In the wake of a massive data breach, Target suffered reduced customer traffic over one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, The Wall Street Journal reported. The number of transactions at Target fell 3 percent to 4 percent compared with last year's final weekend before Christmas, while transactions at other retailers were strong, the Journal said, citing estimates by retail consultancy Customer Growth Partners LLC.
Potential victims of credit card fraud tied to Target's security breach said they had trouble contacting the retailer through its website and call centers. Angry Target customers expressed their displeasure in comments on the company's Facebook page. Some even threatened to stop shopping at the store. Target apologized on Facebook and said it's working hard to resolve the problem and is adding more workers to field calls and help solve website issues.
Target says that its stores have been hit by a major credit card attack involving up to 40 million accounts. Chief Executive Officer Greg Steinhafel confirmed Thursday morning earlier reports that a brazen data breach had taken place. In a statement, Steinhafel said: "Target is working closely with law enforcement and financial institutions, and has identified and resolved the issue." The retailer said that the unlawful access to customer information took place between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. Earlier, the Secret Service confirmed to USA TODAY that it's investigating the massive data violation involving shoppers’ personal credit card information.
The evolution of technology within the retail and e-commerce space is shaping how consumers behave and interact with brands and savvy, smart retailers know that understanding shoppers’ behavior is key for success. These retailers realize they can utilize technology to capitalize on consumer needs and customize offerings to help significantly increase their bottom lines. Here's how companies are using technology to provide added value to consumers.
With online sales expected to grow 15 percent this holiday season, consumers will be making purchases from a variety of devices and places — including work. While some employers have taken a liberal stance toward online shopping and personal internet use, the holiday shopping season threatens to strain bandwidth capacities to a point that would frustrate even the most lenient of employers. In some organizations, free-for-all bandwidth consumption might lead to an office network crash, hindering not only deal shoppers, but others in the office attempting to — shockingly enough — conduct actual company business.
The days of tax-free purchases from Amazon.com are coming to an end for Tennessee customers. WPLN Nashville Public Radio reports that the online retail giant will begin charging the Tennessee sales tax on Jan. 1, in keeping with a previous agreement with the state.
The idea of big savings for consumers on Black Friday may be nothing more than a "myth," according to a firm that specializes in tracking price points on behalf of the retail industry. 360pi Corp. is an Ottawa startup that tracked and recorded the pricing of more than 8,000 items offered at mainstream U.S. retailers between Nov. 15 and Dec. 2, a period that included last week's Black Friday sales. What the firm found was that not only are prices not competitive with those online, in some cases retailers raised average prices in anticipation of Black Friday shopping mobs.
As every business owner knows, it's important to comply with local, state and federal tax laws. But compliance can be a challenge. It's not always easy to figure out what taxes are owed on which items, even if you sell goods in one state only. If you operate in multiple states, that can complicate matters exponentially. Tax rates and taxable item categories can vary considerably from state to state. Cities can also impose their own taxes on certain items and services. And sometimes, tax regulations just don't make much sense, which leads to confusion for business owners who are struggling to accurately collect taxes from customers. Here are seven examples of bizarre taxes found in states:
Retailer Toys"R"Us has agreed to pay more than $178,000 to settle claims of overpricing errors at its stores in San Diego and Los Angeles counties, prosecutors announced Monday. Inspections by county and state agencies checking on accuracy of prices at Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the two counties from late 2009 to mid-2012 uncovered what the San Diego County District Attorney's Office called "a significant pattern of inaccuracies." Inspectors bought more than 4,150 items in the probe. The stores overcharged in 5 percent of the purchases, authorities said.
While Amazon's Login and Pay offers convenience for merchants and consumers, there are severe security concerns associated with this service. Specifically, if one of the participating retail websites is compromised, login and credit card credentials for several websites can be exposed to cybercriminals. Using such a service ignores a cybercrime prevention measure security experts have stressed the importance of for some time — using unique logins across websites.
