Support for older versions of Internet Explorer Ended

May 31, 2016

What is end of support?

Beginning January 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical support and security updates. Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.

Internet Explorer 11 offers improved security, increased performance, better backward compatibility, and support for the web standards that power today’s websites and services. Microsoft encourages customers to upgrade and stay up-to-date on the latest browser for a faster, more secure browsing experience.

What does this mean?

It means you should take action. After January 12, 2016, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for older versions of Internet Explorer. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware, helping to keep users and their data safer. Regular security updates help protect computers from malicious attacks, so upgrading and staying current is important.

Potential risk of using older versions of Internet Explorer:

Security

Without critical browser security updates, your PC may become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software which can steal or damage your business data and information.

Compliance

Businesses that are governed by regulatory obligations such as HIPAA should conduct due diligence to assess whether they are still able to satisfy compliance requirements using unsupported software.

Lack of ISV Support

Many Independent Software Vendors(ISVs) no longer support older versions of Internet Explorer. For example, Office 365 takes advantage of modern web standards and runs best with the latest browser.

Click here to read more

 

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Chargebacks on Credit Cards Happening NOW! #EMV

May 10, 2016

RETAILERS ON THE HOOK FOR COUNTERFEIT TRANSACTIONS

Chargebacks are on the rise following the October 2015 EMV liability shift, and convenience retailers are fighting back.
May 10, 2016

NEW YORK – Beginning with the October 2015 EMV liability shift, retailers that have not upgraded their payment terminals to accept EMV chip-card transactions are

“on the hook”

for counterfeit transactions, writes the Wall Street Journal, and this particular cost of fraud—chargebacks—is adding up.

The news source reports that chargebacks among small and medium-size merchants increased 15% in Q4 of 2015 from a year earlier, according to a Strawhecker Group survey, adding that the volume of chargebacks has likely increased even more since then. Although the group didn’t put a dollar figure on the chargebacks, other experts put the total around the tens-of-millions of dollars mark.

Since the October 2015 EMV liability shift, many retailers are experiencing an outrageous increase in chargebacks that are mostly erroneous. Mike Lindberg, payment solutions manager at CHS Inc., commented during the Conexxus Annual Conference last week that some smaller retailers have reported a $10,000 to $15,000 increase in chargebacks per week, while larger retailers are experiencing $1 million in chargebacks per week.

“I can’t imagine what will happen at the pump come October 2017,” Lindberg warned.

The No. 1 chargeback reason code since October 2015 is

“merchandise not received,”

he said, which in theory makes no sense for the big box retailers. Some retailers are even seeing multiple chargebacks on the same credit card, and indicating that there is very little interest from card issuers or acquirers to help solve this costly problem.

Due diligence, however, can pay off. Convenience retailers experiencing a higher volume of chargebacks can successfully reverse the charges on challenge because convenience retailers aren’t within the October 2015 liability shift specification for type and applicability (i.e., the fuel dispenser).

“The banks will hopefully learn from the first October 2015 liability shift what is chargeable, because right now it’s a

‘charge it all back and see what gets challenged’

approach,” said Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus. He previously told NACS Daily that this approach to chargebacks “will have dire consequences for small to mid-size retailers, who can scarcely afford dedicated chargeback staff.”

NACS Online article found here

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EMV is real, like it or not.

March 31, 2016

CAN WE GET A ‘MEH’?

Survey finds that consumers don’t seem to care whether payment terminals are EMV capable.

March 31, 2016

​NEW YORK – Forbes writes “there was a lot of hoopla” surrounding the October 1, 2015, EMV liability shift date, where retailers that did not upgrade to EMV-capable payment technology would become liable for any fraudulent purchases that resulted from chip-card transactions.

According to a recent CardHub survey, 42% of retailers have not updated terminals in their stores to make them EMV-compliant—and consumers don’t seem to care, writes Forbes. The publication added that CardHub found “some 56% of people surveyed don’t care if a retailer’s payment terminal is chip-enabled, and 41% of consumers say they don’t have—or don’t know if they have—a chip-enabled credit card.”

Of the retailers CardHub included in its survey, only 60% that said they would complete equipment upgrades by the October 1, 2015, liability shift deadline have finished updating all of their terminals.“We were a little bit surprised by just how slow the uptake is here,” Jill Gonzalez, an analyst at CardHub, told Forbes, adding, “The banks did their part, the financial institutions got their chip-enabled cards out, and the retailers really are taking their time.” She also says that retailers “aren’t feeling the pressure of being responsible for fraudulent activity” because it hasn’t become a financial reality.

