By Peter Michalowski, PwC Recent changes in sales tax law have made compliance more complex for online retailers. In June 2018, the Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair upended decades of established sales tax law by expanding the definition of nexus. Nexus is a connection to a state sufficient to trigger a merchant’s responsibility to collect sales taxes on sales made to residents of that state. Failing to comply with sales tax obligations can be expensive for online retailers, as many states have also stepped up enforcement. Here’s what retailers need to know about sales taxes ..read more

NRF2020 is less than a week away, and the Retail TouchPoints team is sending its full editorial team to cover the hottest sessions and gather insight on the top new trends and solutions for 2020. Leading retail and tech CEOs including Best Buy’s Corie Barry, Starbucks’ Kevin Johnson, Kohl’s Michelle Gass and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella lead a stellar group of executives speaking at the event, revealing their “2020 Vision” to thousands of attendees. The Retail TouchPoints editors share what they are most looking forward to at the NRF2020 Big Show. Adam Blair, Editor: One thing I always look forwa ..read more

By Eric Prugh, PactSafe Digital marketplaces have made it overwhelmingly simple to open up an online store and sell products online. Between Etsy, Shopify, eBay, and a host of other online marketplaces, it’s never been easier to make your products available for your customer base. These online marketplaces often manage the online legal regulations for starting an online e-Commerce store, but there are times when sellers/shop owners are the ones responsible for knowing and following the rules and regulations for selling. Before you set up shop and make your first online sales, there are several ..read more

By Rebecca Lerner, MadHive Over-the-top (OTT) ad spend is on track to reach $5 billion by 2020, with the digital-esque targeting capabilities, granular campaign reporting and low-cost linear alternative attracting a wider variety of brands than traditional TV. These features are helping advertisers — big and small — ensure they are delivering the right messages to the right people while mapping tangible business outcomes and ROI to campaigns. And one vertical that is starting to invest heavily is DTC, thanks to the striking similarities to traditional digital advertising. It’s no secret tha ..read more

By Scott Paape, Talus Pay The U.S. market for payment systems is complex. We have over 21 million businesses, and every one of them needs some form of a payment processing solution. They rely on more than 10,000 financial institutions to make that happen. All told, it amounts to an $18 trillion economy. So, yes. Payment processing is complex. However, payment technology is perhaps the best it’s ever been. FinTech companies and customer expectations are shaping the future of payment processing. Here’s what you can expect in 2020. Better Payment Security Credit card fraud is on the decline. Jus ..read more

By Nick Mangiapane, Commerce Signals The stakes are high for marketers in proving their ROI. More data, approaches and vendors exist than ever, but it’s difficult for even people working full time in marketing tech to keep up with the changing landscape. Furthermore, many of these companies use the same words to describe themselves making the marketer’s job to parse the differences even more challenging. Alas, there is no one magic word or endorsement that connotes “This model is the perfect fit for my company and they can actually deliver on their promises.” The best model fit for your compan ..read more

By Anand Janefalkar, UJET In order to stay ahead in today’s highly competitive environment, the realization is that businesses must prioritize digital transformation or be passed by. For retailers, this has meant investing in cloud-based technologies and finding new ways to connect with their customers and expand their digital footprint. While there has been significant growth across e-Commerce, mobile apps, alternative payments options and much more, one area that is currently ripe for digital transformation is customer support. Today, according to Salesforce’s 2019 State of Service report, 8 ..read more

By Adam McGilvray, StitcherAds Question: Who goes to the newspaper to check for movie times, or waits for a Christmas catalog in the mail to make their wish list? Sad as it may be to some, these institutions have moved on. The real question is, why do grocers — our most established and entrenched retailers — continue to put their most important advertising on paper? Almost all grocers think they have a digital circular, but I like to refer to them as “digitized circulars” because they look just like their print counterparts. You can even simulate flipping their pages through your web browse ..read more

By Agnes Law, Schawk! Brands are facing more complexity than ever with the growing needs of customers and the multiplying number of sales channels. In APAC, e-Commerce sales have tripled from $600 Billion USD in 2014 to $1.8 trillion in 2018. Clearly, online channels are no longer just a nice-to-have — they’re a necessity in our always-on world. Each consumer has a unique preference. The shift from one-size-fits-all to personalized products creates demand for development of new brands, expanded product portfolios and nuanced marketing activities. As a result, consumers are expecting customize ..read more

By Hannah Hambleton, Beambox Snapchat is a powerful tool for any retailer. In this article, we’ll discuss why, highlighting some great ways to use Snapchat in your retail marketing. The result? Better brand awareness, customer loyalty and ultimately, sales. Why Should Retailers Look To Use Snapchat In Their Marketing? The Smartphone app Snapchat allows users to share videos and photos (‘Snaps’) that are automatically erased after a few seconds. Snapchat is a perfect marketing stream for retailers. As well as providing the chance to engage with customers directly, it enables retailers to develo ..read more