Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. The unexpected medical bill. The catastrophic car repair. The busted home appliance. It happens, and the killer is that consumers don’t always have the savings or resources to cover an additional cost. They must make a choice. Which bills do they pay? Which bills go to the pile? Suddenly, a consumer’s steady payment behavior changes, and in some cases they lose control of their ability to fulfill their obligations altogether. These shifts in payment patterns aren’t always reflected in consumer credit scores. At a single point in time, consumers may look identical. However, when analyzing their past payment behaviors, differences emerge. With these insights, lenders can now determine the appropriate risk or marketing decisions. In the example below, we see that based on the trade-level data, Consumer A and Consumer B have the same credit score and balance. But once we see their payment pattern within their trended data, we can clearly see Consumer A is paying well over the minimum payments due and has a demonstrated ability to pay. A closer look at Consumer B, on the other hand, reveals that the payment amount as compared to the minimum payment amount is decreasing over time. In fact, over the last three months only the minimum payment has been made. So while Consumer B may be well within the portfolio risk tolerance, they are trending down. This could indicate payment stress. With this knowledge,  the lender could decide to hold off on offering Consumer B any new products until an improvement is seen in their payment pattern. Alternatively, Consumer A may be ripe for a new product offering. In another example, three consumers may appear identical when looking at their credit score and average monthly balance. But when you look at the trend of their historical bankcard balances as compared to their payments, you start to see very different behaviors. Consumer A is carrying their balances and only making the minimum payments. Consumer B is a hybrid of revolving and transacting, and Consumer C is paying off their balances each month. When we look at the total annual payments and their average percent of balance paid, we can see the biggest differences emerge. Having this deeper level of insight can assist lenders with determining which consumer is the best prospect for particular offerings. Consumer A would likely be most interested in a low- interest rate card, whereas Consumer C may be more interested in a rewards card. The combination of the credit score and trended data provides significant insight into predicting consumer credit behavior, ultimately leading to more profitable lending decisions across the customer lifecycle: Response – match the right offer with the right prospect to maximize response rates and improve campaign performance Risk – understand direction and velocity of payment performance to adequately manage risk exposure Retention – anticipate consumer preferences to build long-term loyalty All financial institutions can benefit from the value of trended data, whether you are a financial institution with significant analytical capabilities looking to develop custom models from the trended data or looking for proven pre-built solutions for immediate implementation.

With steady sales growth the past several years, the auto industry has had a great run since the trough of the Great Recession in 2009. Based on the latest data published in the State of the Automotive Finance Market report, the auto industry’s robust sales totaled more than 17 million vehicles in 2016, pushing the total open auto loan balances to a record high of $1.072 trillion, up from $987 billion in Q4 2015. Despite the current boom, new vehicle affordability is becoming more challenging. The average monthly payment for a new vehicle loan jumped from $493 in Q4 2015 to $506 in Q4 2016, while the average new vehicle loan reached an all-time high in Q4 2016, at $30,621. In addition, the chasm between new vehicle loan and used vehicle loan average amounts is wider than ever at $11,292. This trend appears to be pushing more credit-worthy customers into the used vehicle market. In Q4 2016, the percentage of used vehicle loans going to prime and super prime customers was up from 45.49 percent in Q4 2015 to 47.76 percent in Q4 2016. In addition, the average credit score for used vehicle loans is up from 649 in Q4 2015 to 654 in Q4 2016. Consumers also appear to be combating the vehicle affordability issue by shifting into leases or longer-term loans to keep their monthly payments low. Leasing was up from 28.87 percent of all new vehicle financing in Q4 2015 to 28.94 percent in Q4 2016. Loan terms of 73 to 84 months now account for 32.1 percent of all new vehicle loans, up from 29 percent in Q4 2015. Keeping payments manageable will help keep people out of delinquencies, which is good for consumers and their lenders. Data shows that 30-day delinquencies were relatively flat, moving from 2.42 percent in Q4 2015 to 2.44 percent in Q4 2016, while 60-day delinquencies are growing, moving from 0.71 percent to 0.78 percent. It seems that as long as new vehicle costs rise, it is likely that more people will move toward leasing, longer term loans and used vehicles. While none of these trends are inherently bad, they could re-shape dealer strategy moving forward. Many analysts predict flat new vehicle sales in 2017, making used vehicle, F&I and service business more important to overall dealership growth this year.

