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Debit Cards – Top of Wallet

July 29, 2013

Offer your customers a choice with PIN and signature debit options at the point of sale. The more payment options you offer, the more customers you can attract.

Linked directly to customer checking accounts, debit cards are one of the fastest growing payment methods today. First Data offers debit processing with signature- or PIN-secured debit cards so customers can access cash, buy goods and pay bills.

You’ll be able to provide customers with a quick and secure way to pay and have the ability to offer cash back with a purchase. For the customer, this means time savings with fewer trips to the ATM. We have a wide range of debit acceptance POS equipment options for you to choose from. Did you know that PIN debit can be less expensive to process than credit cards? So you may save money while offering your customers the payment options they want. (more…)

Hashtags 101

July 23, 2013

A recent study found that 71 percent of people on social media use hashtags, with 43 percent of hashtags users reporting that they think they’re useful and 34 percent using them to follow categories and brands of personal interest like your business.

For those that are not already using hashtags, here is a quick overview of how and when the can and should be used.

What is a hashtag?

A hashtag consists of words or phrases (with no spaces), preceded by a # sign (i.e. #SBW13 or #StanleyCup) that is used to tie various social media posts together and relate them to a topic. Topics are sometimes connected to an event, TV show, sporting event, or any happening or trend of your choosing. Originally, hashtags were created on Twitter, but today they can be used on Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Vine. (more…)

What Merchants Need to Know About EMV

July 22, 2013

What is EMV?

EMV is a technical standard that ensures chip-based payment cards (also known as smart cards) and terminals are compatible around the world. A chip-based payment transaction occurs when a microprocessor embedded in a plastic card or mobile phone connects to an EMV-enabled POS terminal (either contact or contactless) in order to execute a payment. The smart card technology provides an additional form of card authentication for the transaction—validating the legitimacy of the payment type being used and helping reduce the use of counterfeit, lost and stolen payment cards at ATMs and retail points of sales.

Implications of Smart Card Adoption

Payment industry experts generally agree that a chip-based standard (i.e., EMV) will come to the U.S., but predictions of when and in what form vary dramatically. Smart card adoption in the U.S. is an industry-wide issue, and there is substantial education required for all participants to understand what chip-based payment enablement means to them. In the face of this uncertainty, merchants should start considering how smart card implementation would affect their businesses, and look into options for accepting chip-based credit and debit cards. (more…)

Use Your Summer Slowdown to Review Your Email Lists

July 22, 2013

For many small businesses, summer is slow season, making it a great time to evaluate the success of your email marketing efforts to date. Take advantage of the summer slowdown, and spend some time reviewing your email contact lists. Like growing a beautiful lawn, a growing email list needs care and maintenance along the way to ensure that healthy growth continues. Giving a little TLC to your list reinforces that you’re continuing to send relevant information to each of your subscribers—and that you can reap the benefits of having engaged customers come busy season.

Here are some simple, effective ways to manage, and nurture, your growing email list:

Segment your lists

Creating smaller, targeted lists and letting your subscribers choose which list they want to be on allows them to tell you what they want to hear. And it means you can send more relevant emails to those who want to receive them. For example: a nonprofits can have separate lists targeting members, donors, volunteers, and board of directors; a clothing retailer can offer mailings targeting those interested in men’s, women’s, or children’s apparel; a restaurant that offers live music on the weekend can segment their lists by those interested in only dinner specials and those interested in the musical acts. (more…)

Preventing Chargebacks: 16 Tips T0 Avoid Potential Chargebacks

July 15, 2013

Most chargeback situations arise at the point of transaction — at the time the transaction is completed — and most can be prevented with a little training.

Consider these 16 tips to avoid potential chargebacks.

1. Do not complete a transaction if the authorization request was declined. Do not repeat the authorization request after receiving a decline.

2. If you receive a “Call” message in response to an authorization request, call your authorization center. Be prepared to answer questions. The operator may ask to speak with the cardholder. If approved, write the authorization code on the sales receipt. If declined, ask the cardholder for another Visa card.

3. If an embossed Visa card is presented for payment, make an imprint for all card-present transactions. If you have a point-of-sale terminal with a magnetic-stripe reader, swipe the card through the reader for every face-to-face transaction. If the terminal isn’t working or a card’s magnetic stripe cannot be read, key-enter the account information and make an imprint of the embossed information onto the sales receipt using a manual imprinter. (more…)