It’s the end of the workweek, and the PYMNTS Weekender is here to make sure you didn’t miss anything with the latest in payments and commerce news. We have deep dives on digital onboarding at universities, subscriptions and quick-service restaurant (QSR) friendly fraud.
Top News
Deloitte Becomes First of Big Four to Break Up Business
Deloitte will be the first of the “Big Four” accounting firms to break up its business following the selection of a new auditing board. The firm, in addition to KPMG, EY and PwC, had been cautioned by regulators that their companies had to break off their consulting divisions from their audit arms.
Apple Provides Temporary Access to Epic Games' Fortnite
Players of Fortnite can now log into the video game on Apple’s sign-in system following an almost two-week prohibition. Epic Games indicated that the California-based tech firm has provided an extension without an end for fans to get into the survival game.
SWIFT to Create New Cross-Border Real-Time Rails
Financial messaging services organization SWIFT has announced that its cross-border technology will be revamped to let financial institutions offer instant transactions. The organization, which is based in Europe, indicated that the effort will offer transaction management services.
Uber Eats Updates Its App to Pay Tab While Dining In
Uber Eats has debuted a contactless ordering function that will work when customers are dining in amid the ongoing battle against the coronavirus. The “Uber Eats Contactless Order Feature” lets customers use the app to pay the bill while in a restaurant.
What Innovators Can Learn from Netflix
Netflix seems to have written and followed an innovation playbook over the past 22 years on using technology and a new business model to transform something that consumers didn’t really want to do into an activity they no longer have to do, while receiving the same – or even better – outcome.
Trackers and Reports
Universities' Digital Onboarding Orientation
American universities have opened for the autumn semester, offering virtual classes and resources for new and returning pupils. A number of these schools had to make quick changes to their onboarding procedures as they encounter the safety and wellness risks presented by the coronavirus. PYMNTS explores how one university is growing its utilization of digital tools for new student onboarding.
How the Pandemic Stirred an Appetite for Meal Box Subscriptions
Consumers who are remaining in their residences amid COVID-19 and seeking to make their lives slightly easier are turning to meal kits in droves. Firms are witnessing new sign-ups increase and current subscribers upgrade their plans. PYMNTS explores what it takes to maintain subscriber loyalty amid (and long after) COVID-19.
Helping QSRs Fight Food Fraud
Eateries have been combating chargeback fraud, which is also referred to as friendly fraud, for years. COVID-19 has increased the probability for this type of fraud for quick-service restaurants (QSRs) as they make the transition to mobile. PYMNTS explores how one QSR company is upgrading its fraud strategies.
Fun, Cool, and Otherwise Interesting
Clock Ticks on TikTok, WeChat Bans – and eCommerce May Suffer
Sunday is approaching as a red-letter day for TikTok, Tencent’s WeChat and tens of millions of users who harness the mobile programs for commerce. In the U.S., the government is limiting access to the two apps in a battle between the U.S. and China that is focused on national security.
Retail Sales: Rough Days Ahead at the Register?
Four straight months into positive consumer spending trends, one wonders if there could possibly be a more difficult path ahead for merchants approaching the pivotal holiday shopping season. When it comes to headline numbers, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that retail sales in August were up 60 basis points over the month before.
Apple’s Late to the Connectivity, Fitness and Services Parties – Will It Catch Up?
Apple presented many watches and services on Tuesday (Sept. 15) in an effort to provide a tailwind to sales of tangible technology and bolster its services business. Will the bevy of offerings unveiled this week be sufficient to attract new users to its ever-growing ecosystem, and have current consumers continue to consume?
The eCommerce Digital Shift Is Spurring a Great Logistics Shift, Too
Logistics companies are also shifting amid the great digital shift. The rise of online shopping giants is reshaping even the method in which the biggest container companies are conducting business.
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