The auto industry has had an impressive recovery from the Great Recession and has enjoyed steady growth for the past seven years. After bottoming out in 2009 at 10.5 million new vehicle registrations, the industry has grown each year since, culminating in 17.3 million new vehicle registrations in 2016. However, the rate of growth has been slowing over the past several years, increasing just 1.03 percent from 2015 to 2016. While retail registrations were nearly flat, the growth came from fleet, with a 13.69 percent spike in registrations by government entities and a 5.59 percent increase in commercial/taxi registrations. When automotive sales growth begins to taper, hanging onto existing customers becomes more important than ever. Fortunately, customer loyalty in the auto industry is rising for manufacturers, dealers and lenders. The manufacturer loyalty rate through November 2016 was 62.8 percent, up from 59 percent in 2010. At the make level, the loyalty rate went from 50.6 percent in 2010 to 54.5 percent through November 2016.  Loyalty to a specific dealer is significantly lower but still on the rise, moving from 19.5 percent in 2010 to 23 percent through November 2016. Interestingly, 61.3 percent of all new vehicle registrations in 2016 were to customers 45 years old and older. Manufacturers and dealers who can keep these customers in the fold in the next several years are likely to maintain and grow their overall share. Our recent analysis also looked as how age impacts vehicle purchasing loyalty. In general, older customers tend to be more loyal than younger customers. Manufacturer loyalty rates by age include: 18-24 years old – 58.3 percent 25-34 years old – 55.4 percent 35-44 years old – 59.9 percent 45-54 years old – 64.4 percent 55-64 years old – 68.2 percent 65+ years old – 70.4 percent General Motors market share still number one For manufacturer market share in 2016, General Motors led the way at 16.91 percent. However, this is a significant drop from the 24 percent share of total vehicles in operation (VIO) enjoyed by GM. Toyota was second in manufacturer market share at 15.46 percent, followed by Ford Motor Co. at 12.59 percent and FCA US at 11.77 percent. Honda rounded out the top five manufacturers at 11.19 percent. For manufacturer customer loyalty, however, Tesla came out on top at 73.6 percent, followed by Toyota at 68.7 percent and Subaru at 66.8 percent. Ford and GM round out the top five at 65.7 percent and 64.7 percent respectively. Pickup trucks claim top model share, loyalty rankings Pickup trucks again held the top two positions among the most popular vehicles, with the Ford F-150 at 3.06 percent and the Chevy Silverado at 2.61 percent. Honda claimed the next three spots with the Honda Civic (2.53 percent), the Honda CR-V (2.46 percent) and the Honda Accord (2.37 percent). While the F-150 and Silverado were the most popular models, their competition led the way in customer loyalty. The Ram 1500 full-size pickup truck had a customer loyalty rate of 50.9 percent, followed by the F-150 at 46.3 percent and the Lincoln MKZ at 43.9 percent. In other trends: Non-luxury small CUV/SUVs were tops in segment market at 17.81 percent, followed by non-luxury mid-size sedans (13.89 percent) and non-luxury mid-size SUVs (13.22 percent). Tesla led the industry with a Conquest/Defection ratio of 13.77 to 1. 4-cylinder engines overtook 6-cylinder engines as the top engine type, 38 percent to 37.4 percent Vehicles in Operation are expected to reach 292 million by 2020 For more information on how to drive customer loyalty rates, visit Experian Automotive.

