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Can’t come up with the right gift? These offbeat services probably won’t help. (But they’re funny.)

Posted by on December 23, 2019 at 3:20 pm

You’ll recall that online merchants pulled in $7.4 billion in sales on the day following Thanksgiving. Biggest online Black Friday to date.  Thanks to Fiserv’s 2019 SpendTrend® Holiday Snapshot, we now know a bit more. For instance, “…spending via mobile wallets increased more than 80%, as consumers continue adopting new payment methods.” Also: “Black Friday brick-and-mortar sales were […]

TBT: Caution for big guys, hope for little ones

Posted by on December 19, 2019 at 3:35 pm

I posted this on October 11, 2016. I think it’s still a good reminder for giants and aspiring giants alike. * * * TODAY’S OBJECT LESSON begins in the mid 19th century, when a Minnesota jewelry store declined a shipment of watches. Railroad agent Richard Sears purchased the shipment, peddled the watches, and ordered more. Knowing a […]

These days, Uber (and just about everyone else) is playing bank.

Posted by on December 16, 2019 at 2:32 pm

It was a dreadful advertising campaign.  I figure it’s safe to say that now, since the bank in question has long since been acquired by another bank, which was in turn acquired by another bank, and that one by another, and so forth.  The tagline was “We want to be your bank.” They even set […]

TBT: Looking back on some predictions

Posted by on December 12, 2019 at 2:43 pm

Nine years ago to the day, I wrote the post below, in which I offered some predictions about the future of mobile banking. I’d say the predictions held up pretty well.   The Future of Mobile Banking (2010)  With every technological advance, there’s never a shortage of cheerleaders predicting around-the-corner marvels. Their timeframe of choice […]

Sales tax in a digital age

Posted by on December 9, 2019 at 3:36 pm

I shall open with something of a circular observation: If it weren’t for digital technology, there could be no Internet commerce.  Lest you think I’m being too obvious, I’m not talking about payments via wearables, portables, laptops, or desktops, vital though they are. I’m talking about a morass that would be all but impenetrable without […]