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Streamlining the path to purchase and checkout process has been one of the key ways that e-tailers have been able to improve their customers’ online shopping experiences and drive conversions. Mobile consumers have come to expect the fastest, most seamless checkout experiences possible. They don't want to type their credit card numbers or shipping addresses into a small screen every time they shop a new site. They also never want to worry about the security of their data, which high-profile breaches at major retailers routinely call into question. New alternate payment options promise to accelerate this process, and merchants should take a hard look at implementing them for several reasons.

The world's biggest maker of Android phones launched a major challenge to Google Wallet on Sunday, saying it will soon launch a rival phone-based payment system. Samsung Pay will appear first in the summer in the U.S. — later in other markets — and will allow consumers to make tap-and-go payments with a smartphone. It's being introduced as Google is moving to strengthen its position in the mobile payments market to better compete with Apple Pay.

Any small business working with a limited budget or staff knows the challenges that come with gaining traffic, traction and sales. Unlike retail giants that can drop millions on advertising and marketing initiatives, smaller e-tailers need to be crafty and use inexpensive (or even free) tools to connect with consumers. Here are three tips on how to accomplish that:

Google has inked a distribution deal with the biggest wireless carriers in the U.S. to get its Google Wallet payments app pre-installed on their phones. At the same time, Google is buying technology from Softcard, the mobile payments app backed by the same carriers. The deal will see Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and AT&T pre-install Google Wallet on their Android phones in the U.S. later this year. The move also involves Google buying some intellectual property from Softcard, formerly known as ISIS. 

Retailers took spending on product listing ads (PLAs) to another level at the end of 2014. According to data from Adobe Digital Index, Google Shopping ad spending in the retail sector grew 47 percent year-over-year and 53 percent quarter-over-quarter in last year's fourth quarter. Meanwhile, spending on Google text ads was down 6 percent year-over-year. PLAs accounted for one-fifth of U.S. retail search ad clicks in the fourth quarter of 2014. Despite their decline in spend, Google text ads led in share of search engine marketing clicks, grabbing two-thirds of the total. 

It's a new year and the Lett Direct team has put together "50 Best Tips for 2015" that will help you increase your profits. While not in any particular order, these suggestions are being made to help you improve your print catalog and digital marketing programs. Some of our suggestions might be obvious while other tips might stimulate your thinking. Regardless, we hope our tips and suggestions for 2015 will benefit your business.

Apple Pay is shiny, it looks nice, it's fun, but it could have been made much more compelling to consumers and merchants, simultaneously creating incremental value, following the Starbucks model. There has to be a method that consumers can adopt easily. For example, it has to easily work with all smartphones and there needs to be some method of giving more value to both merchant and user than existing payment cards and systems are able to offer.

Google determines search rank through an algorithm that includes keywords, listing quality and reviews, and having the product in stock, so it's important for retail marketers to optimize the use of each of these factors on their product pages. Products with all of these attributes will land on the first two pages 25 percent of the time, while failing to have just one of these likely pushes it to the third page or later.

Ever bent on competing with everyone, Amazon.com launched an email service yesterday called WorkMail. The new service is exclusively for the workplace — not personal use. Amazon will be charging subscription fees of $4 a month for each account on WorkMail, prices that are in keeping with both Office 365 and Google Apps for Work. Additional features include calendaring, calendar sharing, tasks, contact lists, distribution lists, resource booking, public folders and away messages. The subscription will give users 50 gigabytes of email storage as well.

Recent security breaches and new emerging payment alternatives such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet are expanding the exposure of personal information in ways that we haven't seen before. The key question that consumers are now asking is, "Do I trust you enough to share my personal information and will you keep it secure?"