MAG Insights

Aug 13, 2021, 11:45 by Mary M Platz

Fraud losses continue to rise, and account takeover is leading the pack. As criminals become more sophisticated, so too must the methods you use to stop them.

Aug 3, 2021, 16:04 by Mary M Platz

Join MPC from August 17 - 19, 2021 to hear industry experts speak about the latest technology trends and share insights into the future for the digital commerce industry.

Jul 30, 2021, 13:34 by Mary M Platz

Onboarding is important because it acclimates employees to their role, the company's philosophies, and what the company has to offer. It also engages employees, creating workers that are committed to the company's success and helps retain new hires by making them feel like a member of the team.

Jul 21, 2021, 12:16 by Mary M Platz

As merchants payments acceptance evolves, data collection and analysis is becoming more critical than ever. Join the MAG’s efforts to educate merchants on payments data through our newest Community of Practice.

Jul 19, 2021, 15:14 by Mary M Platz

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our lives, in many ways permanently. One of the profound changes we are seeing is in the way consumers purchase goods and services: increasingly the store is delivered to the customer rather than the other way around.

Jun 30, 2021, 16:24 by Mary M Platz

Digital brings opportunities and challenges for retail. What are those trends and how will retail need to pivot or stay the course?

Jun 21, 2021, 14:14 by Mary M Platz

National Volunteer Week was April 18-24, which led me to reflect on the impact volunteers have made to our industry. While I wish I could cover everyone who has significantly contributed to the MAG and the industry, that would take a full novel. Maybe that could be my passion project once I retire; but for now, I will highlight a few people who have made a big difference in our industry.

Jun 10, 2021, 11:00 by Mary M Platz

MAG Merchant Members and Sponsors join the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) for many different reasons. Payments education and resources, networking with industry peers, and staying on top of payments developments are among the top of the list for most. The value MAG provides in these areas is likely the reason MAG enjoys high membership and sponsorship retention year after year.

Jun 4, 2021, 10:57 by Mary M Platz

As the world takes steps to return to normal, the MAG is doing its part as well! We are offering our upcoming 2021 MAG Annual Conference and Tech Forum in multiple formats to reach as many payments professionals as possible and allow everyone to attend in the way that is most convenient for them.

Jun 2, 2021, 11:14 by Mary M Platz

Microsoft has invested in payments capabilities over the last decade to be able to meet our customers where they want to pay and optimize around the same. During that time, the world of payments has evolved and become much more intricate with an array of options with uncertain returns. Determining what to do and what not to do has become more art than science and we have leveraged the forums and connections made at the MAG to help us decipher how to maneuver in the payments sphere and how to capitalize on emerging and prevailing trends.

May 6, 2021, 13:19 by Mary M Platz

The speed of change we are witnessing around the world has never been greater or more exciting. It is taking place in every region of the globe and in every industry—with the Asia Pacific region and payments being no exception. The many advances that are occurring on what seems a daily basis are delivering previously unthinkable flexibility and speed across all borders. At Discover® Global Network, we see the opportunities and recognize the challenges. We know the most important work we do is to strive to meet our customers’ needs and protect their security while ensuring seamless payment experiences throughout the world.

Apr 23, 2021, 08:38 by Mary M Platz

I was on a conference call recently when I realized I have advocated on payments policy for retailers in various roles for a decade as of this April. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

Apr 16, 2021, 09:42 by Mary M Platz

Best Practices. You may have heard this term a lot lately. The MAG published four Best Practice Guides in 2020. The guides were organized by a group of merchants, whose mission was to pull together considerations, recommendations and best practices on specific topics. There were many worthy topics in 2020 to deeply examine and assess. These are great resources for merchants who hear buzz words all the time like “8-digit BIN” and “Debit Routing,” but don’t have the full grasp on what that means, or what they should be doing to react to it.

Apr 14, 2021, 09:25 by Mary M Platz

In a year that brought tremendous disruption to all walks of life, 2020 will also be seen as a turning point for merchants, particularly those who had already started down the path toward emerging payments technologies. These businesses gained a significant competitive head start, allowing them to quickly implement changes in support of dramatic consumer behavioral shifts. As online, curbside, and third-party delivery purchases dominated the shopping experience, those who were able to meet this consumer demand were best positioned to take advantage of the opportunities.

Mar 23, 2021, 13:22 by Mary M Platz

Does the U.S. payments industry learn from its experiences or will we experience a bit of Déjà vu? Many of you have tried to forget the good times of 2015 when the EMV liability shift was upon us. Some of you may still be in a state of disbelief that was now almost six years ago! What?!? However, U.S. market chip trends suggest only three quarters of POS/ATM transactions are chip-on-chip six years later. Wait, there is more?...

Mar 12, 2021, 14:26 by Mary M Platz

The payments space has never been a static environment, and recently it has evolved even more rapidly with a hotbed of activity. Whether it is cryptocurrency, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) or faster payments, there are many new choices coming to market which merchants need to consider for their checkout experience.

Mar 11, 2021, 10:39 by Mary M Platz

MAG successfully hosted its second virtual event with the 2021 Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum.

Mar 5, 2021, 16:19 by Mary M Platz

I am honored to write to you today as one of the newest MAG board members. As we move into 2021, we have reason to be hopeful for a brighter tomorrow, as well as excited to be part of a payments industry that is advancing at an even faster pace into the 21st century.

Mar 5, 2021, 10:12 by Mary M Platz

The MAG has officially launched a first of its kind eLearning course, Merchant Payments 101! Not only was this an exciting endeavor for the MAG, but we believe it is an even more exciting resource for all stakeholders of the payments system and especially the merchant community.

Feb 17, 2021, 15:01 by Leah R Collins

When asked to write a piece for this edition of MAG Insights, I first thought that there would be relatively little to say about Canada’s payments experience during the COVID-19 crisis that would differ from that of other countries. As it turns out, we do have a few twists and turns of our own, all of which, unfortunately, have tended to increase merchants’ payment-acceptance costs.