First Data has released its First Data SpendTrend analysis for the full month of October 2011 compared to October 2010.

In October, dollar volume growth held steady at 9.4% versus September’s growth of 9.5%. Overall transaction growth improved to 7.5% in October from 7.1% in September. Inflation continued to be evident in the food sector as Food/Beverage Stores posted average ticket growth of 2.3% for the second consecutive month.

SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

On the web:

• Mobile Wallets, Contactless Payments Overhyped Say Analysts - American Banker
• Human Kiosks: Serving Customers Through Virtual Engagement - Point of Sale News
• Richard Branson Invests in Square Mobile Payments - Digital Trends
• State of EMV in US - Bank Systems & Technology

On the wires:

• Tabbedout Continues Expansion; Brings Mobile Payment to Seattle
• People’s United Bank Expands Its Relationship with FIS’ Mobile Financial Services
• MasterCard Reports Strong Third Quarter Growth in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa Region
• CenPOS Launches Mobile Payment App for Smartphones via Android Market