Other Breaking News
In today’s CardFlash News Que: GEMALTO (award); TIMETRIC (Argentina); CREDITCARDS.COM (retail cards); and TIMETRIC (South Korea).
Alliance Data Inks Private Label Credit Card Program Agreement
Zale Corporation has signed a new, multi-year private label credit card program agreement with Alliance Data Systems Corporation. Through its Comenity Capital Bank (“CCB”) subsidiary, Alliance will provide private label credit cards to customers of Zale in the United States. Following the completion of program implementation during the first half of fiscal 2014, Zale will begin to receive benefit from Alliance Data’s extensive marketing, analytical and technical services. For each of Zale’s U.S. brands, Alliance Data will provide proven marketing and database capabilities, sophisticated analytics and a suite of omnichannel marketing tools designed to generate sales and extend brand affinity. Alliance Data will also provide a portfolio of innovative tablet and mobile marketing solutions for fine jewelry that are designed to optimize cardholder acquisition and retention. In addition, Zale will receive a commencement payment in July 2013 from CCB.
Zale Deploys NewComLink for Customer Financing
Zale Corporation has implemented the NewComLink retail credit solutions platform as part of its new program to provide alternative financing options to its U.S. customers. Zale announced the new alternative financing program on August 31, 2011, which is currently available in all Zales, Zales Outlet and Gordon’s retail stores. With this development, Zale can connect customers with additional financing options to help complete their jewelry purchases. The NewComLink platform brings new efficiencies to financing and allows retailers to serve additional customers who want to make a purchase, increasing incremental sales, profits and improve customer satisfaction.
Epicor Leading Vendor of POS Software Among Top Retailers
Epicor Software has been named the leading vendor of POS software to top specialty soft goods retailers and hard goods retailers by global research and advisory firm IHL Group. With this, it ranks first place in POS Software for Softgoods Retailers and POS Software for Hardgoods Retailers, the sixth consecutive year Epicor has taken first place in the IHL POS Software for Softgoods Retailers report. Epicor software solutions are designed to meet the evolving merchandise and service expectations of today’s cross-channel shoppers and the business requirements of the most demanding retail environments.
Zale Expands U.S. Customer Financing
Zale Corporation initiated a program to provide alternative financing options for U.S. customers through Monterey Financial Services consumer finance company. Citibank (South Dakota), N.A. (“Citi), remains the company’s primary consumer financing provider in the United States. Zale will offer this program to select customers whose credit applications have been declined by Citi, providing them with an affordable option to finance their merchandise purchases.
Epicor Deploys Multi-Channel Retail Transaction Reqs
Epicor Software Corporation enterprise business software solutions to the midmarket and Global 1000 companies introduced its “Epicor Retail Enterprise Store Central” to address the complex transaction requirements of today’s multi-channel retail enterprise. The “Enterprise Store Central” simplifies retailers’ task of enabling the full spectrum of POS and enterprise sales functions across stores and channels, so retailers can more effectively manage transactions and customer engagement. Serving as a single integration point for transaction “basket” logic, the adapter integrates data from all channels — blending the e-commerce and brick-and-mortar experience like never before for simplified shopping and streamlined information management.
Montise & Visa Roll Out iPhone App
Developed in partnership with Monitise, Visa is kicking off its “Visa Mobile” application for the iPhone to allow users access to more than 50 unique merchant offers through their iPhone. Available as a free download from the iTunes app store, “Visa Mobile” targets budget-conscious Visa account holders with its list of popular merchants to deliver exclusive offers. Offers are automatically delivered and stored in the application, can be tailored to consumersâ life styles and preferences, and can be redeemed either online or at physical retail locations. The application uses location-based technology to provide consumers with a map and directions to a nearby retailer where they can redeem merchant offers. Visa signed a global alliance with Monitise in June 2009 to custom-develop mobile services for Visa across a spectrum of handsets to ensure Visa account holders have a consistent, user-friendly, and secure mobile payment experience. Moreover, the application shows users nearby merchant locations and provides directions to locations where they can redeem offers and allows them to find the nearest ATM.