If you listen to some of the latest auto industry analysis, you might get the impression that the industry is doomed because younger consumers aren’t interested in buying cars. It is true the vast majority – 61.3 percent – of new vehicle registrations in 2016 were from customers 45 years old and older, but is that really a cause for concern? Or are automotive marketers simply doing a better job of identifying customers with the means to buy their product? Remember Willie Sutton’s response when asked why he robbed banks? “Because that’s where the money is.” Maybe, just maybe, automotive marketers are getting better at market segmentation and finding the right customers for their vehicles. Maybe, they’re simply going to “where the money is” like Willie Sutton. How do auto marketers know where to look? Experian’s Mosaic® USA consumer lifestyle segmentation is a good place to start. It is made up of 71 different consumer groupings from the most affluent suburbanites to the most economically challenged. Understanding who and where these customers are and knowing which vehicles fit their current lifestyles and economic standing can help automakers and retailers boost sales. Take luxury vehicles, for example. In Q4 2016, the top three Mosaic® consumer segments in the luxury vehicle category included: American Royalty – 12.67 percent Silver Sophisticates – 7.69 percent Aging in Aquarius – 5.01 percent Who are these folks? Individuals and households in the: American Royalty include wealthy, empty nest Baby Boomers with million dollar homes; Silver Sophisticates include a mix of older and retired couples and singles living in suburban comfort; and Aging in Aquarius include empty-nesting couples between 50 and 65 years old with no children at home who are finally enjoying the kick-back-and-relax stage of their lives. What do each of these segments have in common? Their members have the disposable income to pamper themselves a bit, and a luxury vehicle might just be the way to do it. But, what if you sell minivans? The Mosaic consumer segment Babies and Bliss is one target audience to consider targeting.  These large families with multiple children live in homes valued over $250,000 and should be at the top of your prospecting list. How about those younger customers who seem so anti-auto? Fast Track Couples -- families on the road to upward mobility, under the age of 35, with good jobs and own their homes are ripe for a CUV. Or perhaps Status Seeking Singles -- younger, middle-class singles preoccupied with balancing work and leisure lifestyles? There’s got to be a hybrid vehicles waiting for them, right? Just because younger customers are still in the minority of auto buyers, it doesn’t mean the industry is in crisis. The right customer segment for the right vehicle is out there – even in the younger demographics. And besides…younger customers get older so now is the time to win their hearts and minds and begin building a long-term relationship with them. But, if you’re not the patient type and you’ve got a vehicle to sell, you can find your next best customer by using Mosaic USA to create cross-channel messaging that connects with the lifestyle and values of your audience. For more information on automotive target marketing, visit Experian Automotive.

Data is the cornerstone of retail success today. Yet only 39% of retailers trust their data when making important business decisions.  Your organization — whether retail or not — can start depending on your data and gain actionable insights with these data management tips: Put the right people in place. Get the tools you need. Enrich your data. Collect accurate customer information Arranging for the right people, tools and processes to maintain accurate information helps you stay on top of your data now and lets you leverage that data to stay ahead of the curve. Learn more tips>

