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☆ Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch — could generative AI soon be added to our list of senses?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Mastercard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AI and generative AI can be productivity tools, helping everyone to work faster and more efficiently. Crucially, generative AI is developing swiftly and is likely to be transformative across nearly every sector. Plug-ins using generative AI will enable organizations to link company spending limits to whatever payment method employees are using to pay for their trips. Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize commerce, reduce stress for consumers, and foster innovation in business. Explore the Mastercard Signals report "Commerce in the age of generative AI" here.

Persons: Sandeep Malhotra Organizations: Mastercard, Mastercard Signals, Commerce, Insider Studios Locations: Asia Pacific, Asia, Pacific, Singapore, Tokyo, APAC

He said creating different ads for various audiences can be expensive and expects Amazon's AI tools to save money for advertisers. Brendan Witcher, a principal analyst at Forrester, said that Amazon's generative AI ad tool will be "good for attracting and keeping a segment of third-party sellers and brands advertising on Amazon." Other companies including Ascendly Marketing are using generative AI imaging tools that combine pictures of public figures with products. His clients are seeing a bump in sales and Google click-through rates, a trend that Amazon wants to see for its own generative AI ad tools during the holiday season. Analysts expect Amazon's advertising business to earn $14.2 billion during the holiday quarter, up from $11.56 billion a year earlier, according to LSEG estimates.

Persons: Soren Larson, Andy Jassy, Jassy, Andy Friedland, Brendan Witcher, Forrester, Elvis Presley, Marshal Davis, Friedland, Witcher, Ascendly's Davis, Davis, Arriana McLymore, Siddharth Cavale, Rod Nickel Organizations: REUTERS, Black, Amazon, Ascendly, Google, Amazon's, Thomson Locations: Melville , New York, U.S, New York City

☆ Those New Online Returns Fees Are Driving Away Shoppers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An Amazon returns kiosk inside a Whole Foods grocery store in Bethesda, Md. Photo: PAUL PAGE/THE WALL STREET JOURNALNew fees for online consumers to send back goods appear to be cutting back on returns as retailers had hoped, but they could also be costing companies customers heading into the holiday season. About a third of companies surveyed by logistics company Happy Returns say they have lost customers since they began charging consumers fees to return items that they purchased online. That suggests merchants are seeing a backlash even as more than half of them say the tactic has slowed the flood of goods they have seen coming back into their warehouses over the past three years.

Persons: PAUL Organizations: Foods Locations: Bethesda, Md

Worldline's (WLN.PA) stock slide, which saw around $4 billion wiped off its market value, is the latest wake-up call. COMMISSIONS CUTRevenue growth has suffered at payments firms as inflation has force European consumers to spend less, while investors fret about the euro zone slipping into recession. Some analysts say payments firms have also been caught napping, after a period of growth during COVID lockdowns. In a further sign of investor wariness, venture capital investment flows into European payment firms have also dried up. Now, it may leave private equity investors to pick up the pieces for payment service firms, analysts said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Paul Charpentier, Bryan Garnier, napping, Jefferies, Hannes Leitner, Leitner, Charpentier, wariness, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo, Morgan Stanley, Worldline, Bryan Garnier's Charpentier, Elizabeth Howcroft, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, PayPal, Holdings, Companies, Barclays, Reuters, Spain's Banco Sabadell, Fidelity National Information Services, CVC Capital Partners, CVC, Thomson Locations: London, U.S, Nexi, Europe

☆ AI, machine learning, and robotics are making the retail supply chain more efficient and resilient — a welcome shift after several rocky years
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementIncreasing efficiencies in the retail supply chain is necessaryPaul Maguire, the head of retail delivery at the digital consultancy Endava, told Insider that embarking on a digital transformation was critical to better-connected and more resilient retail supply chains. Digital technology will "close gaps in supply-chain visibility" and help retailers "manage future unforeseen surges in product demand," he said. These innovations will "continue to bolster and streamline the retail supply chain as they become even more sophisticated," Maguire said. AdvertisementAdvertisementTo survive, Perry said that the retail supply chain must take steps to become more agile and flexible. ScanditA data-driven tech strategy can also help retailers appeal to sustainability-conscious consumers.

