Data Security Key to Consumer Trust Digital banking tools increasingly rely on advanced security techniques to earn consumers’ trust, a PYMNTS’ research report recently revealed. Biometrics and password-less logins lead the list of consumer preferences. DCA Insight: The pandemic has spurred reliance on digital making tools. Fewer customers are using branches, and more count on mobile apps. Most consumers now...

Demand for Luxury Goods Soars Name-brand handbags and jewelry are selling fast. Many lux brands have more than doubled their sales in the U.S. since the pandemic began. DCA Insight: Wealthy consumers are of course more immune to challenges facing most shoppers. Walmart reports consumers have pared back on buying clothes, and Amazon has indicated a recent e-commerce slow down....

[image_with_animation image_url=”23928″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”] Consumer Spending Strained Spending is down in the US for household items like furniture and electronics, as food, gasoline and other essentials have become more expensive. Retailers including Walmart and Best Buy are expecting to feel the pinch. DCA Insight: The change in spending habits is uneven. Many...

Economic Output Down, Job Market Strong In the first half of 2022, output fell but companies were still hiring. While some economists fear a recession is imminent, others maintain that without job loss, a downturn’s not in the cards. DCA Insight: The correlation in this pandemic cycle hasn’t been seen before. Inflation rates and interest rates are rising. At the...

Shopify & Twitter Team Up Twitter’s foray into e-commerce intensified with the announcement that it has partnered with commerce platform Shopify. Shopify merchants can now simplify their customers’ buying process on Twitter. DCA Insight: Both companies benefit by boosting their social-commerce offerings. Enabling more shopping via social media drives engagement and revenue. This move helps Twitter be more on par...

Dan Currell Named CEO of DCA The Digital Commerce Alliance announced that Dan Currell has been named Chief Executive Officer of the non-profit trade association. The former Managing Director of AdvanceLaw took on the new role in mid-June, 2022. DCA Insight: Dan’s a proven executive with a talent for leading collaboration among the world’s largest companies. His deep knowledge of...

Lead Times Get Longer, Inventory Piles Up Retailers are finding it difficult to match supply and demand. Shipping delays, port back-logs and other Covid-related supply-chain snafus are the norm. In response, chains including Target and Gap are building in more lead time from design to when the product hits shelves, but run the risk of consumers not wanting the goods...

Buy Now, Pay Later Space Experiences Hiccups The state of the promising buy now, pay later payment concept, initially embraced by consumers and merchants alike, is experiencing a rising number of delinquencies in a slowing economy. DCA Insight: Buy now, pay later—allowing shoppers to split the cost of their purchases into multiple payments over time—gained popularity last year. Consumers with...

Digital Payments Have More Growth In-Store Consumer cash payments rose slightly from 2020 to 2021. Cash accounted for 19% of payments in 2020 and 20% in 2021, according to the Federal Reserve. (In 2019, cash was used for 26% of consumer payments.) During the same two-year time period, use of credit cards, debit cards and mobile payment apps increased as...

The Big Shift: Consumer Power and Payment Choice A part of DCA’s mission to advance commerce by enabling innovative and measurable consumer experiences, our organization provides members with data and insights needed to stay ahead of the curve—including our annual industry survey. Our organization is pleased to offer members a recently released research study: The Big Shift: Consumer Power and...

[image_with_animation image_url=”23253″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”] Retailers Trim Sales Forecasts Large retailers including Target, Walmart and Kohls are increasing sales at slower rates than they did at the height of the pandemic. Rising rates of inflation are driving shoppers to curb purchases of discretionary items in favor of staples like groceries. DCA Insight:...

Square Continues To Integrate Afterpay Millions of in-person sellers in the U.S. and Australia that use point-of-sale software Square can now offer shoppers the option to use Afterpay. To use the buy-now-pay-later app in person, buyers tap to pay using a mobile wallet loaded with their virtual Afterpay card—and payment is made with four interest-free installments over time. Sellers get...