It should come as no surprise that reaching consumers on past-due accounts by traditional dialing methods is increasingly ineffective.  The new alternative, of course, is to leverage digital channels to reach and collect on debts. The Past: Dialing for dollars. Let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we? The collection approach used for many years was to initially send the consumer a collection letter recapping the obligation and requesting payment, usually when an account was 30 days late. If the consumer failed to respond, a series of dialing attempts were then made, trying to reach the consumer and resolve the debt. Unfortunately, this approach has become less effective through the years due to several reasons: The use of traditional landlines continues to drop as consumers shift to cell and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services. The cost of reaching consumers by cell is more costly since predictive dialers can’t be used without prior consent, and the obtaining and maintaining consent presents its own set of tricky challenges. Consumers simply aren’t answering their phones. If they think a bill collector is calling, they don’t pick up. It’s that simple. In fact, here is a breakdown by age group that Gallup published in 2015, highlighting the weakness of traditional phone-dialing. The Present:  Hello payment portal. With the ability to get the consumer on the phone to negotiate a payment on the wane, the logical next step is to go digital and use the Internet or text messaging to reach the consumer. With 71 percent of consumers now using smartphones and virtually everyone having an Internet connection, this can be a cost-effective approach. Some companies have already implemented an electronic payment portal whereby a consumer can make a payment using his or her PC or smartphone.  Usually this is prompted by a collection letter, or if permitted by consumer consent, a text message to their smartphone. The Future: Virtual negotiation. But what if the consumer wants to negotiate different terms or payment plans? What if they want to try and settle for less than the full amount?  In the past – and for most companies operating today – this translates into a series of emails or letters being exchanged, or the consumer must actually speak to a debt collector on the phone. And let’s be honest, the consumer generally does not want to speak to a collector on the phone. Fortunately, there is a new technology involving a virtual negotiator approach coming into the market now.  It works like this: The credit grantor or agency contacts the consumer by letter, email, or text reminding them of their debt and offering them a link to visit a website to negotiate their debt without a human being involved. The consumer logs onto the site, negotiates with the site and hopefully comes to terms with what is an acceptable payment plan and amount. In advance, the site would have been fed the terms by which the virtual negotiator would have been allowed to use. Finally, the consumer provides his payment information, receives back a recap of what he has agreed to and the process is complete. This is the future of collections, especially when you consider the younger generations rarely wanting to talk on the phone. They want to handle the majority of their matters digitally, on their own terms and at their own preferred times. The collections process can obviously be uncomfortable, but the thought is the virtual negotiator approach will make it less burdensome and more consumer-friendly. Learn more about virtual negotiation.

Knowing where e-commerce fraud takes place matters We recently hosted a Webinar with Mike Gross, Risk Strategy Director at Experian and  Julie Conroy, Research Director  at Aite Research Group, looking at the current state of card-not-present fraud, and what to prepare for in the coming year. Our biannual analysis of fraud attacks, served as a backdrop for the trends we’ve been seeing. I wanted to share some observations from the Webinar. Of course, if you prefer to hear it firsthand, you can download the archive recording here. I’ll start with the current landscape of card-not-present fraud. Julie shared 5 key trends her firm has identified regarding e-commerce fraud: Rising account take-over fraud Loyalty points targeted Increasingly global transactions Frustrating false declines Increasingly mobile consumers One particularly interesting note that Julie made was regarding consumer frustration levels towards forgotten passwords. While consumers are more frustrated when they’re locked out of access to their banking accounts (makes sense, it’s their money), forgotten passwords are more detrimental to e-commerce retailers since consumers are likely to go to another site. This equates to a frustrated consumer, and lost revenue for the business. Next, Mike went through the findings from our 2016 e-commerce fraud attack analysis. Fraud attack rates show the attempted fraudulent e-commerce transactions against the population of overall e-commerce orders. Overall, e-commerce attack rates spiked 33% in 2016. The biggest trends we saw included: Increased EMV adoption is driving a shift from counterfeit to card-not-present fraud 2B breached records disclosed in 2016, more than 3x any previous year Consumers reporting credit card fraud jumped from 15% in 2015 to over 32% in 2016 Attackers shifting locations slightly and international orders rely on freight forwarders 10 states saw an increase of over 100% in fraudulent orders Over 70 of the top 100 riskiest postal codes were not in last year’s list So, what will 2017 bring? Be prepared for more attacks, more global rings, more losses for businesses, and the emergence of IoT fraud. Businesses need to anticipate an increase of fraud over time and to be prepared. The value of employing a multi-layered approach to fraud prevention especially when it comes to authenticating consumers to validate transactions cannot be understated. By looking at all the points of the customer journey, businesses can better protect themselves from fraud, while maintaining a good consumer experience. Most importantly, having the right fraud solution in place can help businesses prevent losses both in dollars and reputation.

