Since Marc Andreessen’s prediction in 2013 that “…retail guys are going out of business and ecommerce will become the place everyone buys…,”1 there has been a cascade of opinions and predictions about the digital disruption of retail. Hindsight teaches us that digital disruption is about more than technology. In spite...
NACS Show: Innovating Like a Start Up
The following originally appeared in Convenience Store Decisions and features W. Capra Senior Consultant, Jim Duboyce. Sheetz aims to empower an incubator team to strategize new initiatives for Sheetz that will position it for the future. In a Sunday, Oct. 7 educational session on innovating like a start up, Moderator Jim Duboyce,...
W. Capra Discusses Technology Adoption
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360, and is taken from a recent interview between Loyalty360 and W. Capra regarding technology adoption. The original post can be found here. How does W. Capra view technological adaptation for brands? Is it a necessity in today’s market? History is littered with once...
India Drafts Policy to Reduce Influence of Large Tech Companies
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360. The original article can be found here. The draft of a new e-commerce policy has emerged in India, one that calls for a “level playing field” between Indian businesses and global competitors. The policy, if enacted, would require tech companies like Amazon or...
Does Your App Accept the New Consumer Currency – Data?
Consumers are offering data, a new currency, in exchange for truly exceptional experiences. Like monetary currencies, the value consumers receive for this new currency will vary, depending on where they exchange it. To succeed, your app must offer an experience in line with consumer value exchange rate expectations. Mobile apps...
Insights from the Think Tank session
The following has been re-posted from NACS magazine. “Surround yourself with smart people” is career advice that I continue to put into action. At this year’s Conexxus Annual Conference, nearly 160 attendees had the opportunity to do just that during the Think Tank session. Joining me on stage were...
Contactless Wearables: A Successful Implementation
For us in the Payments and ID markets, in the issuer (card) or acquirer (terminal) industries, it is common to hear about contactless technology. We are aware it involves complex specifications from ISO, the payment brands (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, CUP, Interac, etc.), the processors, terminal and card...
Voice Assistants: A New Mobile Frontier for Merchants, Part II of II
In my previous article, we took a look at the rise in adoption of voice-activated personal assistants by consumers. This follow-up will examine the effect that the rise in voice assistant adoption will have on the merchant landscape. Voice-activated assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, are allowing consumers...
Customer Retention: Q&A with Loyalty360
The following has been re-posted from Loyalty360. The original post can be found here. Customer retention in 2018, regardless of industry or brand, is completely different than it was even five years ago. Daniel Kahan, Consultant with W. Capra Consulting Group, sat down with Loyaty360 to discuss common mistakes...
“How Will You Be Paying?”: A Look at P2P Payments
As methods of payment continue to evolve, they have become varied across demographics. While few consumers carry significant amounts of cash, and even fewer write checks, more and more are using a growing number of non-cash alternatives to pay for products and services. Credit and debit cards are generally the...
Should Your Organization Find a Loyalty Partner?
If a loyalty member is part of competitor programs as well, are they actually loyal? In many verticals, consumers follow incentives to register for competing loyalty programs. This is because, for large merchants, a loyalty program in and of itself can no longer be considered a competitive advantage—a loyalty program...
Forecasting the Future of Digital Wallets
The question of digital wallet acceptance is a tired one – but for many merchants a decision they might want to reconsider. Stored credentials, defined as a system or service that stores multiple payment methods for use across multiple websites, is not a new concept. In fact, many would say...
