?

NFC INDX is our project that gives the data answered by NFC Rumors and NFC Data readers back to the community. Every couple of weeks, we will launch a new survey where we keep polls intentionally small and quick to answer. It should never take more than a minute or two. We will then aggregate the data we receive and publish it on NFCINDX.com for everyone. We will probably post some of the data on our respective news sites also. If you have answered the survey you will get access to the results quicker than everyone else as we want to reward those who support the NFC community. We have a coming soon page up at the moment because we are only now launching our first poll, but as soon as the results are in, the site that sits behind the splash page will be set loose. Between NFC Rumors and NFC Data we reach hundreds of thousands of people in the NFC industry and consumers alike, all around the world.

Our rules: Your data will never be shared outside of NFC Rumors and NFC data. All answers will be aggregated and your identity will never be divulged. The best way you can take part at this time is to answer the polls that are designed to take no time at all. When we get into the swing of things more and have more data behind us, we will reach out to the community more.

"My perspective as a technologist is to figure out what features NFC provides will give users the fastest marginal utility and drive adoption,” shares Ken Mages, Founder/CTO of NFC Data. “Having been in the payment space the last twelve years, it is NOT payments necessarily that will move the NFC needle but perhaps the synchronous/asynchronous nature of storing and forwarding data that matters most. We hope to uncover these answers in our survey.”

A personal message from me, the Editor of NFC Rumors. "You will normally see our posts refer to us because there is a small team behind NFC Rumors. However, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank our readers who visit us on a daily basis for their support. We have seen record growth since we launched. I really hope you can get behind the polls to give developers and entrepreneurs around the world the valuable data they need to meet market demands, and to push the evolution of NFC further than anything we have seen yet. If we get great response rates to our polls it helps everyone in the NFC ecosystem. Just think, we could well create jobs, help to bring new products to market and generally cement NFC as a positive technology in the minds and hearts of consumers that are yet to hear of this near field technology we all have such a passion for."

We really hope you can support NFC INDX and look forward to seeing your responses and publishing them for the whole community. The comments are open, people. Let us know your thoughts on NFC INDX.

This post was originally written by NFC Rumors. http://www.nfcrumors.com/10-04-2011/introducing-nfc-indx-free-data-for-everyone/#ixzz1ZxuehwRN

Steve Jobs Dead at 56, But not Before iPhone4S Announcment

Steve Jobs passes away aged 56

The very sad news is breaking all over the world tonight that Steve Jobs has passed away. A true loss. Our condolences to anyone who was close to or knew the man that Tim Cook called “a creative genius.”

The following is a memo AllThingsD posted that was sent to employees.

Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Tim