However, as Conexxus Executive Director Gray Taylor points out, many retailers haven’t flipped the switch to accept EMV payments “because they can’t, reasonably or unreasonably.” There’s also strong indication from retailers that the October 1, 2017, liability shift for outdoor payment equipment (i.e., dispensers) will be difficult to reach for those same reasons. “What has resulted is retailer abuse—starving innovation, paying premiums for development, putting equipment into the market with the understanding that multiple site-down visits will be required—has never been seen before in any mandate,” he told NACS Daily.

“Furthermore, the card companies aren’t calling EMV a mandate, but for retailers who don’t do it, chargebacks will go from a light sprinkle to a massive downpour.”

Forbes writes that installing EMV-compliant terminals is a dual-cost process for retailers. The first cost is upgrading (or in some instances replacing) all of their terminals, and the second cost is terminal activation. For consumers, their “meh” attitude is likely because education about EMV chip cards hasn’t emphasized the security aspect.

NACS online article here.

Retailers may have a “Meh” attitude but EMV is real and MUST be addressed.  It’s a difficult process for everyone but our QIR Certified Staff can help to answer your questions. Don’t wait until the chargebacks start to happen, as was the case with one of our customers.

Give us a call – 518-633-4111 x 103
EMV Chip
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BACKUP YOUR DATA!

March 30, 2016

 

spring-clipart

That means spring forward

change the batteries on the smoke detectors

and

   —   BACKUP YOUR DATA   —

Backing up your data is like flossing your teeth.

You don’t have to floss them all

 just the ones you want to keep.

backup-backup

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MAKING PEOPLE SMILE in Seattle

March 28, 2016

A Chevron gas station in Seattle uses its sign to entertain customers, rather than inform.
March 28, 2016

​SEATTLE – Usually signs are in the business of letting potential—and current—customers know about sales, special events and other information related to the company. Most convenience stores use outdoor signage to highlight specials and products, but the Wallingford Chevron gasoline station and convenience store has taken a different tack: humor.

For more than a decade, this station’s sign has posted amusing sayings to the delight of customers and residents. The genesis of the humorous postings is traced back to when the owners replaced an auto repair shop with a convenience store. To get the word out about the change, the owners hit on the idea of entertaining signage, the News Republic reports.

Popular messages include:

  • Ban pre-shredded cheese—make America grate again.
  • If attacked by a mob of clowns, go for the juggler.
  • When it’s raining cats & dogs, don’t step in a poodle.
  • A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
  • Hold the door open for a clown. It’s a nice jester.
  • Ever stop to think and forget to start again?
  • The past, present & future walk into a bar. It was tense.
  • I child-proofed my house but the kids still get in.
  • If pride comes before a fall, humility should come by winter.
  • I checked into the hokey-pokey clinic & I turned myself around.

The station has a dedicated Facebook page for the Wallingford Sign with photos of its most popular ones.

Full article found here:

NACS online

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CHIP CARD DELAY FRUSTRATES RETAILERS

March 24, 2016

Delays in POS equipment certification have many retailers frustrated and worried about huge spikes in chargebacks.

March 24, 2016

​NEW YORK – Avi Kaner, a co-owner of the Morton Williams supermarket chain in New York, has spent about $700,000 to update the payment terminals at his stores to accept EMV chip cards. However, he can’t turn them on, writes The New York Times, a bottleneck in offering a more secure payment process that is frustrating retailers—both large and small—across the United States.

Since the EMV liability shift took place on October 1, 2015, retailers have been essentially put on hold to get their payment terminals certified to accept chip cards.

The Times reports the cost of waiting is piling up. “It’s been very frustrating,” Kaner told the news source, noting that he purchased most of the upgraded POS equipment before the Oct. 1 deadline, and he’s still waiting for certification. The delay, he says, has cost him thousands of dollars in payments for fraudulent purchases. “There’s no recourse,” he said.

“The long delays are just the latest black eye for the deployment of the new systems,” writes the Times, noting that some consumers haven’t even received new credit and debit cards with the embedded EMV chip.

First Data, one of the largest payment processors, told the Times that about 20% of the four million American merchants it works with are in the process of being certified, a procedure than can take weeks to months.