VISA & MONTISE
Developed in partnership with Monitise, Visa is kicking off its “Visa Mobile” application for the iPhone to allow users access to more than 50 unique merchant offers through their iPhone. Available as a free download from the iTunes app store, “Visa Mobile” targets budget-conscious Visa account holders with its list of popular merchants to deliver exclusive offers. Offers are automatically delivered and stored in the application, can be tailored to consumers’ life styles and preferences, and can be redeemed either online or at physical retail locations. The application uses location-based technology to provide consumers with a map and directions to a nearby retailer where they can redeem merchant offers. Visa signed a global alliance with Monitise in June 2009 to custom-develop mobile services for Visa across a spectrum of handsets to ensure Visa account holders have a consistent, user-friendly, and secure mobile payment experience. Moreover, the application shows users nearby merchant locations and provides directions to locations where they can redeem offers and allows them to find the nearest ATM.
Epicor Named Number One POS Vendor
Epicor Software enterprise business software solutions has been named the leading vendor of POS software to top specialty soft goods retailers in “A Retailer’s Guide: POS Software” for Softgoods Retailers. The report evaluated vendors of POS software installed among the top 250 retailers in the specialty soft goods space and ranked the top 10, with Epicor topping the list. Vendor rankings were based on the following criteria: Number of POS licenses, the combined revenue of their customers, and total number of customers in the top 250. When it comes to POS software solutions for soft goods retailers, the report found Epicor has more retail clients, installations, and managed retail revenue than Micros, Oracle, JDA, SAP, or any other POS software provider.
Citi to Deploy Zale Credit Card Program
Zale Corporation has selected Citibank to provide its private label credit card program. For use at Zales, Zales Outlet and Gordon’s brands in the United States, effective October 1, for a term of five years with automatic renewals for successive two-year terms. This agreement replaces the Company’s agreement with Citi which was scheduled to expire in March 2011. In connection with the agreement, payment of the merchant fee differential, due September 22, 2010, will no longer be required. Under the new agreement, the yearly minimum volume of net credit card sales has been reduced from $600 million to $315 million. Additionally, Citi will provide financial support of the Company’s marketing activities during the initial five-year term of the contract.
Zale Selects TD Private Label Card Program
NJ-based TD Retail Card Services been selected by Zale Corporation to
administer the private label credit card program for the retailer’s 216
stores in Canada, effective July 1.
Under the five-year agreement, TD will direct all facets of the private label credit card program for
Zale’s 147 Peoples Jewellers stores and 69 Mappins Jewellers locations
across Canada. The program replaces the Company’s existing agreement
with Citi Cards Canada Inc. that expires on June 30. Branded under the Peoples and Mappins names, the cards will offer
Canadian consumers a number of financing options, including
interest-free and no-payment offerings. In addition, the cards can be
used interchangeably between Peoples and Mappins.
Epicor Launches Secure Card Data Manager
Enterprise software solution provider Epicor has released the “Epicor Secure Data Manager” integrated system validation for payment card security. Epicor Secure Data Manager is a comprehensive standalone
payment-handling solution that achieves single Payment Application Data
Security Standard (PA-DSS) validation across multiple retail systems
while also providing authorization and settlement functionality.
With Epicor SDM, payment card information is
securely stored in a central repository where PA-DSS requirements are
consolidated and managed. By handling data from inception through storage, Epicor SDM maintains data privacy by providing
neighboring applications with a token for reference rather than specific
credit card details. Connected systems then pass this token into the
data stream, and Epicor SDM utilizes the token’s data to determine the
credit card information needed for processing each transaction. In addition to integrated system validation, Epicor SDM also includes
Authorization and Settlement features, including Centralized Key
Management, Secure Data Service for encrypting securing data, Secure
Payment Service for storing and retrieving payment records, and Payment
Capture Service for Point-of-Sale transactions.