Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft: Together, these tech giants are the Frightful Five, and they’re always up to something. From Amazon headquarters suitors and the iPhone X to Facebook and Google payments and Microsoft’s attempt at a smart speaker, we bring you each company’s top stories of the week — just in case you missed them.  Read More...

Online retail grew by 15.6 percent in 2016, and, according to Deloitte research, more holiday purchases are going to be made on the internet than in-store in 2017. With that in mind, merchants need to make sure their marketplaces are equipped to take consumers all the way from product selection to completed transaction as smoothly as possible. According to findings from the most recent PYMNTS Checkout Conversion Index, there are a few checkout friction points that savvy merchants will want to minimize, especially to avoid losing as many as 40 percent of customers between “add to cart” and a finished purchase.   Read More...

Halloween spending is predicted to break records this year, and, regardless of whether a retailer is an online mainstay or a brick-and-mortar pop-up, merchants everywhere are looking for a slice of the holiday pie. So, which costumes are trending among Halloween shoppers, and where are they buying them? Luckily, there’s a wealth of data describing seasonal trends from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, and online retail looks like it’s winning big.  Read More...