With the recent switch to EMV and more than 4.2 billion records exposed by data breaches last year*, attackers are migrating their fraud attempts to the card-not-present channel. Our recent analysis found the following states to be the riskiest for e-commerce fraud in 2016. Delaware Oregon Florida New York Nevada Attackers are extremely creative, motivated, and often connected. Prevent e-commerce fraud by protecting all of your customer contact points. Fraud Heat Map>  

Investors and financial institutions continue to invest in fintech to help meet the dynamic expectations of consumers who want fast, easy and hassle-free access to new financial products and services. Just last week, in his annual letter to shareholders, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted that the bank has invested approximately $600 million “on emerging fintech solutions – which include building and improving digital and mobile services and partnering with fintech companies.” Meanwhile, policymakers in Washington continue to grapple with how to spur responsible innovation and how fintech fits into the existing regulatory paradigm. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) continues to move forward with the development of a special purpose national charter for fintech lenders.  On March 15, the OCC issued a draft supplement to its existing Licensing Manual that describes how the agency “will apply the licensing standards and requirements in its existing regulations and policies to fintech companies applying for a special purpose national bank charter.” The draft manual, which is open for a 30-day public comment period ending April 14, 2017, would prohibit fintech lenders from offering products “with predatory features” or entities that inappropriately mingle banking and commerce. The agency also defended its legal authority to make the move without a new law from Congress or any formal rulemaking process, saying it’s doing nothing more than expanding a longstanding practice. At the same time, a group of House Republicans, led by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.), has asked Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry to slow down plans to grant special charters to fintech firms. In the letter, the lawmakers state that OCC should provide “full and fair opportunity” for public comment on standards for granting fintech charters and allow President Trump’s pick for the next comptroller to weigh in. The lawmakers go on to say that if OCC “proceeds in haste” to create new limited-purpose charter for fintech, Congress will examine the agency’s actions and “if appropriate, overturn them.” The issue will likely continue to bubble under the surface as Congress and the Trump Administration tackle larger issues such as tax reform, infrastructure spending and possibly wider financial services reform. However, the fintech charter is a legacy item for Comptroller Curry and he is likely to seek to move this to closure given that his term expires at the end of April (although he would remain in place until President Trump nominates and confirms his replacement).

The U.S. Senate declared April to be Financial Literacy Month back in 2004. Fast forward 13 years and one has to question if we’ve moved the needle on educating Americans about personal finance and money management. There is still no national standard or common curriculum to teach our kids the basics in schools, and only five states require high school students to take one semester of personal finance in order to graduate. I read an interesting stat years back that high school seniors spend more time shopping for their prom attire than they do researching financial education options for college. No wonder there is sticker shock post-graduation when those first student loan bills coming. The lack of investment shows. In a 2016 Mintel study, very few consumers gave themselves high grades for their knowledge of personal finance, and the situation was worse among women, with twice as many assigning themselves a “C” as an “A.” Having worked in the financial services industry for more than a decade, I can say with certainty I’m a bit of a personal finance geek. Learning about the latest products and economic shifts has been rolled into my job, and I’ve sadly seen the consequences of what happens to consumers when they make poor financial decisions. Slumping credit scores. Delinquent payments. Repossessed vehicles. Hard times. The good news? There are plenty of resources to help Americans learn. The challenge? Finding the right ways to capture mind share via the right mediums at the right time. There is obviously a benefit to the consumer to be more financially literate, but financial institutions benefit as well when consumers are money smart. Individuals who understand financial products and how they can use them to achieve their goals are more likely to purchase those products throughout their financial lives. So how can financial institutions help close the financial literacy gap? Make online education and resources readily available. Research shows more consumers would like to get information about finance through the use of online resources rather than seminars. This preference is likely due to the fact that online resources can be accessed on one’s own schedule and gives the user more control over the topics s/he wants to explore. Provide parents resources to launch smart money talks with their kids. Study after study reveals parents are one of the most powerful teachers in their kids’ lives – and this includes providing an education and modeling strong money management skills. Consider adding online education for kids – or partnering with a provider who has already built a money app for youngsters. Additionally, educate parents about when it might be time to help a child establish their first savings account. Advise them on ways to finance college. Talk about co-signing on vehicles. Explain the power of saving. Train up your next wave of customers and they will likely remain loyal to you. Offer one-on-one credit education sessions. A high-touch solution is sometimes the perfect opportunity to grow a customer in the right financial direction. Perhaps a low credit score prevents an individual from securing an ideal interest rate for an auto or home loan. Each person’s financial situation is different, and a one-on-one session with a trained agent can help them understand what is specifically contributing to their low score. With a few insights, a customer can determine if they need to pay down some debt, address a few late payments, or reduce their number of credit lines. Knowledge is power, and consumers will appreciate this service and personable touch. --- Lenders have a vested interest to close the financial literacy gap, and while they can’t solve for everything, they can certainly make a difference with some basic steps and investments. If nothing else, April seems like a perfect time to evaluate what you’re doing and what resolutions you can make for the year ahead. Just as every saved penny counts, so does every effort to educate Americans on manning their money more effectively.

