Consumers have long been moving away from using cash to pay for purchases at retail stores, and with the rise of ecommerce, many shoppers have increasingly turned to credit and debit cards to buy the items they want. And another payment form – mobile – is changing the way that individuals complete transactions, meaning that companies need to adopt solutions now that can accept all methods.

A recently released report from Statistics New Zealand stated that during April, consumers boosted the use of their credit and debit cards to purchase merchandise from a variety of retail sectors. Card spending in the country rose 0.6 last month from March, and many analysts attribute the rise to more trading days than usual in April due to early Good Friday and Easter. Some of the sectors that experienced increases in card transactions were clothing retailers, footwear merchants and furniture sellers.

This boost in credit and debit card spending isn't limited to New Zealand, as retailers across the globe are seeing the rise as well. Coupled with a jump in mobile payments, merchants need to act now to incorporate point of sale systems that can accept all forms of transactions. By doing this, businesses can be sure they are accommodating patrons effectively, helping to improve retention and loyalty rates.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, May 16th, 2013 at 10:28 am .