Persons: —, Paul Maguire, Maguire, John Perry, Perry, they'd, Wunderman, Arifi, Naji, Wunderman Thompson, Samuel Mueller, Mueller Organizations: Service, SCALA Consulting, Wunderman Thompson Commerce & Technology, DFS, Wunderman Thompson Commerce, Technology Locations: Ukraine, SCALA, British

With a population of more than 270 million, Indonesia generated nearly $52 billion in e-commerce transactions last year, according to data from consultancy Momentum Works. TikTok is holding talks for potential partnerships with local e-commerce players, including GoTo's Tokopedia, while building a standalone TikTok Shop app for Indonesia, the people said. Until TikTok Shop stopped operations in Indonesia this month, it was delivering about 3 million parcels a day in Indonesia, two sources said. Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) YouTube is also planning to apply for an e-commerce license, two sources said, without specifying the type of permit planned. TikTok and YouTube's plans to apply for e-commerce permits in Indonesia have not been previously reported.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, GoTo's Tokopedia, TikTok, Tokopedia, Isy Karim, Isy, Stanley Widianto, Fanny Potkin, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, YouTube, Meta, Momentum Works, TikTok, Reuters, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Rights JAKARTA, Indonesia, Southeast, Southeast Asia, U.S, Indonesian

At present, merchants pay large card issuers such as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America 21 cents plus 0.05% of the transaction amount. Photo: Alyssa Schukar for The Wall Street JournalWASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve proposed lowering by about 30% the fees merchants pay to many banks when consumers shop with debit cards, setting off a fight with banks that oppose the changes. At present, merchants pay large card issuers such as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America 21 cents plus 0.05% of the transaction amount, which is the level set by the Fed in 2011. The Fed can lower the cap if it determines the costs for processing debit-card payments are declining, but it had never previously done so.

Persons: Alyssa Schukar Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON, Federal Reserve, Fed

☆ French payment company Worldline slump nearly 40% as it cuts targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Shares in Worldline (WLN.PA) slumped nearly 40% on Wednesday after the French payment company cut its full-year targets as the economic slowdown hurt its business in key markets including Germany. The group also said it had cut ties with some of its merchants to reduce risks "in light of an increase in cybercrime." The group now sees organic sales growth in 2023 of between 6% and 7%, compared with 8% to 10% previously. It also forecast a 150 basis point drop in its operating margin before depreciation and amortization for 2023, compared with a previous forecast of a 100 bps increase. "Worldline missed sales estimates in every division...These results are a disappointment in terms of the full-year miss and also that long-term targets have been discarded," JPMorgan analysts said.

Persons: Worldline, Lina Golovnya, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Germany

The scheduled Fed board meeting will mark the first time in over a decade that the central bank has proposed revising the fees, which generated around $24.31 billion for lenders in 2019, the most recent Fed data shows. The Fed has not said how it plans to change the fees, which have long been criticized by retailers as disproportionately high, and a spokesman for the central bank declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Fed will lower the caps, sending shares in credit card companies Visa V.N and Mastercard MA.N lower. In 2011 the central bank capped them at 21 cents per transaction, plus 0.05% of the transaction cost. Analysts said that it is likely the Fed could face a legal challenge from either industry if it pursues new caps.

Persons: Austen Jensen, Dodd, Frank, Banks, TD Cowen, Jaret Seiberg, Pete Schroeder, Michelle Price, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S . Federal, Fed, Retail Industry, Association, Street, Visa V.N, Mastercard MA.N, Thomson

☆ A new bill in Congress is going to 'kill' card rewards programs, says United CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

United CEO Scott Kirby says a new bill in Congress is putting miles programs on the chopping block. The Credit Card Competition Act, proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin, seeks to lower card swipe fees. "This would kill rewards programs," United CEO Scott Kirby said in an October 18 earnings call. It will kill debit card rewards programs when it happens, and I think it's bad policy." The Credit Card Competition Act, proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, seeks to end what Durbin calls a "Visa-Mastercard duopoly" over credit card transactions.