Setting new records isn’t just for racecar drivers. The auto finance industry continues to achieve its own new highs. According to Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market report, the average amount financed for a new vehicle in Q4 2016 was $30,261 — up $710 from Q4 2015 and the highest amount on record. The report also shows that the number of consumers opting for auto loans with longer terms (73 to 84 months) increased from 29% in Q4 2015 to 32.1% in Q4 2016. These findings underscore the importance of closely monitoring consumer credit trends to stay competitive, meet consumer demands and set your own new records. Webinar: Latest consumer credit trends>

Turns out, Americans still don’t know much about CyberSecurity. That’s according to new research from the Pew Data Center, which conducted a cybersecurity knowledge quiz. The 13 question quiz was designed to test American’s knowledge on a number of cybersecurity issues and terms. A majority of online adults can identify a strong password and recognize the dangers of using public Wi-Fi. However, many struggle with more technical cybersecurity concepts, such as how to identify true two-factor authentication or determine if a webpage they are using is encrypted. As we in the industry know, cybersecurity is a complicated and diverse subject, but given the pervasiveness of news around cybersecurity, I was still a little surprised by the lack of knowledge. The typical (median) respondent answered only five of the 13 questions correctly (with a mean of 5.5 correct answers). 20% answered more than eight questions accurately, and just 1% received a “perfect score” by correctly answering all 13 questions. The study showed that public knowledge of cybersecurity is low on some relatively technical issues, like identifying the correct example of multi-factor authentication, understanding how VPNs minimize risk and knowing what a botnet is. On the flip side, the two questions that the majority of respondents answered correctly included identifying the strongest password from a list of four options and understanding that public Wi-Fi networks have risk even when they are password protected. Given the median scores, I was proud of missing only one question – guess I have more reading to do on Botnets. As an industry, it is our duty to not only create systems and securities to improve the tactical effectiveness of fraud prevention, but to educate consumers on many of these topics as well. They often are the first line of defense in stopping fraud and reducing the threat of breaches.

