It expanded its Square ecosystem with new merchant tools like credit cards and revamped solutions. It also expanded Cash App Pay acceptance outside of the Square ecosystem. It established stronger ties between its ecosystems to create more seamless customer experiences—like what’s typically seen in super apps.
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| Dec 22, 2022
It partnered with software provider Raydiant later that summer to improve Square restaurants’ digital capabilities. Block is trying to move deeper into the dining space, where consumer spending is holding steady. It extended Cash App’s reach outside of the Square ecosystem. Block started letting Cash App users make payments via Cash App Pay to merchants that don’t use Square in September.
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| Dec 20, 2022
Incumbents like Mastercard, PayPal, Square, Stripe, and Visa are already exploring and integrating crypto payments. Advocate for interoperable systems. Interoperability between different countries’ CBDCs will be crucial for adoption. Visa has issued policy guidance on its in-development Universal Payment Channel technology, which would connect blockchain networks and enable cross-border CBDC payments.
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| Dec 16, 2022
The wealthiest person vs. the most valuable company: Elon Musk is attacking Apple for ceasing advertising and threatening to pull Twitter from its App Store, setting up a monumental clash he can’t possibly win.
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| Nov 30, 2022
Block’s seller mix skews small: In Q3 2022, 60% of Square sellers had less than $500,000 in annualized volume—though Afterpay likely brought some larger sellers into the mix. Strong performance across channels bodes well for SMBs who were concerned about the holiday season and corroborates Bankrate data showing 59% of holiday shoppers planned to purchase on Small Business Saturday. BNPL.
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| Nov 30, 2022
In terms of total square footage, Mexico leads the pack, followed by China and Canada. Walmart International’s net sales are about a quarter of Walmart US’.
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| Nov 21, 2022
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| Nov 17, 2022
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| Nov 17, 2022
It’s a global digital public square, a leading archive of modern historical events, and a chronicle of vast stores of content produced by scores of individuals and organizations. The company’s potential closing risks losing vital data stored on the platform over the past 16 years.
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| Nov 15, 2022
Base minimum rents per square foot also grew 1.7%, to $54.80. But Simon’s acquisition of a 50% stake in mixed-use developer Jamestown suggests the company is looking for ways to diversify its portfolio and reduce its reliance on enclosed malls. The have-nots: Mall traffic remains well below where it was pre-pandemic.
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| Nov 2, 2022
The problem: While Elon Musk has ambitions of making the platform a digital town square, mass firings, and installing close friends and associates, could drive down content moderation even as it ramps up user engagement. “That may drive away brands in the same way many brands stay away from outlets like Fox News.
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| Nov 1, 2022
Block (formerly Square) launched Square Banking last year after attaining a US banking license. The service provides business loans and deposit products to clients. Also last year, PayPal released a new version of its app that allows users to manage their entire financial lives in one place. The payments giant offers a high-yield savings account, early-access direct deposit, and bill pay features.
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| Oct 26, 2022
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| Oct 19, 2022
These days, more TV inventory is addressable than not. But even as streaming audiences expand and technology advances, fragmentation of inventory and data is proving a barrier to success for advanced TV advertisers.
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| Oct 18, 2022
It will have to contend with giants like Block’s Square and Fiserv’s Clover. That will make it harder for PayPal to capture market share, complicating Zettle’s success. But Terminal’s place in the broader PayPal ecosystem sets it apart from competitors. PayPal is working toward a unified commerce experience for merchants and consumers, which requires all transactions staying in-house.
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| Oct 12, 2022
Samsung squares off with TSMC on 2 nanometer chips: Samsung is all-in on making the world’s most advanced microprocessors in five years, per CNBC. The company said it will begin making chips in the 2 nm process, smaller than the 4 nm chips made by TSMC and used in the iPhone 14. Samsung, the world’s largest chipmaker by revenue, is already working on 3 nm chip technology.
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| Oct 5, 2022
Krasnow: We've had really good success with a New York City subway ad takeover and creating an installation in Union Square where consumers got to view the value proposition around our furniture as being hassle-free. In addition, influencer marketing has been key, but our approach is a bit different. We recruit influencers who are going through a life stage that requires rental furniture.
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| Oct 3, 2022
Block-owned Afterpay, which is Affirm Canada’s closest competitor, recently let all Square sellers in Canada offer Afterpay as a payment method—a major expansion in the market. Other providers, including Klarna and major domestic banks, are also bolstering their offerings in Canada.
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| Sep 23, 2022
It’s the first merchant services provider to offer Cash App Pay since Block made it available to merchants that don’t use Square. Why it’s worth watching: Block is trying to build out the Cash App ecosystem beyond peer-to-peer (P2P) payments. As P2P payments volume growth slows in the coming years, Cash App Pay can help Block monetize the app.
Article
| Sep 19, 2022
The rationale: Months after Shein opened its first US distribution center in Indiana, the retailer is already expanding its footprint 50% to 1.5 million square feet. It now plans to open a 1.8-million-square-foot distribution center in California, and another in the Northeast.
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| Sep 15, 2022
An iPhone for preppers: Apple’s iPhone 14 is getting satellite connectivity. It’s the start of a race for mobile satellite connections that could eventually cover every square mile on earth.
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| Sep 13, 2022
Super Bowl squares: Which of the following is not a square featured on the National Advertising Division of the BBB National Programs’ Super Bowl ad bingo card? A) CEO/owner testimonial. B) Mega-influencer endorsement. C) Power of AI or AI-powered. D) Celebrity voiceover. Celebrity voiceover wasn’t featured on the 2024 bingo card, but we’re pretty sure you can still count on hearing one of those.
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| Sep 7, 2022
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| Sep 6, 2022
Braintree faces stiff competition from payment giants like Adyen and Square. To stand out from the competition, PayPal can lean into its unified commerce experience and a host of other merchant products and services. To grow its business, PayPal has also expanded into new markets in Europe and into the SMB side of the industry. Read Next. Sources. Barron’s. Bloomberg. CNBC. Insider. PayPal.
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| Sep 2, 2022
In July 2022, a 3D billboard appeared near Times Square promoting Netflix’s “Resident Evil” series based on the well-known video game franchise. The ad showed a zombie breaking out of a glass cage and scaling a skyscraper. The Drum opined if the ad was “too scary for a public space.” When there are concerns about a digital billboard frightening people, it’s fair to say ads are getting more immersive.
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| Aug 31, 2022