When merchants are trying to make the best possible decisions about how to move into the next generation of payment processing, they have a lot of options available to them.

Many retailers that have already made the decision to switch to mobile- or EMV-enabled point of sale devices may be wondering about the best ways in which they can maintain their compliance and security.

Over the past few years, many businesses have made the decision to adopt a modern point-of-sale device that allows them to more quickly and easily process not only traditional credit card swipe-based transactions, but also new types of purchases that are growing in popularity.

Over the past few years, industry analysts have generally kept a close eye on the progression of mobile payments.

The year 2015 is almost at its end, but mobile payments are just beginning to see the popularity in the U.S. that they enjoy in other parts of the world. Before 2016 arrives, here is a look at how some major mobile payments systems have fared. 

Mobile payments have long been hailed as the next big upgrade in payment processing technology, as they provide an extra layer of security over even the EMV-enabled "chip-and-pin" cards that are starting to gain ubiquity in the U.S. after great success in many other countries. 

In response to increasing credit card fraud, major credit card companies have set an Oct. 1 deadline for merchants to shift from the traditional magnetic strips, to a new integrated circuit technology called EMV. Merchants that do not adopt this new system may be liable for credit card fraud.

Follow these six rules for managing your online business. 

Use targeted advertising to develop a relationship with your customers. 

If you maintain an online e-commerce catalog, there are several ways that you can improve performance and grow your business.

The USPS is going to have to adapt to an more e-commerce oriented package service market if it intends to remain competitive in the coming years, as online retail takes increasingly larger shares of the retail sector, according to a white paper released by the USPS inspector general.

One of the top focuses for most retailers today is selling products in the online sector. Not just to desktop consumers though - mobile shoppers, who access e-commerce pages via smartphones and tablets, are the fastest growing customer base in the entire retail industry.

Mobile phones are changing the landscape for all organizations, and not just by providing consumers with access to mobile credit card payment processing pages.

Businesses that market their products, e-commerce pages or online credit card payment processing terminals via email may soon need to consider how those emails may be read.

According to one recent report, small and medium-sized businesses are lagging desperately far behind their larger counterparts in regards to e-commerce sales rates.

It's not just retail outlets and service providers that need to be able to accept credit payments.

Sales made to consumers online in the U.S. now happen more regularly than ever - and according to a couple of reports, they'll continue to take up a bigger market share in the coming years, too.

The availability of mobile credit card payment processing pages aren't the only means by which mobile phones are transforming the retail landscape.

According to one recent report, online credit card payment processing pages and in-store point of sale terminals are about to meet up.

Many industries have already been irreparably changed by the arrival of e-commerce, online merchant gateways and digital debit card and credit card payment processing pages.

For many businesses in retail and other industries, online credit card payment processing services are no longer considered separate from the point of sale systems used in stores.

Canadian shoppers have traditionally spent less at online credit card payment processing pages than have their American counterparts.

Many retailers and business owners presume that millennial shoppers - who always seem glued to their smartphones - are the ones driving the success of mobile credit card payment processing pages and services.

Web sales are clearly becoming a priority at businesses across the country - because managers and organizations everywhere are realizing that web sales may someday be far more significant than in-store sales.