Survey: More Perks, Relief from Security Fears Key to Boosting Mobile Payments (April 30, 2013)
Giving consumers preferential customer service treatment and instant discounts for paying with their smartphones could help boost mobile payment usage, a new Accenture survey suggests. In a broad survey of 4,000 U.S. and Canadian consumers conducted online last year, half of respondents already using their smartphones for payments said they would be more likely to pay by phone if they received special treatment or a coupon they could store on their phones. Sixty percent said getting an instant discount at the time of purchase would increase their odds of paying by phone, and 51 percent said the ability to store rewards points on their phone for future purchases would drive up their mobile payment usage.
Consumers not already using smartphones for payments said they would be more likely to do so if their smartphones offered other useful tools. Thirty-two percent said they might adopt mobile payments if their smartphones enabled them to track receipts from past transactions or show proof of identity or insurance. Twenty-one percent of consumers not using smartphones to pay said they might do so if they received preferential treatment from retailers, while 20 percent said they would be more likely to pay if they received coupons to store on their phone for future purchases. Forty-five percent of respondents said they shy away from paying with their smartphones because they are worried about security, while 37 percent cited privacy concerns and the convenience of cash as their top reason for not paying by phone.
The survey underscored the fact that “a significant number of consumers still don’t see the convenience and value of using their phones to make payments,” said Matthew Friend, Accenture Payment Services’ managing director. He also noted that promoting incentives and educating consumers about mobile payment privacy and security could be key to promoting broader adoption.
