In this week’s news, we saw Chinese cryptocurrency tied to $2 billion in scams, and two-thirds of digital shoppers feel safe online. The Weekender is here to catch you up.
News
Amazon Adds Delivery Fee for Prime Customers Ordering from Whole Foods
Amazon will be adding a delivery fee for customers on Prime shopping at Whole Foods, which shows the difficulty of the grocery market even for the world’s largest online retailer, according to Bloomberg.
Shoppers were recently informed of a $9.95 service delivery fee for deliveries starting Aug. 30 in the areas of Boston; Chicago; Manchester, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine; and Providence, Rhode Island, the report stated.
Apple to Use Affirm in Canada for BNPL Purchases
Apple intends to roll out a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service in Canada with Affirm’s PayBright, according to Bloomberg, which sees the Big Tech giant branching out into other financial services.
The program will be for sales of Apple devices in Canada. It will allow for iPhone, Mac and iPad buyers in that country to pay for their purchases over a period of one to two years.
Amazon Expands Same-Day Delivery Program
Amazon added six more communities to its Same-Day Delivery initiative, which gives buyers in eligible cities access to as many as three million items in a dozen categories, including baby, beauty and health, kitchen and dining, electronics, pet supplies and more.
Prime members in Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Tampa join those in Dallas, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Washington, D.C.
NCR to Buy Crypto ATM Network
NCR, a software- and services-led enterprise provider in the financial, retail and hospitality sectors, is set to acquire the cryptocurrency software maker LibertyX.
The Georgia-based company said in a news release on Monday (Aug. 2) that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire LibertyX in hopes of offering customers the ability to make quick and easy digital currency payments.
Trackers and Reports
Report: InsurTechs Use Automation, Rapid Claim Payments to Woo Customers
Paper-based invoices leech an average of $17,340 from companies each year and represent 125 hours of lost labor per week by manual employee teams. Interest in enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions is growing, with a recent study predicting that the ERP market will reach an $86.5 billion value globally by 2027.
Report: Two-Thirds of Digital Shoppers Will Bolt if They Feel Unsafe Online
PYMNTS’ research shows that shoppers’ data security fears have very real ramifications for digital platforms. Not only would 57 percent of platforms users be “very” or “extremely” likely to leave their platforms for competitors over security concerns, but 65 percent of all consumers say they would not even finish creating an account if a security red flag arose during sign-up.
NEW REPORT: Real-Time Payments Helps Fix Cross-Border’s Workforce Payday Cash Crunch
High costs, slow processing speeds and high error rates top businesses’ list of complaints about the current cross-border payment system, according to a report. Seventy-one percent of those surveyed agreed that the system is problematic, with error rates of up to 6 percent, processing times of up to five days and transaction costs of anywhere from $30 to $100.
Fun, Cool and Otherwise Interesting
Broadway Theaters Will Require Vaccines for Audience, Performers And Staff
Owners and operators of all 41 Broadway theaters will require vaccinations for audience members, performers, backstage crew and staff for all performances through October 2021, The Broadway League announced July 30.
The League announcement noted that audience members must also wear masks inside theaters except while eating or drinking in specific areas. All guests will need to show proof of an FDA- or WHO-authorized vaccination and must wait at least 14 days after their last vaccine dose to attend a show.
Chelsea Football Club Teams With Clover for Contactless Payments
England’s professional football team, Chelsea Football Club, is instituting contactless payments this season for food, drinks and merchandise via Fiserv’s Clover point-of-sale (POS) systems.
Chelsea Football — called soccer in the U.S. — is implementing the new payment system immediately, and ticket holders coming to the game at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday (Aug. 4) will be able to use the cashless, contactless payment system.
Chinese Cryptocurrency Tied to More Than $2B in Crime, Scams
Chinese cryptocurrency is the latest involved in a rash of illicit activity involving $2.2 billion in digital payment tokens used in scams and dark internet operations over a two-year period. Chinese cryptocurrency addresses sent and received funds for illegal activity from April 2019 through June 2021, according to a Reuters report.
Quiznos, Bakkt Debut Pay With Bitcoin in Some Restaurants
Digital asset marketplace Bakkt’s parent company Bakkt Holdings has partnered with sandwich chain Quiznos to roll out a physical location and let Quiznos customers pay with cryptocurrency, a press release said. This will make the capability available in the Denver market, which will include the highly populated airport.
The rollout, according to the release, will see select Quiznos locations in Denver allowing customers who have bought and downloaded the Bakkt app to pay for their meals with it.
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