Instagram Rolls Out Native Payments
Expanding upon its in-app commerce efforts, Instagram has quietly introduced a native payments feature. With the new functionality, users can register a credit or debit card and make payments within...
View ArticleRobots Sizzle, Tax Reform Fizzles And Facebook Raises Eyebrows With Its Timing
Fizzle of the Week: Timing Spring has finally arrived across the United States, and love is in the air. Even on Facebook. The social media giant had lots of things to announce this week at F8: new...
View ArticleInstagram Bows New Business Tools Focused On Messaging, Booking, Payments
In an effort to boost its presence in the business realm, Instagram unveiled new features on the social networking platform that will help users contact companies and enlist them for goods and...
View ArticleFive At Five: Alibaba Makes A Move In South Asia
Welcome to Five at Five, your late look at some of the freshest payments news of the day. Today’s stories focus on Alibaba’s move into South Asia and highlight what to expect from Etsy as it refocuses...
View ArticleBrands Can Turn Social Video Views Into Conversions
Brands sometimes face a dilemma when it comes to reaching consumers online: how to drive sales without annoying potential customers. Some brands face a more challenging quandary: how to become cool...
View ArticleChoosy Turns To Social Media For Fast Fashion Inspiration
Perusing through social media platforms like Instagram, Jessie Zeng came to a realization: Followers wanted to know where they could buy the clothing worn by their favorite celebrities or influencers,...
View ArticleRalph Lauren Tops Analyst Forecasts Despite Falling Sales
Ralph Lauren earnings report showed its North America revenue in the fourth quarter decreased 14 percent as the retailer continues to struggle in the region. However, the company topped analysts’...
View ArticlePrivacy Critic Files GDPR Complaints Against Facebook And Google
As Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect, Facebook privacy critic Max Schrems has filed four complaints over consent required to use online services. The complaints were...
View ArticleTeens Choose Instagram, Snapchat Over Facebook
A survey shows that more U.S. teens are using YouTube, Instagram or Snapchat over Facebook. A new Pew Research Center survey found that 51 percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 say they use Facebook — a...
View ArticleThe Case For Contextual Commerce
Before there was on demand, there was time shifting. In 1985, cable companies introduced consumers to the idea that they could use their VCRs to record movies airing on movie channels late at night...
View ArticleSnap Sends Signals That A Sale Might Be In The Offing
Beloved by younger millennials and up-and-coming Generation Z members, Snapchat is the little social media engine that could in an era when it seemed the social media die had all been cast (and where...
View ArticleInstagram Expands Shopping To Instagram Stories
Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing social network, announced Tuesday (June 12) that it is expanding shopping beyond Feed to Instagram Stories. In a press release, the company said that, since...
View ArticleBrands Stretch Their Legs Online
One of the most recent experiments for direct-to-consumer eCommerce is taking place on Instagram, and, if successful, could forge a path for brands that want to sell directly to online consumers....
View ArticleDoes A WeChat Boutique Launch Foreshadow eCommerce’s Future?
The launch on Tuesday (June 19) of a new eCommerce option for shoppers seeking makeup, hair care products, fragrances and similar products represents the expansion of another frontier for online...
View ArticleShopify Rolls Out Messaging App For Merchants
To condense business conversations and tasks into one place, Shopify has launched a new mobile app dubbed Shopify Ping. Through the app, merchants can manage tasks through messaging without needing to...
View ArticleSocial Media As The ‘Ticket’ For Contextual Commerce
Sports fans can’t get enough of their favorite players and teams: Their social media accounts oftentimes have hundreds of thousands or millions of followers. But how can teams harness the eCommerce...
View ArticleInstagram’s Plans To Turn Context Into Conversions
Context is everything, a truism that is becoming increasingly true when it comes to commerce in the digital age. Having what a customer wants is important (and probably always will be), but it’s...
View ArticleInstagram Value Tops $100B
New data shows that Instagram is estimated to be worth more than $100 billion — if it were a stand-alone company. According to Bloomberg, this data marks a 100-fold return for the app, which was...
View ArticleThe Sounds Of Summer Gone Subscription
Every summer needs at least one song. In 1960, it was the Brian Hyland classic “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini.” In 1965, it was “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones....
View ArticlePop-Ups Getting A Boost From Social Media
Many people are flocking to pop-up shops and experiences in the hopes of capturing an Instagram-worthy photo — which is good news for merchants in more ways than one. In an experience-based economy,...
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