Throughout history, merchants have had to contend with fraud. So long as there's money to be made, criminals will try to exploit any vulnerabilities, and so long as there's money on the line, merchants will fight back. In response to fraudulent transactions in the physical world, merchants turned to EMV chip card authentication at the point of sale. This was widely successful, and levels of fraudulent card-present transactions have plummeted in recent years. However, criminals responded by turning towards digital channels to carry out new fraud vectors.

Now, the glass is more than half full for the retail industry, and the accelerating expectations of the consumers present opportunities for savvy retailers and brands who are willing to face the winds head on. Global retail sales closed at $25 Trillion in 2018 and are expected to reach $28 Trillion by 2020. While consumers are super busy in their instant gratification world and may not care about the future of retail, they're still creating that future. They want a personalized value. They want a social connection.