Persons: Scott Kirby, Sen, Dick Durbin, Kirby, Dick Durbin of, Durbin, it's, Ed Bastian, Durbin's Organizations: Visa, Mastercard, Morning, United, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Republican, Democrat, House, Air, Bloomberg, European Locations: European Union

☆ If Amazon, why not Walmart?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shopping habits vary widely, however, and the company’s pricing strategies are commonly used, including at Walmart (WMT.N). According to the complaint, if Amazon finds a cheaper product elsewhere, it punishes the seller by removing merchandise from the “buy box,” effectively tanking sales. Thus, the argument goes, Amazon prevents rivals from competing on price. Walmart, which bought Jet.com in 2016 for $3 billion, is also just as discerning when it comes to online pricing. The agency accuses Amazon of stifling competition on price, product selection and quality, and preventing rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers.

Persons: Lina Khan, Andy Jassy, Walton, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Walmart, Amazon, FTC, eBay, Amazon.com, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ Shopify's former head of its app ecosystem business is launching an AI imaging tool for online sellers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She ended up starting two businesses, one of which is ImagineCreate AI, an AI imaging tool that officially launches Tuesday with an undisclosed amount of pre-seed funding from Precursor Ventures. ImagineCreate AI was directly inspired by a brand Yusuf started shortly after leaving Shopify. ImagineCreate AI is launching as a web app that can be integrated into Shopify merchants' admin. Before-and-after images show how ImagineCreate AI generates custom backgrounds. Launching ImagineCreate AI on the Shopify App Store brings Yusuf's entrepreneurial journey full circle.

Persons: Fatima Yusuf, Yusuf, ChatGPT, Shopify, Madeline Stone Organizations: Precursor Ventures Locations: Shopify, mstone@insider.com

☆ China's Singles Day sales festival wraps up with e-commerce giants reporting sales growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Alibaba Group (9988.HK) reported that its Chinese e-commerce platforms Tmall and Taobao recorded "positive" year-on-year growth over this year's Singles Day sales period, which wrapped up at midnight on Saturday. Meanwhile competitor JD.com (9618.HK) said its festival GMV (gross merchandising volume) hit a "record high" over the sales period. A Bain and Company report released last week found that 77% of the 3,000 consumers it surveyed had planned to spend less or the same on Singles Day compared with last year. Though several consultancies were predicting Singles Day GMV growth across platforms would reach anywhere from 14% to 18% - returning to double-digit growth for the first time since the pandemic - the final sales picture will take longer to energe. Colour cosmetics, traditionally a strong performer throughout the Singles Day sales period, were expected to struggle this year as make-up demand remains low almost a year after China lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions.

Persons: Taobao, JD.com, Alibaba, Bain, Casey Hall, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Alibaba, HK, PDD Holdings, Company, Nike, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China

☆ This Drug Could Be the Next Ozempic. Bootlegs Are Already Selling Online.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Rolfe Winkler | Photographs Carolyn Fong For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A potential blockbuster weight-loss drug still years away from U.S. regulatory approval is already being sold online, another example of a thriving gray market for unapproved weight-loss medications, according to a Wall Street Journal review. The Journal found hundreds of merchants offering the new drug, which is being developed by Eli Lilly and is called retatrutide. Most appear to be Chinese sellers shipping directly to U.S. consumers from sites such as Made-in-China.com. Some of the sites, including ones that appear to be based in the U.S., have marketed their products via posts on Facebook , LinkedIn and Reddit. A fitness influencer has offered it for sale via his newsletter.

Persons: Eli Lilly Organizations: Wall, LinkedIn, Google Locations: U.S

☆ Gray Market for Weight Loss Drug Retatrutide Spreads Online Years Ahead of FDA Approvals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Rolfe Winkler | Photographs Carolyn Fong For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Eli Lilly Organizations: Wall, LinkedIn, Google Locations: U.S

