In Depth

What 2014 Brought For Amazon, eBay And Alibaba
December 31, 2014

The year of 2014 was filled with ups and downs for the three masters of the e-commerce marketplace. Amazon hit it big in sales but fell short in the phone and profit departments, eBay and PayPal announced they’d be splitting (along with eBay’s CEO), and Alibaba set a record-breaking IPO but hit a few bumps...

The Prizes and Perils of Beacons
December 30, 2014

Should the history of beacon technology ever be written, 2014 runs a good chance of being anointed “Year 1.”  Though they came into our psyche in the Fall of 2013 when Apple made them a household word (and ecosystem), elementally beacons are small, low-cost pieces...

2014: The Tipping Point For Mobile Point-Of-Sale
December 30, 2014

2014 may have been the year that moved mobile point-of-sale from planning to action for businesses of all sizes across the globe. Deployments of mPOS began to take off and existing mobile point of sale players began to expand their product offerings and incorporate additional...

The Year of the Breaches And How The Industry Responded
December 29, 2014

While it’s not quite faster to list all the retailers and other institutions that haven’t been breached, the list of those who’ve been targets is long and scary. As we look back a year ago, who would have ever thought that the Target breach would be eclipsed – at 40...

Combining Clicks With Brick-And-Mortar Retail
December 29, 2014

By all accounts, Santa delivered for retailers this holiday season.  According to the National Retail Federation, retailers pulled in $616.9 billion in revenue this holiday season, a 4.1 percent jump from 2013 and the strongest gain in three years. Though there are some voices suggesting...

Will Dynamic Pricing Improve E-commerce Margins?
December 29, 2014

Mary visits her favorite housewares e-tailer looking for a new Cuisinart Food Processor to whip up a few killer dishes for her annual New Year’s Eve dinner party extravaganza. She sees a couple of makes and models and starts reading the reviews. She decides on...

Swing And A Miss: Slightly Off Predictions About 2014
December 27, 2014

In professional baseball, hitting the ball one-third of the time is considered a very strong result. While that may seem generous, considering the ball has a circumference of 9 inches and is hurled at the batter in excess of 90 miles an hour most of...

How Dec. 26 Could Turn Into The Next Black Friday
December 26, 2014

Step aside Black Friday hype, there’s a new Friday this year that may capture a growing share of consumer retailer dollars: Today, Dec. 26. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no...

How Mobile Gets Holiday Retail Down The Home Stretch
December 26, 2014

Well it’s over. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today. By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications...