Content about banking

Traditionally, cash office management and the reconciliation process have relied on manual procedures, such as counting currency and coin by hand, creating handwritten check deposits, and keying totals into the POS system. Many retailers have used the same cash office procedures for years, with the procedures inconsistently executed from store to store. Chain Store Age talked with Balance Innovations’ Janette Davis about how technology is bringing new efficiencies to cash office management.

By Jim Hogan, james.hogan@ge.com

The retail industry is a bellwether for U.S financial health given that consumer spending is roughly 60%-70% of the economy. While the economy has sent mixed signals of late -- consumer confidence down, unemployment up -- consumer credit has swung up decidedly and leading companies in a wide swath of retail segments can point to positive year-over-year same store sales. This is prompting some retailers -- particularly discount stores--to begin opening new stores.

New York -- Research by ACI Worldwide and Aite Group has identified a new group of smartphone fanatics – coined Smartphonatics – are driving demand for mobile banking and other financial services.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart said Thursday it has launched a “Pay with Cash” service that offers cash payment options for online orders at Walmart.com in the United States.

Walmart is the first major retailer to offer online purchases without the need for banking services or a credit, debit or prepaid card.

By Kenneth Gruskin, kgruskin@gruskingroup.com

Today, fickle and demanding consumers can access virtually anything they want as a result of technology such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. This anytime, anywhere access coupled with what can be referred to as the four ‘C’s’ — convergence, convenience, connection, and cost — are having a dramatic impact on retailers. 

Lending to retailers is once again on the rise, as capital flows back into the market and retailers that stayed afloat during the recession look to strengthen their competitive positions. During the economic downturn, the more nimble and savvy retailers cut costs, reduced inventory levels, renegotiated leases and closed underperforming stores. 


Reading, England -- Tesco has committed to the Microsoft platform in an eight year, world-wide agreement. The deal is designed to enable the U.K.-based retailer to improve productivity, decision-making, knowledge sharing and operational excellence across the 14 countries in which it currently operates.

The agreement will underpin Tesco’s strategic objectives of growing its international presence; expanding its non-food business; and offering a broad selection of retail services such as banking, online and mobile. 
 

New York City -- Nearly half of U.S. smartphone users say they have already, or soon will, use their phones to do mobile shopping, according to a recent survey conducted by ABI Research, and 53% also use, or intend to use, their smartphones for mobile banking.

Madison, Wis. -- A new report maps out the shape of Walmart's retail financial services footprint in the United States and Mexico. The study, The Blended Walmart Business Model, published by the Filene Research Institute and written by Robert Manning, PhD, knits together the many angles of Walmart's involvement in banking services: from its 2007 charter travails to its foray into Mexican banking and, most importantly, to its long-term strategy of providing financial services to ever more of its many customers -- with or without a formal bank charter.