[1/2] Small toy shopping cart is seen in front of displayed Amazon logo in this illustration taken, July 30, 2021. In its filing, Amazon said it "prominently and repeatedly" disclosed key terms — including price and automatic renewal — to Prime customers. Amazon also accused the FTC of seeking to punish the company through "undefined concepts" such as "manipulative" website designs. "In a case supposedly about clarity, the FTC's purported standards are unconstitutionally opaque," Amazon said. The FTC's Prime lawsuit said Amazon "under substantial pressure" from the FTC changed its cancellation process in April, before the agency filed its lawsuit.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, John Chun, Biden, Mike Scarcella, David Bario, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon Prime, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Wednesday, U.S, District, FTC, Amazon.com, Thomson Locations: Seattle, Chun's Seattle

☆ Visa, Mastercard Want a Slice of Africa’s Mobile Money
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Alexandra Wexler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JOHANNESBURG—African fintech companies have found creative ways to help the continent’s consumers spend their money. Traditional payments companies want in. Global payment giants, including Mastercard and Visa , are pouring billions of dollars into African companies that have powered a sharp expansion in e-commerce on the continent. Recent deals have focused on mobile-money operators, which allow users to send funds using simple cellphones, and platforms that facilitate such payments for merchants such as Uber Technologies , Netflix or Estée Lauder without relying on credit cards or bank accounts.

Persons: Lauder Organizations: Mastercard, Visa, Uber Technologies, Netflix Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Global

☆ Can You Pay a Mortgage with a Credit Card?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Michelle Lambright Black | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

“Eventually something is going to blow up.”That said, paying your mortgage with a credit card can make sense in a few circumstances, such as when you’re trying to earn a credit card sign-up bonus. How to pay your mortgage with a credit cardIn general, mortgage companies and mortgage loan servicers do not accept credit cards as a form of payment. If you plan to buy gift cards with your credit card and use them to pay your mortgage, it’s important to review your credit card issuer’s policies first. Most people consider paying their mortgage with a credit card for one of two reasons—they want extra time to make their mortgage payments or they want to earn credit card rewards. Potentially, yes: You want to earn credit card rewardsThere is one scenario where paying a mortgage with a credit card may make sense.

Persons: Michelle Lambright, ”, Jeff Rose, Plastiq, it’s, LaToya, “, You’re, Cash, Kevin Payne Organizations: Mastercard, Western Unions, Chase, Capital, Federal Reserve Locations: Plastiq, Birmingham, It’s

☆ TikTok lures luxury-bag buyers to its Shop platform as it partners with Entrupy to authenticate purses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok is working with Entrupy, a maker of product-authentication technology, to offer handbag-authentication services on its new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop , Entrupy announced Wednesday. The partnership reflects a growing effort to build trust in TikTok Shop as the social-media company looks to establish itself as a shopping destination. It expanded to TikTok Shop in response to a growing demand for its services on the platform. TikTok and Entrupy have worked together since TikTok Shop launched in beta earlier this year. Resellers must use a third-party authentication service — either Entrupy or Real Authentication — to resell luxury handbags on TikTok Shop, according to the policies.

Persons: TikTok, Entrupy, Chanel, Prada, Vidyuth Srinivasan, Srinivasan, it's Organizations: Burberry, TikTok, eBay Locations: Entrupy, mstone@insider.com

☆ Leaked document shows Amazon wants to bring personalized ads to its smart shopping carts in grocery stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dash Cart users are required to sign in to the cart using an Amazon or Whole Foods account. At the time, Amazon made the Dash Cart available at select Whole Foods stores, in addition to many of its Fresh grocery stores. Once personalized ads are rolled out, Dash Cart users would get ads based on things like the area of the store they are in. Dash Cart users are able to automatically check-out products placed in the cart without having to go through a cashier. But its physical stores revenue, mostly coming from Whole Foods and its Fresh grocery stores, grew just 6% year-over-year last quarter to $5 billion.

Persons: Dash, it's, Jefferies Organizations: Amazon, Foods, Investment

Retail sales increased 0.7% in September, driven by nonstore retailers and spending at food and drinking establishments, the Census Bureau reported on Tuesday. Even after stripping out autos, as some analysts do, the increase was 0.6%, way above estimates of a 0.2% gain. As long as those trends remain positive, consumers will feel they have the wherewithal to continue shopping. “Consumer spending has been fairly flat over the last two months,” according to Bank of America Institute’s Consumer Checkpoint October report. However, the wages and salaries of higher-income households are still growing at slower rates than other income cohorts.”Many retailers will be looking to the critical holiday season for a boost in sales.