Mallory Duncan, general counsel at the National Retail Federation, told the Times that the payments industry was unprepared to handle the flood of certification requests around the Oct. 1 liability shift deadline. “They didn’t allow for enough time or people to perform this certification,” he said. “Merchants have gotten slammed because they weren’t able to get certified, because the networks failed to provide the necessary resources to do that.”

Kaner commented that since Oct. 1, customers who have contested charges made with their EMV-enabled cards have been successful in reversing transactions, and he’s worried that some customers will use the Oct. 1 liability shift to get out of paying for legitimate purchases. Chargebacks, he said, have increased significantly. “It started out as a trickle, and now it’s turning into a flood,” he told the Times. “In the first couple months, it might have been a few hundred dollars a month. Now, it’s thousands a month.”

“The convenience and fuel channel has numerous retailers in the same situation, having invested upwards of $30,000 per site to be hardware-ready for EMV, only to be put on perpetual hold with approved software,” said Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus. “These retailers are trying to avoid the inevitable manufacturing and installation bottlenecks to do the right thing and get ahead of the curve, only to be on perpetual hold by an over-burdened vendor community trying to navigate late specifications and complex certifications. This is what happens when you simply choose a deadline, like the card brands did, without diligence. The premium retailers will pay for this ‘hurry up and wait’ situation and it will result in higher consumer prices.”

=====================================

Thanks NACS for this article. Retailers aren’t the only ones frustrated, resellers share equally in the frustration.

http://www.nacsonline.com/Media/Daily/Pages/ND0324161.aspx?utm_content=NACS%20Daily%20032416:%20newsarticle1%20(Chip%20Card%20Delay%20Frustrates%20Retailers)&utm_source=NACS%20Daily&utm_campaign=NACS%20Daily%20032416&utm_medium=email&utm_term=343490#.VvQaOOIrK70

 

 

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PROPOSED SNAP RULE COULD MAKE C-STORES INELIGIBLE

March 10, 2016

NACS reaches out to Capitol Hill to protest changes around definition of staple foods.

March 10, 2016

​ALEXANDRIA, Va. – This week NACS told policymakers about industry concerns with a proposed rule published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that includes problematic new eligibility standards for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“The proposed [SNAP] rule would make tens of thousands of small businesses ineligible to participate in the Program. Small businesses will be harmed and SNAP beneficiaries, who rely on these small stores in both urban and rural environments, will lose options they need to feed their families,” wrote NACS in a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, and the chairman and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.

As previously reported by NACS, on February 17, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) published a proposed rule altering eligibility requirements for retailers participating in SNAP. While the proposal codifies the 2014 Farm Bill provisions, which NACS supported, it also makes other changes to retailer eligibility requirements that Congress never intended to address in the 2014 Farm Bill. The proposal would impede neighborhood retailers’ ability to participate in the program, which in turn would hinder food accessibility for SNAP recipients that use their benefits at these small format retail locations.

“It appears that FNS is trying to push small retailers out of the SNAP program altogether, for no sound public policy reason,” NACS wrote to Congress, adding that Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Undersecretary Kevin Concannon recently testified before the House Appropriations Committee that there are more small stores participating in SNAP “than we really need.”

The USDA’s SNAP proposal codifies the 2014 Farm Bill “depth of stock” provisions, which require retailers to stock 7 varieties of products in each of the four “staple food” categories. Problematically, the proposal also includes several changes that were neither required nor envisioned by the 2014 Farm Bill.

The proposal redefines the term “staple foods” and limits the items that may count as staple foods for depth of stock determinations. Under the proposal, multiple ingredient items (e.g. soups or frozen dinners) would not count towards depth of stock requirements. The proposal also expands the definition of “accessory foods” to include foods consumed between meals, like snacks (e.g. hummus and pretzel packs).

Because accessory and multiple ingredient foods may not be counted as staple foods for depth of stock determinations—the proposal essentially narrows the universe of acceptable foods that a retailer can stock to participate in SNAP, ultimately raising the stocking numbers beyond the numbers established by Congress.

Next week in Washington during the NACS Government Relations Conference, industry stakeholders will be communicating to members of Congress and their staffs that convenience stores play a fundamental role in SNAP, particularly for low-income Americans who live in rural or urban environments. By making it increasingly difficult for small format retailers to participate in SNAP, the proposal would essentially punish SNAP beneficiaries by requiring them to travel outside of their local neighborhoods where larger format retailers may not exist.

