Matthew Keylock

There's a big difference between being the business or brand that fulfills payments and being the brand that consumers choose as their "wallet".

While a wallet and payment mechanics need to connect well (as they do today), the technology, data and priorities of a payment business are very different from...

I agree with Bill. I might change consumer "wants" to include "needs" as they don't always know! I like the Henry Ford quote "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."

In today's world it is possible to use consistent data at scale (i.e....

It seems very sensible that retailers and brands want to reward engagement behaviors in the bricks and mortar and digital world. There are other solutions available beyond "Perk" that allow this and I'm encouraged to see retailers and brands seeking to learn whether and how this fits.

Beyond the specifics...

This is a meaningful gesture. While it is not a life-changing amount, for some employees it's enough to make a difference for a short time.

From what I read, there do seem to be some disconnects between compensation and performance in some companies.

I also perceieve that some approaches for senior...

There is a difference between doing "retail" with the customer in mind, and designing your retail business with the customer at the center. For too many retailers "customer" has become an overlay, but the fundamentals of the business still work in a different direction.

Tech can help both approaches, but...

It's the way to go for getting more real-time relevance. Linking to a customer's own transactions to know whether they bought their snow shovel yesterday would be a sensible addition if Ace could collect this data.

It seems very sensible to continue to scale this. It will be interesting to see how it fits with mobile payments in the future and especially the MCX offering.

There are a few things missing from this debate in my view that retailers should recongnize and respond to:

1. The new value equation. Value to Millennials goes beyond the dollars. These can be broad factors such as sustainability and community, or more narrow ones like shareable content/experience that can...

Awards can be a very helpful tool for a retailer. The challenge for brands is how to balance being retailer-centric with being consumer-centric.

Being right for each retailer could risk confusing consumers and eroding brand equity. Conversely, too much consumer power for a brand could translate to more leverage and...

3D printing is certainly interesting, and I have watched them at work in fascination and awe. However, it strikes me the opportunities are more in rapid proto-typing and a few niche areas than a broader assualt on retail-as-we-know-it.

Maybe some retail sectors and brands could be impacted by a new...