There are plenty of technologies that have received significant hype over the last few years. Virtual reality (VR) is an example of a technology that has received a lot of attention but seems to have stalled. On the other hand, technologies like augmented reality (AR) and machine learning have continued to move forward. What's interesting is of all these different technologies, the one that has really exploded didn't receive a lot of attention in the beginning. The technology we're talking about is voice. Part of the reason it didn't get the same wave of attention as others we mentioned above is because after Apple took the lead with Siri, they really dropped the ball by letting her capabilities stagnate. In the meantime, both Amazon and Google made huge investments in voice technology. As of now, Google has a very robust offering that's only surpassed by Amazon's Alexa technology. Although Amazon tends to be coy whenever possible, Jeff Bezos actually said in a recent earnings announcement that the consumer reception of their voice devices blew away all of their expectations. Since… Read more

Whether you sell products online, offline or both, returns are an unavoidable part of doing business. Some customers will be fine doing an exchange or getting store credit. However, a percentage of customers will want to return what they bought for a full refund. Payment processing companies understand this reality, which is why they try to make it easy for businesses to handle returns without taking any major hits. As long as you maintain a healthy return rate for your industry, having customers who change their mind about purchases shouldn't have any significant impact on your bottom line or operations. What can cause problems for a business of any size is receiving chargebacks. Although chargebacks have some similarities with refunds, we're going to cover the critical differences between the two, as well as what you can do to protect your business from being negatively impacted by chargebacks in 2018. The Key Differences Between Chargebacks and Refunds When a customer wants a standard refund, they will contact you online or bring their purchase back to your store. What sets a chargeback… Read more

Personal finance experts generally frown upon consumers taking on any type of debt. But for business owners, the situation can be more complicated. There are plenty of examples of businesses that wouldn't have been able to keep going and find success without taking on debt. Although debt can be a useful tool for growing businesses, it still has plenty of risks and downsides. If your business has used debt in the past and you're still dealing with the impact of that decision, the best thing you can do is take control of that debt. Since accomplishing this goal is often much easier said than done, we want to share five very actionable tips: Know Exactly Where You're At Because most business debt accumulates at least some amount of interest, many owners don't know exactly how much debt they're carrying. The same is often true for those with multiple sources of business debt. Even though it may be a little painful to do, sitting down and calculating exactly how much debt you need to tackle is an important starting point. Create… Read more

From Amazon acquiring Whole Foods to meal kits turning down $400 million acquisition offers, the grocery industry is getting more competitive than ever. Because there's so much activity within this industry, we want to share five valuable lessons that any business owner can learn from: Physical Retail Still Matters Online shopping continues to grow at a very fast pace. And while some traditional retailers are really struggling, that doesn't mean everyone wants to make 100% of their purchases online. Consumer preferences are shifting towards a hybrid mix of online and offline, which is why the best companies within the grocery space are working hard to give consumers great ways to buy through both channels. Adapt or Become Obsolete As mentioned above, there are a number of traditional grocers and other retailers that have really struggled with consumer preferences moving towards online and mobile experiences. Some of these retailers have already gone under, and all signs point towards this happening with many more over the next couple of years. The big lesson for your business is to avoid getting too comfortable… Read more

Over the last few years, we've talked about a number of different payment technologies. Some of these technologies have become quite prevalent while others have remained more experimental. Because everyone from startups to the biggest processors continue to push forward with new technology concepts, we want to dive into one that seems to have a good amount of traction. That specific technology is PIN on glass. This technology is focused on solving a very common problem, which is when a merchant has a debit card reader but not a pad for entering PINs. The solution PIN on glass offers is enabling any smartphone or other mobile device with a screen to be used as a keypad for entering a PIN. What's the Appeal of PIN on Glass? There are a few reasons why many merchants and payment providers are excited about this technology. The first factor that appeals to merchants is the ability to accept PIN debit cards without needing to purchase any additional equipment. By being able to accept and process these payments, merchants can take advantage of the… Read more