Karen Webster

Commentary
Will Apple Become The American Express of Mobile Payments?
June 02, 2014

Today is the day that we might actually get a peek into Apple’s playbook on mobile payments. Anyone who hasn’t totally tuned out everything over the last week but the near endless coverage of the Kimye wedding and honeymoon knows that Apple is hosting its...

Commentary
Is the EMV Journey Worth the Price?
May 19, 2014

Several reports surfaced last week that reaffirmed what we’ve all suspected – rolling out EMV in the US is going to be a long slog that will optimistically take 5 years but more likely 10 to complete. That got MPD CEO Karen Webster to thinking,...

Commentary
Alibaba: The Other 550M Gorilla in Payments
May 12, 2014

While everyone in payments has been focused on another player out west whose name begins with an “A” no one has really paid much attention to the other one even father west with even greater payments and commerce ambitions. MPD CEO Karen Webster gives you...

Commentary
PYMNTS Flashback: Alibaba And ShopRunner Say “Open Sesame” To Digital Commerce
May 08, 2014

Everybody knows the ancient story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. “Open Sesame” were the magic words that opened a cave where Ali Baba saw an abundance of gold treasure stolen by 40 thieves stashed inside. Ali Baba, assisted by his very capable female...

Commentary
The Payments Networks’ Next Real Threat
May 05, 2014

What begins with an 'A' and is the biggest threat to the payments networks since Judge Leon? ACH. I know, you thought we were going to say Apple. But the Paym launch in the UK got MPD CEO Karen Webster to thinking about the impact...

Commentary
Fed’s Mobile Use Numbers—That Was Then, This is Now
April 16, 2014

The Fed issued its update recently on the state of the mobile US landscape two years after its Mobile Payments Industry Workgroup (MPIW) convened to provide guidance on how to move the mobile industry forward. I have read the report several times and so wanted...

Commentary
Black Swans, Payments and 1982
April 16, 2014

Actions in the aftermath of the recent merchant data breaches have demonstrated the potential dangers that extend beyond simply not improving payments-data security. Knee-jerk reacting is another, and that appears to be what Target’s doing in saying it will push hard now for EMV card...

Commentary
Shaw’s Follows Dangerous Path In Shift Away From Loyalty
April 16, 2014

Shaw’s Supermarket here in Boston made a little bit of news in the run-up to the 4th of July holiday. It’s dumping its loyalty card program. Well to be technical, Albertson’s - the Idaho-based North American grocery chain that owns them – decided that all...

Commentary
So, You Want To Do A Loyalty Program – Why?
April 15, 2014

Consumers aren’t likely to be loyal to any one brand, companies that spend more on loyalty programs aren’t as profitable as companies that don’t and companies with the most loyal customers don’t even have loyalty programs. Try putting that business case in front of your...