Merchant Warehouse is Featured in ISO & Agent Magazine
In the November/December 2007 issue of ISO & Agent, Merchant Warehouse President & Co-CEO, Henry Helgeson, advises ISOs about the responsibilities they should assume to ensure their merchants’ compliance with the Payment Card Industry’s (PCI) data security regulations.
The relevance of this topic hits home for ISOs, especially when factoring in their share of liability and financial risk, should one of their merchants be deemed non-compliant by PCI standards. The editorial, entitled “Caveat ISO-ISO Beware!” addresses the proactive role that ISOs need to undertake to protect their business as well as the businesses of their customers’. ISOs are reminded of how it is not only critical, but beneficial for them to learn and remain conscious of PCI compliance regulations. “It’s highly recommended that ISOs immediately take action, coordinate with industry partners, and convey PCI compliance information and tactics to merchants. Unfortunately, there are still a vast majority of merchants who are less informed, if not completely unaware of these enhanced security policies, so it’s up to the ISO to educate their customers and make sure their businesses meet all necessary requirements,” Helgeson advises.
To learn more about what you can do to ensure your compliance with PCI data security policies, please call Merchant Warehouse at 800-941-6557.
The New York Times Cites the President of Merchant Warehouse
Quoted in the November 21st, 2007 edition of The New York Times, Henry Helgeson, President & Co-CEO of Merchant Warehouse, talks about the hesitation restaurant owners have in adopting “pay-at-the-table” hand-held wireless terminals.
The article, titled “After the Meal, the Credit Card Scanner Is Served,” addresses how very few U.S. restaurants have adopted the “pay-at-the-table” solution, despite the technology having been used in restaurants throughout Europe for over 10 years, and has proven to alleviate the occurrence of fraud and identity theft.
It appears that the lack of popularity these devices have among merchants in the States can be attributed to qualms about cost and customer perception. In the article, Helgeson alludes to these common concerns: “Restaurant owners are typically cautious…. They’re waiting to see if it works before they make a big leap,” he explains.
Along with many other executives in the card payment industry, Helgeson believes that it’s only a matter of time before pay-at-the-table terminals surface in restaurants throughout the U.S. “As more merchants begin to recognize the benefits these devices can offer a business and its customers, such as security, convenience and efficiency, perhaps then we will see more of a universal acceptance,” he declares.
To read the full article, view here:
New York Times
Busiest Month Ever
Retailers turn to Merchant Warehouse in October; Company Reports Busiest Month Ever for Merchant Account Business
Merchant Warehouse, a Boston-based provider of merchant accounts and credit card equipment, today reported merchant account sales totaled 1,916 for the month of October 2007, surpassing the company’s previous one-month sales record of 1,650 in August of this year. The October average of 17.42 accounts per employee establishes a new company benchmark and is especially impressive in the highly commoditized, price-driven merchant account industry.
The Southeast region accounted for 27 percent of October merchant account sales, followed by the Northeast and West, at 24 and 21 percent, respectively. The Southwest, however, showed the biggest jump in merchant account sales with a 31 percent increase over September. Retail continued to lead in industry-specific sales, growing by 29 percent over the previous month. Specifically, merchant account sales by region and industry in order of rank for October were:
|
Industry: |
Region: |
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1) Retail (includes restaurant) |
1) Southeast |
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2) Internet |
2) Northeast |
|
3) Mail order/telephone order (MOTO) |
3) West |
|
4) Lodging |
4) Midwest |
|
5) Southwest |
“With fewer consumers carrying cash and checks gradually becoming obsolete, accepting credit and debit cards has never been more an essential part of doing business for the small retail or service provider,” said Henry Helgeson, Co-CEO of Merchant Warehouse. “The upcoming holiday and travel season surely contributed to our strong October growth, as merchants prepare their systems to ensure they can service their clients without interruption.”
About Merchant Warehouse
Merchant Warehouse was founded in 1998 on the principle that businesses should be able to purchase credit card processing software, POS equipment, and merchant services at a reasonable price. With over 40,000 merchants, Merchant Warehouse now sets the standard for price, innovation, customer service, and integrity. For more information, please visit www.MerchantWarehouse.com. For information on the Merchant Warehouse agent and ISO network, please call (800) 491-4580.
Contacts:
Brian Waldman, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy
Merchant Warehouse
800.941.6557 x2050
bwaldman (at) merchantwarehouse (dot) com
Jeff Dillow or Sandra Proulx
PAN Communications
978.474.1900
merchant (at) pancomm (dot)com
Merchant Warehouse is Highlighted in Chain Store Age Magazine
In the November 2007 edition of Chain Store Age magazine, Merchant Warehouse’s customer, Kuai Dumplings & Soups, is depicted as the pioneer merchant account customer who allowed the company to utilize their business for beta testing of contactless card payment processing. The article, “Tapping Into Contactless,” illustrates how contactless payments have revolutionized the card payment industry by sharing the experiences of this quick-serve, health-food restaurant.
In addition to recognizing Merchant Warehouse as their source for low-cost credit card processing equipment and services, the executives of Kuai Dumplings & Soups admit to the many benefits they’ve found from using contactless payment systems. In their experience, these systems have helped to expedite checkout processes, simplify payments, and improve overall customer satisfaction with shorter lines and faster service.
Henry Helgeson, President of Merchant Warehouse, also shares his stance on the surprisingly slow adoption merchants have taken with contactless payment systems. “It seems as though most consumers are now aware of and prefer to use their RFID-enabled cards, but for some reason, those merchants who could really benefit from having the contactless solutions haven’t yet adopted them. I’m sure that through stories like this, from merchants like Kuai Dumplings & Soups, merchants will begin to recognize their potential to maximize a business’ operations.”
Please visit our article on contactless payment terminals to learn more about how this technology can help your business excel.