Data Security

It hasn’t been a slow year for cyber attackers, and with holiday shopping wrapping up, retailers should pay special attention to their cybersecurity practices. In a survey conducted in November, cybersecurity company Tripwire found that a large majority of retail organizations aren't fully prepared for data breaches this holiday season. This is especially concerning given…

Will consumers have second thoughts about shopping at a retailer this holiday season that has experienced a data breach in the past? Chances are, they will. Perhaps because the sheer number of data breaches in recent years have raised consumer awareness about the potential damage from identity theft, Americans are increasingly wary about engaging with…

Imagine a store where many of the customers are invisible. Sounds like an episode of the "Twilight Zone" or a Stephen King novel. Yet the scene is a good analogy for what many traditional retailers and brands experience with their digital platforms — they have limited to no visibility as to who their customers are. The…

The holiday shopping season is often a chaotic frenzy with consumers frantically searching for the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Due to wider adoption and the abundance of mobile shopping apps, as well as recent breaches in secure data, holiday shopping today isn’t the same as it used to be. To help retailers prepare…

There are significant forces at play in the world of retail, not least of which is digital transformation. As transactions are increasingly completed online from a variety of devices, users have come to expect a far different experience when engaging with retailers. This holiday season, shoppers are expected to spend $682 billion, and for the…

Consumer loyalty reward programs across every facet of retail are antiquated and ineffective. Seventy-seven percent of adults in the United States participate in loyalty programs, however, more than $100 billion in loyalty points have gone unclaimed as trust in loyalty program benefits plummets. These rewards points go unused because consumers either don’t know how to claim…

Fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 confirmed it's dealing with a major credit card data breach in its retail stores. PC Magazine reports Forever 21 explained how a third party recently informed the company that there may have been an unauthorized access to payment card data at a number of its retail locations. In a press release, Forever…

It’s that time of year again. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday quickly approaching, many retailers are hoping to have customers lined up outside, eager for the doors to open, or sitting excitedly at their computers, ready to shop for the best deals. In 2016, the National Retail Federation found that more than 154 million…

Just as our devices are getting smarter, so are the hackers trying to break into them. Cybercrime will cost the world in excess of $6 trillion annually by 2021, according to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures. While this costly crime affects a multitude of players in retail — including consumers, credit card processors and merchants…

The way we shop is changing, so it’s only natural that retailers would change their approach to fit consumer demands. According to Worldpay, omnichannel shoppers spend between 50 percent to 300 percent more than single-channel shoppers. However, the tactics online retailers are adopting are surprisingly similar. In fact, they’re starting to act a little more…