Merchant Cash Advance Blog

Businesses have long used coupons to help them sell products and drive traffic into stores. There may still be a large untapped market of consumers who want to use coupons, however - shoppers connected to their mobile devices.

Smartphone coupons are becoming mainstream, driving both dollars and new consumers to brick-and-mortar retailers, according to a report from Business Insider. However, less than one percent of all consumer packaged goods coupons distributed in the United States during 2012 were digital, suggesting that many companies are failing to grasp the possibilities offered by distributing promotions through mobile devices.

Electronic payments made through credit cards and debit cards can improve the efficiency and the convenience of consumer transactions. Shoppers greatly appreciate the ability to make payments through these means - and many service providers are rushing to allow them the ability to do so. 

Approximately half of the parking meters in Scranton, Pennsylvania, for example, have recently been updated so they can accept payments through credit card and debit card processing terminals, according to a report from Nexstar Broadcasting. City leaders explained that the change was necessitated by widespread shopper support for credit card processing as a preferred mode of making payments. 

Mobile applications are helping consumers make payments more efficiently than before. However, they may also aid businesses in another way - by making their consumers more loyal.

Recently, Wanda Young, vice president of media and digital marketing at Walmart, told audience members at the Mobile Marketing Association's SM2 conference that consumers who download the retailer's mobile application spend more money than the average consumer, stated a report from Mobile Commerce Daily - and not just throughmobile credit card processing terminals. The executive also stated that consumers who downloaded their branded mobile application were twice as likely to shop in-store at Wal-Mart as the average consumer. She feels that mobile applications with attached credit card processing solutions benefit both retailers and shoppers.

Business owners are constantly aiming to innovate in the e-commerce sector - determined to offer consumers what they crave before they even ask for it. However, as online shoppers are becoming more savvy, they're also becoming more demanding. 

Online shoppers are asking for more services and features from the online retailers they frequent, according to the results of a recent study conducted by ComScore and UPS Canada. Consumers want much more than low-priced products and efficient online payment processing options - they also want increased transparency and a seamless returns policy, among many other factors.