Новости за 25.10.2021

Senator Rand Paul is wondering whether cryptocurrency could dethrone the dollar as the world’s reserve currency as it continues to grow in popularity. “I've started to question now whether or not cryptocurrency could actually become the reserve currency of the world, as more and more people lose confidence in government,” Paul said in an interview […]

With the rise in off-premise digital ordering, restaurants and coffee shops are rethinking their formats. Brands are experimenting with ghost kitchens, robotic kiosks, physical locations that do not feature dining rooms, and other smaller-format models that fulfill consumers’ off-premise needs without the high costs associated with running a traditional restaurant. With these changes across the […]

Consumers increasingly expect simple, convenient ways to get their food needs met, but most are not willing to bear the cost of on-demand restaurant delivery every day. On Monday (Oct. 25), grocery giant Kroger announced that its Home Chef brand, which provides meal kits and heat-and-eat meals, has exceeded $1 billion in annual sales.   The […]

The many faces of friction in the checkout experience cover a range from time spent to value-adds like free shipping and other variables that add up to good — or less good— checkouts. PYMNTS developed the proprietary Checkout Conversion Index scoring system in 2016 to gauge checkout frictions among non-Amazon online merchants. Top performers are […]

People who sign up for Walmart+ on Monday (Oct. 25) will get $9.95 cash-back that can be used to offset the customer’s next online order, Walmart said in an email to PYMNTS on Monday (Oct 25). Walmart+ is offering the promotion on the same day that Amazon’s grocery delivery service from Whole Foods instituted a […]

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services are gaining the interest of consumers – but more importantly, the payment option is finding widespread use. In a recent report done in conjunction between PYMNTS and Amazon Web Services (AWS), surveys of more than 2,200 consumers showed that not only are consumers finding the convenience of BNPL a […]

The payments company Alliance Data Systems has formed a partnership with the buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform Sezzle, with Alliance offering its installment loan business Bread through Sezzle's merchant network. “Through the integrated partnership, Sezzle will leverage Bread’s deep underwriting and installment loan product to reach more customers buying big-ticket items, while offering a […]

WhatsApp users might soon have to verify their identities to make payments on the platform, according to an XDA report Monday (Oct. 25) pointing to new strings in the latest WhatsApp beta release. WhatsApp Pay in India verifies the phone number linked to the user’s bank account to allow UPI-based payments, while Brazilian users validate […]

Global cross-border payments network Thunes on Monday (Oct. 25) said it’s teaming up with PayPal digital remittance service Xoom to allow customers in the U.S. Canada, the U.K. and Europe to send money to mobile wallets across the globe.  The partnership expands on Thunes’ work with PayPal that started in 2018, when Kenyans were first […]

Restaurants and grocery stores are on a bit of a collision course when it comes to consumer spending as customers weigh supermarket markups against the skyrocketing cost of restaurant fare.  Setting the table for a dustup, the October 2021 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecast comparing year-to-date averages notes that “food-at-home prices have increased 2.5 […]

Toyota and Lexus drivers now have access to an app that will walk them through what to do if they get in a collision. After the driver has confirmed they are safe, the feature prompts them through the entire process. If they choose, it also streamlines the submission of information to insurance companies and repair […]

Kimberly-Clark Corporation on Monday (Oct. 25) reported that its fiscal 2021 third-quarter net sales were up 7% to $5 billion, compared to the same time in 2020, and that organic sales had grown 4% in that same time frame.  Still, the company says it’s likely to see full-year organic sales drop 1 to 2%, largely […]

From swiping a magnetic strip in-person to instant orders and payment plans, many of us did not anticipate the level of rapid development that would expand throughout the payments industry over the last two years. The buying power and payments preferences once in the hands of businesses shifted to consumers the moment our lives went […]

Thrasio Holdings Inc., a third-party aggregator of Amazon products, has raised more than $1 billion in private funding, according to a Bloomberg report Monday (Oct. 25).  The Series D fundraising effort was led by technology investment platform Silver Lake, a new investor in the Walpole, Massachusetts-based Thrasio. Advent International, Upper90, Oaktree Capital Management and Peak6 […]

The traditional discounts and specials related to the holiday season will be fewer and further between this year as shoppers are likely to pay close to full price on just about everything on their holiday lists this year, according to a report Monday (Oct. 25) in The Wall Street Journal. Supply chain snafus and inflation […]

Self-proclaimed ethical shoemaker Allbirds has set its sights on a $2.2 billion valuation for its initial public offering (IPO), according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday (Oct. 25). Allbirds will offer 19.2 million shares between $12 and $14 each as part of its IPO, according to a CNBC report. […]

Retailers, restaurants and small businesses are pulling out all the stops to bring workers in the door amid the ongoing labor shortage, with many taking steps to raise their base pay to at least $15 per hour, more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25. However, John Waldmann, CEO of scheduling software Homebase, told […]

Retailers, many known for their expansive stores, are beginning to refine their footprints and rethink how they utilize floor space and real estate to create a more focused experience for customers. For example, partnerships between brands to install shop-in-shop locations have picked up steam this year, beyond the traditional cosmetics counters that are the staples […]

Increasing customer acquisition costs are beginning to dig into retailers’ profits at a time when merchants are struggling on multiple different fronts, facing a continuing labor shortage and supply chain issues that threaten product availability ahead of the holidays. One of the biggest issues is the increasing privacy restrictions for consumers that limit how and […]

Onboarding merchants in a fast yet cost-effective manner is often an uphill battle for eCommerce marketplaces. But it’s a source of friction that can be minimized by payment orchestration APIs. In this month’s Accelerating The Time To First-Time Payments Playbook, PYMNTS talks with livestream shopping platform Livescale about how these APIs can ease that burden by aggregating merchants’ payment stacks and accelerating sellers’ time to market.

Hims & Hers Health has had its biggest one-day loss in over two months, following its rival 23andMe’s agreement to buy web-based healthcare platform Lemonaid Health. Hims & Hers is a telehealth platform working on custom health and wellness in multi-specialty needs. The report from Seeking Alpha says although there’s a buy rating on 23andMe, […]

Business-to-business (B2B) buy now play later (BNPL) startup Billie raised $100 million in a Series C funding round at a $640 million valuation, four times what its value was at its last funding in July 2019. The round was led by Dawn Capital, with participation by Klarna, Tencent, Creandum, Speedinvest, Picus and GFC. This is […]

PayPal is not buying the social media image sharing site Pinterest, the payments giant said in a brief statement on Sunday (Oct. 24). The company responded to what it called “market rumors” about its supposed acquisition of Pinterest and stated that it is “not pursuing an acquisition of Pinterest at this time.” Numerous media accounts […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) identity verification startup Jumio has launched an intuitive, no-code orchestration layer for its KYX Platform that pulls together a full suite of risk and fraud detection tools, the company said in a press release emailed to PYMNTS. The provider of end-to-end identity verification, electronic know your customer (eKYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) […]

The headlines paint an ominous picture for the holiday shopping season — and, indeed, for everyday commerce. Supply chains across a broad range of verticals are being disrupted, causing cash flow pressure for buyers and suppliers. J.P. Jolly, Head of Payments at J.P. Morgan, told Karen Webster that the current landscape is illuminating the importance […]