Within the credit card sector, innovative technologies are changing the way people make purchases.

Mobile and alternative payments are experiencing significant growth, with a range of payment providers in the mix including PayPal, MasterPass by MasterCard, Apple Pay, Amazon Payments, and Google Wallet.

In addition, co-branded credit cards continue to lure affluent households and millennial shoppers — which are prime demographics in the payments industry.

With a series of large-scale data breaches lighting up news headlines, cyber security is proving to be a major ongoing concern for corporations of all sizes. According to a recent report, the number of cyber attacks has grown exponentially in the last few years, and hackers are using increasingly complex and sophisticated methods.

For businesses, keeping mission critical data safe is absolutely essential. Allowing private information to become public could result in court cases and damage your company’s credibility and reputation. But where do you store all of this data, and how do you ensure that it is safe — and accessible?

The modern concept of a sandwich can be traced back to eighteenth century Europe. The first written usage of the word appeared in a historian’s journal, referring to “bits of cold meat” as a “sandwich.” Today, sandwiches are a staple in restaurants and homes throughout the U.S. With so many varieties to choose from, it’s no surprise that 79 percent of adults say they have eaten a sandwich in the past seven days.

In the latest edition of its Culinary Trend Tracking Series, Packaged Facts covers the top trends in the U.S. sandwich industry. Over the next few weeks, we are going to explore these trends and provide an overview of the sandwich types that are gaining importance in U.S. restaurants.

Market research is critical for making sound business decisions. But don’t take it from us — we asked a variety of business professionals, entrepreneurs, and consultants from different industries to answer the question, “Why does market research matter?”

Here, we’ve gathered their real-world insights to illustrate the benefits high-quality market research can provide for all types of businesses. Read on to learn more. 

With the markets in flux, anxiety about the global economy is kicking into high gear. The Chinese stock market plunged on Monday, setting off a roller-coaster ride of volatility throughout the week. Investor confidence fell, and Wall Street dropped for six straight days — the longest losing stretch for more than three years.

Since June 12, the Shanghai composite index has slumped 38 percent, and investors are becoming increasingly concerned about China’s economic slowdown and the larger ripple effects that could extend into the global economy.

How should you react in such a turbulent environment? Here are guiding principles to keep in mind.

What’s a simple, easy way to keep employees happy and productive? You guessed it — coffee.

Citing its performance-improving qualities, low cost, and ability to boost morale, Business Insider listed coffee as the one perk employers must splurge on.

How satisfied are your customers? The answer to this question is critical for the long-term health of your business.

According to The Harvard Business Review, increasing customer retention rates by 5 percent can increase profits by 25 to 95 percent.

Strong customer loyalty can dramatically lower costs and increase profits, but ensuring a positive customer experience is a challenge for many organizations.

It is easy to categorize wearables in the enterprise as simply a variation or next step in Bring Your Own Technology (BYOD), but in reality it is a bit more complicated. While clearly enterprise wearables and BYOD overlap, wearable is a distinct category with its own dynamics and should be thought of differently from non-wearable BYOD.

By its very nature, a start-up venture has no customers, no visibility into the market, and no brand awareness. To get these things, you need to invest some of your start-up funds into marketing which includes branding, advertising, and market research.

You’ve probably heard that the National Retail Federation (NRF) has downgraded their retail sales forecast from 2015, from 4.1% increase to only 3.5% over 2014.  As a trade association for the retail industry, I don’t put too much stock into what they say, knowing that they want to, have to, put a positive spin on whatever they report, as Mark Twain said, “There are lies, damn lies and statistics.”  So the news of a downward adjustment of a forecast from the NRF is particularly notable, since the reality is probably much worse that they are likely to report.