According to this, the German e-tail association BVH and the China Express Association (CEA) have started to cooperate in order to enable their members overcome cultural barriers and get business relationships sturdy enough.

"BVH and CEA join hands in order to achieve an exchange of experiences and knowledge of the market situation, including studies of the ecommerce market and mutual visits."

"The cooperation will generate a network of contacts in each country. They want to get involved as middlemen between their members and decision makers in politics and economics."

"Ingmar Böckmann, E-Commerce and IT expert for China, cited by e-commercefacts.com, claims that in an ecommerce context, cross-border business is becoming more and more salient for merchants. The access of German companies to the Chinese market and vice versa is gradually accelerating. The cultural barrier must be superseded by the two markets through mutual support, which represents the interest of interactive traders."

According to this, non-mail revenues surpass mail revenue for postal organizations around the globe, according to a new study commissioned by Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company.

"Mail volume keeps on a decreasing trend, falling from 78.5 billion pieces, or 21% since 2007, the study in question points out. As a result of this trend, mail companies should embrace ecommerce opportunities and diversify their products and services to increase business. The need for digital and mobile channels, the diversification of services and parcel growth are the three dominant trends in the industry."

"The research indicates that non-mail revenue, including parcels, which accounts for 52% of postal organizations' total revenues, brings more revenues than mail. Mail is still a salient part of the business, but most postal organizations are turning their businesses into hybrid organizations with a diversified portfolio of products and services -- parcels, logistics, banking, insurance, ecommerce and digital activities."

"The top five postal organizations, Singapore Post, Australia Post, Poste Italiane, bpost (Belgium) and Austrian Post Group, summed up more than 3% revenue growth over the past 5 years by diversifying products and services, according to the same research findings."

"Parcel revenues jumped by 4.8% between 2011 and 2012, slightly faster than volume growth and continue to benefit from the growth in ecommerce, typically growing in double digits in most countries. India Post realized a 42% parcel volume growth and Singapore Post has become an active player in the region through recent acquisitions of Quantium Solutions, Famous Holdings and Indo Trans Logistics Corp."

"Digital channels are salient for ecommerce business and postal agencies are developing digital solutions that enable payment, provide access to small business and give consumers control over the delivery of their online purchases."

According to this, the B2C ecommerce market in Brazil increased by a two-figure percentage in 2012, and higher growth was recorded in 2013 with a small two-figure number in EUR billion.

"Internet penetration encourages the further growth of ecommerce in this particular country, with over half of the population being connected to internet in 2013. Price comparison websites were popular among internet users, with the highest ranking site having more visitors than the websites of top retailers. The primary product category among purchasers in Brazilian B2C ecommerce in 2012 was household appliances. Still, in the first half of 2013 fashion and accessories ranked highest in terms of sales."

"M-commerce and cross-border shopping are on the rise in Brazil, the same source indicates. In H1 2013, the mobile channel almost tripled its share in the total B2C ecommerce sales and a growth in the use of smartphones and tablets is under way."

"Additionally, cross-border online shopping has become popular in the respective country. The primary product categories in cross-border B2C ecommerce in 12 months to July 2013 were computer hardware and personal electronics. The US and China were preferred by Brazilian online shoppers."

"As to delivery options, over half of the B2C ecommerce orders placed in 2012 were free-of-charge. As to payment methods, credit card ranked first, followed by Boleto Bancario, a local interbank payment system."

"Local merchants such as online marketplace MercadoLibre, B2W Digital, with several ecommerce platforms, and Buscape, a price comparison website, were among the most active players in the B2C ecommerce market. They competed with global ecommerce companies like Wal-Mart and eBay, which were attracted by the market potential, especially in anticipation of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics."

"In what concerns regulations, the Brazilian government, starting with May 2013, have imposed that online shops in the country should provide a registration number and full contact details for the customers’ convenience."

According to this, Diebold Federal Credit Union (DFCU) has entered into an agreement with Diebold, a provider of self-service technology and security systems, to pilot an ATM without a card reader or PIN pad that relies solely on mobile authentication.

"When a consumer scans a unique QR code at the ATM using a smartphone, the ATM authenticates the user via cloud-hosted services to enable cardless transactions. With no card or PIN required, the solution eliminates the threats of card skimming and shoulder surfing at the ATM."

"In addition, the integration of the ATM with the Mobile Cash Access (MCA) solution allows consumers to pre-stage cash withdrawals on their smartphones. At the ATM, consumers authenticate themselves, and the ATM dispenses the preselected amount of cash. The MCA offering also allows financial institutions to provide an institution-branded mobile wallet solution without installing additional hardware on ATMs or point-of-sale (POS) terminals."

"Diebold and white-label mobile wallet provider Paydiant developed the cross-channel solutions and hold complementary patents on the technologies. Diebold's ATM interface features similar navigation and touch gestures, such as flick and drag. The ATM is also paperless, delivering receipts via the mobile wallet application."

According to this, only 41 percent of Canadian small businesses have their own website.

"Consequently they may be missing lucrative opportunities as Canadians come to rely on the Internet to help them make buying decisions, the CIRA suggests. Interestingly, bigger businesses aren't faring much better: just 45 percent of Canadian businesses are online."

"Why does it matter? Well, for example, 74 percent of Canadians reported that they search online, and compare goods and services, before committing to a purchase. With poor choice locally, two out of every three dollars Canadians spend online go south of the border, and we lag the US and the UK in terms of the percentage of our retail economy that is online (three per cent, versus seven and 23 percent, respectively)."

"The internet is in many ways a champion of freedom and defined by accessibility. But in Canada a great digital divide persists where lower-income households remain without internet, another issued tackled by the newly released 2014 CIRA Factbook."

"Only 62 percent of Canadians in the lowest income quartile have Internet access, compared with 95 percent of Canadians in the highest income quartile. This divide is also regional, the CIRA says, with British Columbia and Alberta enjoying the highest penetration rates, at around 86 percent, and Nunavut the lowest, at 27 percent."

"The good news is, after years of steady decline in international rankings, Canada saw significant gains in both the speed and price competitiveness of Internet service over the past year."

"Nearly 87 per cent of Canadian households overall are connected to the Internet, compared with 80 per cent in 2010, putting Canada 16th in the world and second among the G8 nations, just behind the UK."