Persons: ”, Ted Rossman Organizations: Census, Bankrate.com, “, Federal Reserve, Employers, Labor Department, Bank of America, ” Bank of America, Cyber, Signifyd’s Commerce

They are mostly looking for secondhand clothing, sifting through underwear for pairs that seem new or trying on shoes despite getting pushed around in the crush. Despite the popularity, secondhand clothes are facing increasing pushback. And we get all documents for that.”The Green Shops are environmentally friendly because they recycle used clothes in bulk, he said. Not surprisingly, many people would rather buy used clothing, she said. Abdulrashid Ssuuna, who tries to persuade customers in the market to stop by his brother’s used clothing business, said a ban would deny him a livelihood.

Persons: —, “, Yoweri Museveni, ” Museveni, Uganda —, Kalungi, ”, ” Kalungi, Allan Zavuga, ” Zavuga, Abdulrashid Ssuuna, Ssuuna, Tadeo Walusimbi, ” Walusimbi Organizations: Downtown, U.S . Agency for International Development, East African Community Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, East Africa, U.S, Africa, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Washington, In Uganda, China, Germany, Kampala, Ugandan

☆ An astonished family discovered that a painting that decorated their living room for decades was a Van Dyck that could be worth millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A family discovered that a painting hanging on the wall of their home could be worth millions. The painting was a genuine Anthony van Dyck and had been on their wall for decades. A Madrid art company authenticated it as a van Dyck last year, per the report. AdvertisementAdvertisementA previous van Dyck paintings to go to auction at Sotheby's sold for £8.3 million, which is about $10 million, according to the auction house's website. Born in Antwerp, in what is now Belgium, van Dyck went on to become a royal court painter for the English monarch Charles I.

Persons: Anthony van Dyck, Jesus, Saint Barbara, —, van Dyck, El País, Consuelo Durán, El, Van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens, Charles I . Organizations: Service, El Locations: Jaén, Spain, Flemish, Andalucía, Madrid, Seville, El, Antwerp, Belgium

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Target, First Solar, Ford, Netflix, Amazon, Spotify, Exxon Mobil and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Goldman Sachs reiterates Amazon as buy Goldman Sachs said it's standing by its buy rating ahead of earnings later this month. Citi reiterates Netflix as buy Citi said it's standing by its buy rating on the stock heading into earnings next week. Bank of America reiterates Ford as buy Bank of America said its standing by its buy rating on the stock despite the strike at Ford's largest truck plant. Bank of America upgrades Target to buy from neutral Bank of America said it sees an attractive risk/reward for Target shares. " RBC downgrades ResMed to sector perform from outperform RBC said in its downgrade of ResMed that it sees slowing earnings growth.

Persons: Warby Parker, BTIG, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, it's, JPMorgan, Bernstein, underperform Bernstein, CLX, Ford, Wells, Wells Fargo, Truist, it's bullish, D.A, Davidson Organizations: Citi, Netflix, 4Q23, Barclays, Spotify, Taiwan Semiconductor, JPMorgan, RBC, BMO, Bank of America, Ford's, UAW, Detroit, underperform Bank of America, 3Q, Microsoft, " Bank of America, of America, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Pioneer, Seaport, Mizuho Locations: 2H24

☆ Americans have been scammed out of $2.7 billion in 2.5 years on social media—7 red flags to look out for
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Americans lost $2.7 billion combined to scams originating on social media between January 2021 and June 2023, says a new report from the Federal Trade Commission. The methods are aplenty, from romance scams to fake merchants, or fraudsters who take over your social media profiles and con your friends out of money. In some cases, scammers even create advertisements — using each social media platform's own tools — to target users based on age, interests and past purchases. Those younger users' tech savvy can end up working against them, David McClellan, CEO of cybersecurity startup Social Catfish, told CNBC Make It last year. "These people are overly trusting of the technology they're using, and they're more apt to respond to a stranger messaging them," McClellan said.

Persons: David McClellan, McClellan Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, FTC, CNBC

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