20
Jun
2018
A couple of weeks ago I reported on my involvement the E-Commerce Working Group organized by the EC3 – Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre. Once a year I spend ten days with Europol and other private companies as part of the Retail Week of Action, where we help hunt eCommerce criminals. There we are able to speed up the usual process by reporting suspicious activities directly to the...
30
May
2018
Anyone who still doesn't believe in the future of mobile payment and contactless payment will certainly have changed their mind since last Thursday. Once again, an American financial giant bought out a promising European finance startup - in order to consolidate its business in Europe.
Last Thursday, I learned that PayPal had snapped up the mobile payment service iZettle for $2.2 billion; news...
19
Mar
2018
Financial,accounting,investment advisor consulting with her team at office.
It may have been a while since I was a financial accounting student, but I recently overheard a conversation between two students on a train that reminded me of a topic that was the cause of much head scratching not too many years ago. That topic was accruals. It seems that business administration students continue to grapple with this, admittedly, very dry topic. Accrued income, deferred income,...
13
Mar
2018
Razor blades, socks, care products, cereals, drinks, pet food – the list of products that can be ordered online by subscription is long. Last week I showed why there are good reasons for online retailers to opt for flexible subscription models. The most important point is customer loyalty. Retailers create additional touchpoints through subscriptions for consumers, who value the convenience...
12
Mar
2018
global satellite telecommunication technology
It’s almost hard to believe but this year was the ninth time I’ve attended Mobile World Congress (MWC). I first attended the conference back in 2005. Back then it was hosted in Cannes. And, wow, has it changed since the early days!
With more than 100,000 visitors and hundreds of exhibiting companies, MWC has grown to become easily the largest mobile trade event of the year. Now held...
06
Mar
2018
Recently I had dinner at my neighbour's house, which gave me an opportunity to admire my host's bulging bookshelf once again. He still belonged to the generation that loved and lived for the book club, a statement my neighbour had proudly declared a few months ago. He celebrated every new tome, reading it first and then adding it to his collection on the shelves. My neighbour was not alone in...
27
Feb
2018
A few weeks ago, on my way to the office, I heard the surprising news that pallets are running out in Germany. “The market for used pallets is virtually swept clean,” a radio announcer proclaimed. What may sound like a joke at first is the bitter truth - and is becoming a serious problem for some companies in this country. The economy, and export in particular, is booming, so there are enough...
26
Feb
2018
We all see and are familiar with the trend towards fraudulent activities in online business. Actually, it has been more than a trend for a long time. It is a business, an illegal business of organisations that are similar in structure and organisation to a well-run company. The leaders in these businesses manage digital identity theft, misuse of personal data, purchasing and reselling of goods,...
20
Feb
2018
For a man, his tool is often more than just a utensil. This also applies to one of my friends, who spends hours in his basement, where all sorts of tools have accumulated over time. Most recently, he showed me his blue Bosch drill that was used when we finished the room for his first baby.
Generally, the colour of a drill is irrelevant to me, but my friend tends to differ; after all, hobby...
07
Feb
2018
Not long ago I wrote about my Saturday shopping experience in relation to Amazon opening its first supermarket without check-outs. Today it is my supermarket of choice that has led me to reach for my pen – perhaps this could slowly develop into a habit.
While I was quite euphoric about Amazon becoming the future of the POS retailer, today’s anecdote is on the contrary tempered with a good...
