Tracker Roundup: What To Think About Now And In The Future

Original research. Thousands of individuals and companies surveyed. Insight into all manner of subjects — from mobile shopping to digital banking to self-service kiosks and beyond.

The PYMNTS trackers and indexes offer all this and beyond, with an eye on where we’ve been and where we might be headed.

Yes, Labor Day is upon us, with a bit of time to rest and reflect. We’re getting near the end of the third quarter of the year. Getting ready for the fourth quarter, of course, means looking out at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. That begs the idea of looking out at subsequent years, of course, because time marches on and so does change when it comes to payments and commerce.

In a few examples of trends writ large, consider the Gig Economy Index, which, per usual, has tracked the way the part-time labor force has been evolving — and project work has become a way of life. The flexible nature of such work has helped this go mainstream — where just under 34 percent of the workforce has participated in the gig economy. And, in the latest tally of more than 10,000 gig workers, as many as 58 percent of gig economy workers do not have a full-time job — nor do they want one.

Separately, headlines in recent weeks have been focused on cross-border transactions. You may recall Germany’s declaration that there should be a separate European international payments system. The international landscape is one to always keep in mind. The travel industry itself, in serving companies and leisure-oriented consumers, can get a boost in streamlining travel payments and their own operations, a key finding of our Travel Payments Study.

Click here to get a sense of what’s been tracked, what we’re tracking and what lies in the future.