A memorandum analyzing the proposal is available online exclusively for NACS members.

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Independent Grocers Taking Aim at C-stores

March 4, 2016

NGA Show session highlights how three grocers are going after convenience.

Insight Bullseye #doBetter.jpg

March 1, 2016, 03:07 pm By Joan Driggs, Stagnito Business Information

LAS VEGAS — Independent grocers have convenience stores on their radar.

An educational session at this week’s The 2016 NGA Show, hosted by the National Grocers Association (NGA), discussed the need for independent grocers to compete against convenience stores and provided some key takeaways on how to successfully do so.

Panelists representing leading independent grocers such as Niemann Foods, Buche Foods and Docs Food Stores pointed out that convenience stores are continually upping their food retailing game with more grab-and-go and fresh prepared items. Independent grocers need to stay competitive to remain the go-to destination for shoppers, whether they’re on a weekly fill-up trip or a quick stop on their way from work.

Nine-store chain Docs Food Stores, based in Bixby, Okla., has moved many convenience items to the front of its stores, including beverages and quick meals, according to speaker Courtney Brown, vice president and chief operating officer. The chain also added an express register to help customers make a quick purchase, he shared.

Additionally, Docs takes advantage of low-priced meal deals from its hot bar and utilizes outdoor seasonal displays — such as a farm-stand truck — to communicate that its stores have more to offer than traditional convenience stores.

Brown stressed that having enough staffing is critical because customers don’t want to wait in line ever, but especially when they’re on a quick trip, it could be a deal breaker.

RF Buche, president of Buche Foods, a South Dakota chain of grocery and convenience stores (some of which offer fuel) told NGA Show attendees that rethinking your basic grocery retail strategies is key to success. Appealing to convenience shoppers means putting yourself in their shoes — not just in terms of what assortment might appeal, but also the experience.

Clean bathrooms are not to be underestimated, he noted. Buche Foods brags that it cleans its restrooms seven times a day. The company has even hosted manager bathroom-decorating contests.

Niemann Foods, based in Quincy, Ill., has about 100 stores under its umbrella, including grocery, convenience, hardware and pet stores. Rich Niemann III, director of convenience operations, discussed the company’s recent evolution in its convenience business.

The company underwent an evaluation about five years ago to determine the best place to invest and reinvent. The result is Harvest Market, two convenience stores with a focus on fresh prepared foods.

Harvest Market features sandwiches, soups and other fresh items prepared daily; hot and cold fountain beverages; and self-serve Sweet Berry frozen yogurt and toppings.

Like Buche Foods, Harvest Market makes use of its fuel operations to drive customers into the store. “Consider that 60-70 percent of fuel customers might not go inside,” Niemann said.

The company makes use of extensive advertising at the fuel pumps to promote meal deals and other items that are typically not available at convenience stores. “Fresh really sets the tone,” he said, and helps the company bounce its convenience shoppers to grocery shoppers.

The 2016 NGA Show is taking place Feb. 28 through March 2 at Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel & Casino. The annual event brings together independent retailers and wholesalers, food retail industry executives, food/consumer packaged goods manufacturers, and service providers for opportunities to learn, engage, share, network and innovate.

The National Grocers Association is the only industry association devoted exclusively to the needs of independent grocers.

By Joan Driggs, Stagnito Business Information
  • About Joan DriggsJoan Driggs is Editorial Director of Progressive Grocer and Progressive Grocer Independent. She has more than 25 years of experience in trade journalism and market research. Joan enjoys connecting with CPG manufacturers and grocery retailers, and learning how they connect for the benefit of consumers. Her roots are in new product development and she continues to seek out the latest in greatest at grocery retail. To connect with Joan, email jdriggs@stagnitomail.com, or reach out on Twitter, @JoanPGrocer.

– See more at: http://www.csnews.com/industry-news-and-trends/competitive-watch/independent-grocers-taking-aim-c-stores?cc=3#sthash.QglNprIZ.9oqakXrR.dpuf

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11 Strategies for Market-Basket Growth

March 2, 2016

Opportunities abound in wine, chocolate and … newspapers?

Published in CSP Daily News

By Jennifer Bulat, Group Director of Editorial Production, CSP 18

DALLAS — Did you know that people buy chocolate with just about anything else in the store? That people have had $700 more in their accounts since last year? And that customers shop a convenience store in the evening the way they do a small grocery store?

