NEW YORK, June 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auriemma Consulting Group is pleased to announce it is now a Silver Sponsor of the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG). Support for the MAG is the latest development in ACG's lengthy history of serving retailers, starting with the launch of the first co-brand credit card nearly 30 years ago.
The membership reiterates ACG's commitment to serving all facets of the payments landscape, including retailers, issuers, networks, and others in the ecosystem. The MAG is one of the most prestigious industry groups for the retail community, with a focus on industry innovation and education for its 100+ retail members. ACG will also be speaking at the MAG Annual Conference Sept. 27-29.
"Each of ACG's practice areas comes into contact with the retail industry, and this relationship is a natural next step to driving a dialogue regarding the future of our industry," said Michael Auriemma, President, Auriemma Consulting Group.
"The MAG is delighted to have Auriemma Consulting Group on board as new sponsors," said Mark Horwedel, CEO, MAG. "It is critical to add valuable voices to the MAG retail members' ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders in the payments space."
ACG's current retail clients include many major players, such as Nordstrom, Target, L.L. Bean and Cabela's. The consultancy's multi-faceted retail work, which spans each practice area, has helped its clients drive incremental sales, improve customer service, prevent fraud and increase operational efficiency and customer loyalty. Some examples include:
- PARTNERSHIPS: ACG's Global Partnerships practice helps the retail community plan, build, and manage co-brand programs throughout their entire lifecycle. From developing best-in-class value propositions to finding the best partners and managing the ebbs and flows of the regulatory environment, ACG's Partnerships team has decades' worth of experience in building customer-first programs that drive the underlying performance of a retailer's business.
- PAYMENT INSIGHTS: ACG's consumer research arm offers retailers insight into how payments influence shoppers' preferences and buying behavior. The practice's proprietary research reveals answers to vexing challenges, such as how mobile payment acceptance influences where consumers shop and how to quantify the reputational risk of data breaches. The resulting analysis can impact retail strategies, from reducing EMV-related friction at POS to enhancing the value proposition of a non-tender loyalty program.
- INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLES: Merchants with credit card portfolios participate in ACG's Industry Roundtables to extract strategic and tactical operational solutions that improve their bottom line. Membership benefits include executive meetings and recurring data benchmarking to improve effectiveness in areas such as customer service, loyalty, fraud and collections. Upcoming Roundtables will focus more broadly on retail challenges, including online and in-store fraud.
- CORPORATE FINANCE: Retail's treasury functions are served by ACG's Corporate Finance team. ACG helps its retail clients who extend credit and customer financing develop funding strategies or facilities, as well as perform valuations on their portfolios. In addition, the firm helps retailers evaluate whether they should extend credit, start a de-novo program or spin-off a card portfolio into a standalone business.
"The MAG is focused on education, networking and advocacy for its members which aligns with our core principles at ACG," Auriemma said. "We are focused on tackling important industry issues – from fraud to EMV – and exchanging ideas for the betterment of our industries."
About Auriemma Consulting Group
ACG is a boutique management consulting firm with specialized focus on the Payments and Lending space. We deliver actionable solutions and insights that add value to our clients' business activities across a broad set of industry topics and disciplines. Founded in 1984, ACG has grown from a one-man shop to a nearly 50-person firm with offices in New York and London. For more information about ACG, please call Jeff Tennenbaum, Director, Global Business Development at 212-323-7000 or jeff.tennenbaum@acg.net.
About The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG)
The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) was founded in 2008 by a small visionary group of merchants in the payments field dedicated to driving positive change in payments through multi-stakeholder collaboration. Today, the MAG represents over 100 of the largest U.S. merchants who account for nearly $2.6 Trillion in annual sales at over 430,000 locations across the U.S. and online. Roughly $1.5 Trillion of those sales are electronic representing over 41 Billion card payments. MAG members employ nearly 11.5 million associates.