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in-person or online, such as someone using multiple cards for these food establishments does pick up, because more
to make a purchase. They should check all the names on people are on the street shopping.
the cards – if they are different, red flag; check shipping
addresses – do not ship to mail box stores, office suites, We are also seeing some growth in specialty food markets,
etc.; get AVS and CVV2; and look at sale sizes and new business additions such as vape stores, creative
gift stores and better retail stores. We also see some growth
4. We make sure we are available to answer questions, in wine stores in better neighborhoods.
and we start sending them info about the holiday season
starting in the beginning of October, including fraud re- There seems to be a movement toward small POS
minders and ways to identify fraud. We also make sure systems versus terminals, but we have not witnessed that
merchants order additional gift cards now and not wait movement leading to greater sales for merchants. We’ve
until the last minute. seen more requests for online ordering, but that growth
seems to be based more on cold or inclement weather than
5. We always suggest selling gift cards – it's been the No. 1 anything else. When the weather is bad, people tend to
gift for years – and watching for fraudulent activity. More shop more online.
then ever, bottom lines are tight; they can't afford to lose
money. There is a value in being able to compare items online
The average merchant can't compete against Amazon. and get the goods shipped straight to your home or
They have to get creative. We send out info about fraud office (and the pioneer in this regard, Amazon, is hurting
and about doing promotions. Retail is shrinking. I see everyone). The bigger players such as department stores
more and more shopping centers going up, but in the end and discount chains can offer online ordering and pick-
they are all starting to look the same: a lot of restaurants up or return at one of their brick-and-mortar locations.
and chain stores, fewer mom-and-pops, and now a lot of The smaller businesses we service may have an online
service type businesses (no inventory ) for example, real- presence, but their out-of-state shoppers still need to mail
tors, insurance offices, doctors, etc., going into shopping back something that they don’t like or doesn’t fit, versus
centers instead of into traditional office space. coming in and possibly purchasing something else.
Steven Feldshuh If the economy remains in good shape and people believe
Merchants' Choice Payment Solutions East they have accumulated more wealth, they will shop more.
A typical family has a certain amount they plan to spend.
When it comes to the holiday season, shoppers will Small businesses can gain customers if they are creative,
continue to purchase the gifts they need for family and offer good value and offer products the large players do
friends and will also purchase some items for themselves not.
because these items have been drastically reduced. The
holiday season seems to expand each year, with sales What merchants can do to increase business is typically
before Black Friday or Cyber Monday. determined by their budgets. A good investment is to get
a website. Offering gift cards is another good idea. And
Some people enjoy the art of shopping on Black Friday changing window displays routinely is a must. Having
and are convinced by the onslaught of ads that they have salespeople who are courteous and, most important,
to go on that day. But for many shopping on Black Friday knowledgeable also helps.
is substituted by shopping the sales whenever they are
offered. I’ve found that some agents tend not to speak to old clients
because they are too busy going after new clients. Another
Each year, it seems there is a small sales growth for the issue is that often when you suggest things to a business,
season. Some large department stores may see declines they either do not have time to listen or they take offense.
due to the growth of discounters and off-price centers, We aren’t professional merchandisers, but we recognize
but upscale department stores still get the crowds coming common pitfalls; it would behoove them to take some
in. Sales at outlet stores continue to grow simply because advice.
people perceive they are getting established brand name
at a discount. But most of us in the ISO world do not have Justin Milmeister, CPP
these large, multidepartment or discount chain locations Elite Merchant Solutions
in our portfolios.
1. There is no doubt “the season” today is not what most of
What we see is an uptick in people eating out at healthy fast- us grew up experiencing. The competition for consumers’
food places, sit-down dining and small-plate restaurant- dollars is as fierce as it has ever been. Every year the
bars. Though people say they are health conscious, the season starts a little earlier than the year prior. It started
sit-down pizza restaurants, hero shops and burger joints with retailers opening at midnight on Thanksgiving as
seem to be doing well. Business during the holiday season opposed to the morning after, which was named Black
Friday. Now, it is commonplace for retailers to be open

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