The 2024 Wisconsin State Assembly elections are shaping up to be highly competitive, driven by newly drawn legislative maps that have diminished the Republicans' long-standing partisan edge. This election is poised to be one of the most consequential and costly in recent memory, with all 99 Assembly seats at stake. Both parties view this election as a crucial opportunity to either solidify or reshape control of the state’s lower legislative chamber. Democrats, who last held the Assembly in 2010, now have a chance to either reclaim control or significantly reduce the Republicans’ current majority of 64 seats—just two short of a veto-proof supermajority. Either side needs to capture a minimum of 50 seats in order to control the Assembly. While 46 seats are considered Likely Republican and 41 Likely Democrat, the remaining "Big 12" swing districts will ultimately decide the balance of power in the next legislative session.

Read the full article here.

The hardware store industry in Illinois is facing significant challenges as inflation continues to impact both businesses and consumers. While inflation has moderated from its peak, it remains a concern for retailers and shoppers alike. As of August 2024, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed a 2.5% increase over the past 12 months, the smallest year-over-year increase since February 2021.

However, this modest overall inflation rate masks more significant price increases in specific sectors that directly affect hardware stores. For instance, hardware stores are grappling with rising costs across various categories:

1. Building Materials: Prices for construction supplies and home improvement goods have been volatile, affecting inventory costs.
2. Energy Costs: The energy index, while down 4.0% over the past year, has seen recent monthly increases, potentially impacting operational costs.
3. Transportation: With a 7.9% increase in transportation services over the past year, shipping and logistics expenses have risen for retailers.

Additionally, inflation has altered consumer spending patterns, presenting challenges for hardware stores:

• Discretionary spending has decreased, particularly among lower-income households.
• Consumers are prioritizing essential purchases over home improvement projects.
• Price sensitivity has increased, putting pressure on retailers' margins.

The aforementioned issues may be exacerbated by Illinois’ budget issues. Illinois is facing a potential $2 billion dollar budget shortfall and will be looking for additional tax revenue to relive the budgetary pressures. This revenue could include additional taxes on services, products, and income taxes. This will reduce the spending of consumers while increasing the tax liability of businesses—a sure recipe for continuing inflationary issues in the state of Illinois for the hardware industry.

The holiday shopping season can be the defining factor of a successful year. During this critical window, businesses can expect to generate 20% of their annual sales.

Businesses that want a competitive edge should prepare for holiday shopping now. It’s the optimal time to focus on creating a seamless checkout process to maximize sales and minimize friction.

Here are some customer outreach prompts in preparation for a peak season.

Add a temporary device: The simplest way to speed shoppers though checkout is by adding another payment device to a current system. Businesses can add a device on a temporary basis and then return it when their busy season is over. Set up is an easy, straightforward process.

Activate mobile payment acceptance: Bring checkout directly to shoppers by adding the talech mobile app to a smartphone or tablet at no extra cost so associates can take payments anywhere in a store. The solution now supports Tap to Pay on iPhone.

Read the full article here.

You’ve probably heard us talk a lot about the importance of Address Verification (AVS) to prevent downgrades. In working with the product team, we learned that although stand-alone terminals prompt for the postal code for keyed transactions, a customer can easily skip it making the transaction downgrade.

So we went to work to find a solution. All newly deployed Ingenico Tetra devices (Desk 3500, Desk 5000 and Move 5000) now have the postal code set to ‘required’ for transactions that are hand keyed into the terminal. Tetra devices already in use will receive a software update during their regularly scheduled auto-updates. Please note that the Move 5000 must be cradled in the base unit for it to receive an update.

This was a big win that should prevent downgrades and can improve profit margins and terminal security and reduce chargeback risk for your customers.