In the session “Boosting the Convenience Market Basket” at CSP’s Convenience Retailing University, Don Burke, senior vice president of Management Science Associates Inc., Pittsburgh, analyzed data compiled from three convenience-store retailers and offered these tips:

  1. That $700 extra consumers have comes from lower gas prices. While in-store sales are up 3% as a result of customers spending less on fuel, “You have to work a little harder to get that money now,” Burke said.
  2. Revenue from fuel sales is down, but dollars from those sales aren’t down as much because people have been “buying up”—purchasing higher-octane gasoline instead of regular. However, 85% of fuel customers don’t buy anything in the store. How can you get them inside? With signage promoting the top in-store categories. (See No. 9.)
  3. Speaking of those categories, some of the fastest growing (in the latest 13 weeks of data vs. the same time a year ago) are wine (up 12%), beer (10%), cold vault/energy drinks (9%) and ice cream (8%). Many of these are up as a result of consumers wanting to treat themselves via the extra cash they have, Burke said.
  4. And more on wine: The “sweet spot” price for wine in the c-store is $8 to $12, and the wine market basket is $18.62 on average. However, Burke says some folks are willing to spend $24.99 for a good bottle. Make sure customers know you have high-quality items and some may bite. Even better: Many of those who purchase wine buy hard liquor with it, so make sure the displays are close together.
  5. Two other complementary liquids: water and carbonated soft drinks. “Always leverage and market your cold case together” for bundling opportunities, Burke said.
  6. Who knew? People tend to buy a newspaper when they buy a lottery ticket, according to MSA data. “If you want to sell more newspapers, put it near the lottery machine,” he said.
  7. Most beer is purchased between 3 and 11 p.m., usually when folks are on the way home from work. “Put a six-pack on your (checkout) countertop just to remind them,” Burke said.
  8. Total store sales peak between 4 and 5 p.m. And sales of milk spike in the later hours. “People shop c-stores in the evenings the same way they do a small grocery,” he said.
  9. In a market-basket analysis of the top categories, chocolate always pops up as something customers will buy with another product. Those fuel customers who don’t come into the store (see No. 2) might be lured inside by a promo on chocolate candy.
  10. Thirty-six percent of customers who buy beer make that their sole purchase. The category purchased second most often with beer? Family planning. Safety first!
  11. Finally, it’s not just hype: MSA numbers show stores that offer foodservice have 2% higher sales than those without. And when people purchase foodservice, they buy something else 82% of the time. 

 

insightRS_blkblu

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Ever Heard of Advocacy Cards?

February 26, 2016

You haven’t, because they don’t yet exist. Read on to find out if the concept is something you should consider for your operation.

By  Steve Dwyer, CSP Reporter , Feb. 4, 2016

Advocacy cards. They don’t have quite the same ring as loyalty cards do, but maybe get used to the idea?

While advocacy cards are not a living, breathing thing, advocating for customers is fast becoming the new way retailers should approach customer relationship-building beyond simple loyalty efforts.

While a loyalty card program rewards consumers for quantity of goods and services bought, advocacy cards could go a step further to inform the qualitative aspect of the retailer-customer bond— rewarding shoppers who buy healthy foods, for example, with points, gift cards or other incentives.

Sounds like a daunting task for a retailer, but it’s one that all retail channels should think about.

Retailer advocacy for customers was discussed during the webinar “Top Food Trends for 2016.” Sponsored by The Food Institute and BMO Harris, the session was comoderated by Phil Lempert, known as the “SupermarketGuru,” and The Food Institute CEO Brian Todd.

In addition to citing consumers’ thirst for additional product information along with coming to grips that the “retail world is in flux,” Lempert said advocacy might be the new loyalty. In that spirit, “focus beyond relationships and think beyond loyalty to advocacy,” he said.

Your consumers are already vigilant when it comes to the food selection process—like vetting a political candidate. They abide by concepts of “free from” and “less is more,” the latter meaning products with five or fewer ingredients and no artificial ingredients. Foods labeled with health attributes saw sales increase 13%, said Lempert, citing the National Grocers Association-SupermarketGuru 2015 survey.

The broad picture: A new way of eating will be defined by new proteins, algae, insects, vegetable, yeast, cricket flour and nut powders. Rewarding your customers for participating in the trend could incentivize those higher-margin items, and earn you goodwill and higher sales in the process.

insightRS_blkblu

 

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