Smartphone manufacturers and owners are both reeling from the recent realization that the Android operating system contains a security flaw akin to placing the key to the front door under a conspicuous rock on the porch. This isn't like any other security flaw, though, both in the way it can (or can't) be fixed and the effect it could have on the way consumers perceive the overall value of these increasingly advanced devices.   Read More...

Forget how the next season plays out between the Cavaliers and the Warriors on the basketball court with two of the NBA’s top dogs in merchandising, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, now inhabiting the same yard in Golden State. It might be more interesting to see how this impacts the burgeoning retail war between Nike and Under Armour.  Read More...

It isn’t points. It may not even be cash back. But it is finding the ‘insight within an insight’ that can change consumer behavior and drive a profitable relationship. Marti Beller, Group Head of Global Products and Platforms, Loyalty Solutions at MasterCard, tells Karen Webster how issuers and brands can look deep and find them – and loyalty’s Holy Grail.   Read More...