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I don't need to tell you how tough this has been. Retailers are in survival mode, focusing on their liquidity, helping to retain or furlough employees, and negotiating rents with landlords. I get it, these are top priorities! We are all in this fight. The good news is...

Q: I recently read an article on the death of ERP, (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems with their massive costs, years to deploy, and very public failures to meet client outcomes. Yet, there they were at the NRF show, with massive booths and displays, still touting...

February 9, 2018 As was to be expected, the NRF show, held last month in New York, was very exciting this year and very well attended. It certainly looked like retailers were there to make something happen in 2018. While there, I had the opportunity to speak to many...

Q: I talk to many retailers that are 18 to 24 months deep into costly retail software projects, trying to implement omnichannel capabilities. Yet they are nowhere near a deployment after spending a fortune on consultants and upfront fees. Why is this happening and how...

Throughout history, in any industry, certain people and companies have been the thought leaders and set the price levels. Whether we are talking about Andrew Carnegie and the steel industry, Bill Gates with software, and Sears and Walmart in retail (at their peak),...

A nemesis can bring out the best in us and push us to reach greater heights. For specialty retailers, that nemesis is Jeff Bezos and Amazon. So what are you going to do about it? The United States had the Cold War with Russia, during which they were the Evil Empire...

It has certainly been a tough year for brick-and-mortar retailers with the amount of store closures in 2017, outpacing the closure that took place after the 2008 financial crisis. Many attribute this to the “Amazon affect”, and the fact that we are all becoming...

It’s time for specialty retailers to take their power back in 2017 The 2017 NRF show was a very interesting experience. It must be somewhat overwhelming for retailers to enter that technology cauldron and come away with actionable items to address the needs of their...

You have your e-commerce site fulfilling orders from your warehouse and now you want to expand into offering fulfillment from your stores. But unfortunately, you have retail technology at your store that doesn’t speak with your website (you have different inventory...

Don’t let the “Amazon effect” roll over your retail stores. Learn from them and play to win! You hear it all over the media that mall traffic is down, that same store retail sales are in decline and that many retail stores are being shuttered as a result. While retail...

Merchant chargeback fraud bill skyrockets due to EMV liability shift! The liability Shift on credit card fraud is real and it’s hitting merchants where they feel it the most, in their wallets. Since the October 1st deadline there are some merchants that have...

EMV related chargebacks are surging due to the EMV liability shift on October 1st. On many routine chargebacks, where prior to October 1st they would have been 100 percent protected by Visa and Mastercard, retailers are now shocked to find that no matter how strong...

Q: I am looking to make changes to my store technology. I have nine retail stores that are on a 12-year-old system and I have an e-commerce site that runs separate from my retail stores. With all I see and hear about omni and multi-channel, what do you suggest as a...

Q:  I have not done anything to prepare for EMV chip-and-PIN card acceptance. What happens if I am not ready by the deadline?  Is this just like PCI compliance where I am only penalized if there is a data breach? Michael Dattoma: The clock continues to tick, and the...

Q: Just as I was trying to get my hands around how to accept EMV cards at my store for the October 2015 deadline, Apple introduces Apple Pay. Can you explain how Apple Pay works and how I can prepare my stores for all these new payment types? Michael Dattoma: I truly...

Q: I’m facing a software upgrade that will require me to change all my hardware and operating systems. I find it increasingly difficult to manage our systems internally and implement the tools I really need to run my business. For example, we’re trying to run iPads in...

Q: I am inundated with changes and investments that need to be made in my stores. With “EMV” Chip and Pin, “Mobile POS,” and “Omni-Channel” retailing being expected… Any suggestion on how I can best cope with all this technology change when I don’t have a big IT team?...

Are you giving your customers a cohesive brand experience between your stores and e-commerce, or are you still in denial? Q: My e-commerce platform and retail store systems are not in line with each other. Any advice on how to achieve omni-channel retailing for an...

Q: Do I need to accept credit cards with a “chip” at my stores? I’ve been told there will be a deadline to do this. My equipment only accepts the magnetic swipe cards and I don’t see many “chip” cards. A: Great question—there’s a lot of confusion about this. There’s a...

Q: I understand there are some really high penalty rates with Visa and Mastercard for not following proper procedure. How do I know if I am doing things correctly so I can avoid penalty fees? A: Yes, you are correct, and this will lead me deeper into the topic of...

Q: We currently run a premises-based point-of-sale system to run our eight stores and we’re facing an expensive upgrade of hardware and software. I’d like to investigate getting out of managing my IT internally, a huge hassle in time and money, and using a...

Are you seeing your “Durbin Dollars”? Q: I understand that the cost to process my swiped Visa/Mastercard debit cards came down on October 1st because of the Durbin Amendment. How can I determine if I am getting the full reduction in those bank fees? A: That is a great...

Q: Can you please help me understand what I need to do for PCI compliance? I know it’s important to secure data, but I can’t help but think that PCI is a scam, just a way for vendors to grab money out of my pocket without any measurable return. A: Sure, and I...

Q: Can you explain credit card interchange plans and if they can save me money? I am currently being charged different rate tiers (such as Qualified, Mid-Qualified, and Non-Qualified rates) and my fees seem to keep going up each year. What is my best course of action?...

Q: I am trying to get a handle on how much time and effort I should spent in social media initiatives and what kind of return on investment I could expect. Frankly, it’s hard to know where to start. Any suggestions? A: Social media is obviously is a hot topic today...

Q: I just read about the cap on debit card interchange, and I’m wondering how this will impact me as a five-store menswear chain. Will I see a significant drop in my fees? How will I be able to account for it? A: The passage of this legislation was a huge victory for...