Pay your bills on time, have cash set aside for emergencies, and invest your money for the future. These are the rules financial pros say people should follow if they want to build wealth. Straightforward advice, but for many people these milestones can seem out of reach. A recent financial literacy study by Mintel shows that many Americans are struggling with money management and lack confidence in their financial knowledge, with just 19 percent of respondents giving themselves an “A” grade on financial knowledge. The survey and other reports released recently shed light on how well Americans are handling their money. Here are some of the prevailing trends: Young people are struggling. The Mintel study revealed less than 30 percent of Americans have an emergency savings account that equals 3-6 months of household income. Of that total number, 19 percent of iGeneration has saved for a rainy day, followed by Millennials (20 percent), Gen Xers (28 percent), Baby Boomers (37 percent) and World War II/Swing Generation (40 percent). Not surprisingly, people who make more money save a bigger percentage of their pay. People in the bottom 90 percent of the income scale save close to none of their pay each year, while those in the top 10 percent save close to 15 percent. Most are not planning for the future. The majority of people are not doing everything they can to prepare for retirement, including meeting with a financial adviser to devise a plan, researching Social Security or even talking to friends or family about planning. Even more, 21 percent of Americans are “not at all confident” they will be able to reach their financial goals. Parents plan more than non-parents. People with children have many demands on their money, and as a result think ahead and follow budgets, contribute to retirement accounts and hire a financial adviser to help them create plans and budgets. Consumers who don’t have children don’t have as many competing demands, but aren’t as sensible about following a financial plan. In Mintel’s study, just 10 percent of non-parents have a written financial plan and 26 percent contribute regularly to a retirement account. Most people have a budget. Nearly one in three Americans prepare a detailed written or computerized household budget each month that tracks their income and expenses, but a large majority do not. Those with at least some college education, conservatives, Republicans, independents, and those making $75,000 a year or more are slightly more likely to prepare a detailed household budget than are their counterparts, according to Gallup. The good news is, the majority of Americans are open to more financial education. April—which is Financial Literacy Month—is a great time to look at education efforts for your customers. Financial literacy won’t change overnight, nor in a year. Yet initiatives taken in schools, workplaces, and in communities add up. What are you doing for your customers to build financial literacy?

Knowing a consumer’s credit information at a single point in time tells only part of the story. For the whole story, lenders need to assess a consumer’s credit behavior over time. Understanding how a consumer uses credit or pays back debt over several months can better position you to: Offer the right products and terms to increase response rates. Identify profitable customers. Avoid consumers with payment stress. Trended data adds needed color to the consumer’s credit story. And with the right analytics and systems, you can derive valuable insights on consumers. Trended data>

Newest technology doesn’t mean best when it comes to stopping fraud I recently attended the Merchant Risk Conference in Las Vegas, which brings together online merchants and industry vendors including payment service providers and fraud detection solution providers. The conference continues to grow year to year – similar to the fraud and risk challenges within the industry. In fact, we just released analysis, that we’ve seen fraud rates spike to 33% in the past year. This year, the exhibit hall was full of new names on the scene – evidence that there is a growing market for controlling risk and fraud in the e-commerce space. I heard from a few merchants at the conference that there were some “cool” new technologies out to help combat fraud. Things like machine learning, selfies and other two-factor authentication tools were all discussed as the latest in the fight against fraud. The problem is, many of these “cool” new technologies aren’t yet efficient enough at identifying and stopping fraud. Cool, yes.  Effective, no.  Sure, you can ask your customer to take a selfie and send it to you for facial recognition scanning. But, can you imagine your mother-in-law trying to manage this process? Machine Learning, while very promising, still has some room to grow in truly identifying fraud while minimizing the false positives. Many of these “anomaly detection” systems look for just that – anomalies. The problem is, we’re fighting motivated and creative fraudsters who are experts at avoiding detection and can beat anomaly detection. I do not doubt that you can stop fraud if you introduce some of these new technologies. The problem is, at what cost? The trick is stopping fraud with efficiency – to stop the fraud and not disrupt the customer experience. Companies, now more than ever, are competing based on customer experience. Adding any amount of friction to the buying process puts your revenue at risk. Consider these tips when evaluating and deploying fraud detection solutions for your online business. Evaluate solutions based on all metrics What is the fraud detection rate? What impact will it have on approvals? What is the false positive rate and impact on investigations? Does the attack rate decline after implementing the solution? Is the process detectable by fraudsters? What friction is introduced to the process? Use all available data at your disposal to make a decision Does the consumer exist? Can we validate the person’s identity? Is the web-session and user-entered data consistent with this consumer? Step up authentication but limit customer friction Is the technology appropriate for your audience (i.e. a selfie, text-messaging, document verification, etc...)? Are you using jargon in your process? In the end, any solution can stop 100% of the fraud – but at what cost. It’s a balance - a balance between detection and friction. Think about customer friction and the impact on customer satisfaction and revenue.