BluePay Blog

Independent software vendors (ISVs) are expected to deliver cutting-edge solutions to a diverse range of clients. Equally important, the software programs they develop should provide users with a seamless experience — devoid of interoperability issues, glitches and steep learning curves.  It’s a tough industry — one that only continues to become more competitive every day. 

Topics: Payment Technology, ISV/VAR

Google Assistant is a voice-activated tool that comes preinstalled on Android phones and a number of Google-branded smart home devices. iPhone users can also download this voice-activated technology as a dedicated app.  To begin using Google Assistant, you only need to say, “Hey Google” or “OK Google.” Then, you can voice any number of commands, whether you want to:

Topics: E-Commerce and Online Payments, Payment Technology, Payment Trends

With nearly 20 percent market share, Fitbit is arguably the most popular wearable technology in the world. These personal fitness trackers can monitor everything from your heart rate to steps taken to sleep patterns. With more than 25 million active users, Fitbit continues to rake in billions of dollars every year — all through sales of its wearable devices.  But the company believes its Fitbit can become more than just a fitness tracker. In 2018, it added mobile payments to its growing line of wearable tech.

Topics: EMV, Payment Technology, Small Business Tips, Payment Trends

With the introduction of voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa and OK Google, users were finally liberated from the mouse and keyboard. Instead of typing queries, users can simply speak their choices, whether they want to:  Do an Internet search Jump to the next song Raise the thermostat  Voice-activated shopping has also flourished in recent years. In 2017, sales made through voice assistants approached $2 billion. By 2022, experts believe that number could exceed $40 billion — in just the United States and United Kingdom alone. 

Topics: Payment Technology, Payment Trends

It was bound to happen. Sooner or later, cars would join the pantheon of mobile payment technologies — a list that already includes smartphones, tablets and an entire range of wearables.  Although in-car payments are still relatively new, this technology allows users to fill their gas tanks, pay for parking, or drive through highway tolls — all from the comfort of their vehicles. 

Topics: Mobile Payments, Payment Technology, Payment Trends

Over the last few years, chip-and-PIN has been heralded as the gold standard in payment security. These EMV credit cards come with embedded chips that are next to impossible to clone. To initiate an in-store payment, customers must input a personal identification number (PIN) that only they know.  Additionally, mobile payments and wearable technologies continue to grow in popularity every year. In fact, experts predict that annual in-store sales generated through smart devices could exceed $500 billion by 2020 — in the United States alone. 

Topics: EMV, Mobile Payments, Payment Technology, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Payment Trends

There wasn’t a whole lot of fanfare surrounding the 2011 launch of Google Wallet — a mobile payment technology that allowed users to shop in stores or send money to friends and family members.  For starters, PayPal had already cornered the peer-to-peer (P2P) payment market, leaving little room for Google’s new service. And mobile payments were still a relatively untested technology throughout the retail industry.  Google Wallet may have been a cool service, but there simply wasn’t a burning need for what the platform offered. 

Topics: Mobile Payments, E-Commerce and Online Payments, Payment Technology, Payment Trends

Technology has forever changed payments and how we conduct transactions, both as businesses and as consumers. It's advancements in technology that are moving a world from paper currency to digital transactions. And, it's devices, like smartphones, that are convincing more people to change how they buy things.  Yet, as we know, online and mobile payments are not convincing for everyone. And, that's because of the continual news about fraud and data hacking. With payment security still a concern, we return to technologists to help us out. Cognitive technology is one potential strategy that is now being further developed that could be the game changer for payments and payment security. Here's why.

Topics: Payment Technology, Payment Trends

Paying through Facebook Messenger began over four years ago. It signaled a new way to make payments that have since spread to other social media platforms like Snapchat. Now, you can even make a payment through Skype. Due to the use of mobile devices and the instantaneous expectations of today's consumers, it's no wonder that social payments have exploded.

Topics: Due.com Partner Posts, E-Commerce and Online Payments, Payment Technology, Small Business Tips, Payment Trends

There’s a reason why the EMV credit card standard has been adopted globally. These chip-enabled cards are far more secure than their mag-stripe counterparts.  Whereas magnetic stripes are relatively easy to clone and forge, EMV cards are not. This makes in-store retail fraud more difficult. For a transaction to process successfully, the security chip must be physically present at the point of sale. 

Topics: EMV, Payment Technology, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Payment Trends