Data Security

Target, the second-largest U.S. discount retailer, increased its estimate of people affected by the recent data security breach to as many as 110 million and said additional information was stolen. Names, home and email addresses for as many as 70 million people were taken, the Minneapolis-based company said in a statement. That information is in addition to the credit card and debit card data of 40 million accounts that Target previously said was taken. Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said while it's likely the two groups of victims overlap, Target doesn't yet know the extent, and it's possible they are distinct.

Misconfigured mobile redirects can result in errors, irrelevant pages and now, as a result of Google's recent algorithm changes, search ranking downgrades. Many brands may find it difficult to correct mobile redirect issues, but identifying and fixing these issues is important to helping pages stay visible in mobile search results and removing critical obstacles blocking the path to more mobile commerce. The following is a list of suggested tips to help retailers correct faulty mobile redirects:

At least 2 million shoppers who used bank debit cards at Target stores during its recent data breach are facing lower limits on how much cash they can take out of teller machines and spend at stores. JPMorgan Chase said on Saturday it's notifying customers who used Chase brand debit cards at Target from Nov. 27 through Dec. 15 that they're now limited to $100 a day of cash withdrawals and $300 a day of purchases with their cards. The new limit affects roughly 2 million accounts, or 10 percent of Chase debit cards, according to a spokeswoman for Chase. 

In the wake of a massive data breach, Target suffered reduced customer traffic over one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year,  The Wall Street Journal reported. The number of transactions at Target fell 3 percent to 4 percent compared with last year's final weekend before Christmas, while transactions at other retailers were strong, the Journal said, citing estimates by retail consultancy Customer Growth Partners LLC.

Potential victims of credit card fraud tied to Target's security breach said they had trouble contacting the retailer through its website and call centers. Angry Target customers expressed their displeasure in comments on the company's Facebook page. Some even threatened to stop shopping at the store. Target apologized on Facebook and said it's working hard to resolve the problem and is adding more workers to field calls and help solve website issues.

Target says that its stores have been hit by a major credit card attack involving up to 40 million accounts. Chief Executive Officer Greg Steinhafel confirmed Thursday morning earlier reports that a brazen data breach had taken place. In a statement, Steinhafel said: "Target is working closely with law enforcement and financial institutions, and has identified and resolved the issue." The retailer said that the unlawful access to customer information took place between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. Earlier, the Secret Service confirmed to USA TODAY that it's investigating the massive data violation involving shoppers’ personal credit card information.

With online sales expected to grow 15 percent this holiday season, consumers will be making purchases from a variety of devices and places — including work. While some employers have taken a liberal stance toward online shopping and personal internet use, the holiday shopping season threatens to strain bandwidth capacities to a point that would frustrate even the most lenient of employers. In some organizations, free-for-all bandwidth consumption might lead to an office network crash, hindering not only deal shoppers, but others in the office attempting to — shockingly enough — conduct actual company business. 

While Amazon's Login and Pay offers convenience for merchants and consumers, there are severe security concerns associated with this service. Specifically, if one of the participating retail websites is compromised, login and credit card credentials for several websites can be exposed to cybercriminals. Using such a service ignores a cybercrime prevention measure security experts have stressed the importance of for some time — using unique logins across websites. 

As the year comes to a close, it's time for my annual roundup of omnichannel retail predictions for the year ahead. I'm focusing on a few interesting trends I saw come to light in 2013 that I believe will become even more widespread next year. Enjoy!

The time is here for the online shopping onslaught — Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the whole run up to Christmas. The promotions have been prepared, the email campaigns set up, so just one questions remains: Is your website ready to handle the volume? The issues around website performance have never been as prominent in the news. So let's review the top tips for making sure your websites — and remember this is now across desktop, tablet and smartphone devices — are ready for showtime.