Skip to main content

Contactless and NFC set to grow finds CARTES commissioned survey

As the number of smart phone and tablet users continues to soar, consumer purchasing behaviour will change and consumers will increasingly opt for the convenience of contactless cards and NFC-based payments in the next three to five years. This is one of the findings of a new study into retail payment technology trends, commissioned by CARTES Secure Connexions Event and Payments Cards & Mobile, which also revealed that difference stakeholders have different priorities when it comes to the next generation of
October 30, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
As the number of smart phone and tablet users continues to soar, consumer purchasing behaviour will change and consumers will increasingly opt for the convenience of contactless cards and NFC-based payments in the next three to five years.

This is one of the findings of a new study into retail payment technology trends, commissioned by CARTES Secure Connexions Event and Payments Cards & Mobile, which also revealed that difference stakeholders have different priorities when it comes to the next generation of payment technologies:

•    Consumers are looking for quicker, more convenient and secure payments with the capability to handle discount vouchers

•    They do not trust QR codes and mobile magnetic strip points of sale, seeing them as the least secure option

•    Retailers are hoping to use the technology to gather information on existing customers and attract new ones

•    Loyalty cards, discount vouchers and data on consumer preferences are the services which add the most value for retailers, who believe contactless cards, traditional cards and NFC mobile cards and wallets are the best technologies for developing these services.

The survey also identified conflict between providers when it came to next-generation point-of-sale payment services. Banks and card system operators are seeking to head off competitors in the payment methods sector. The Banque Accord has already developed its own NFC application called Flash’n pay, allowing consumers to scan their articles in store, to access discounts in real time and pay with their own mobile terminal. Consumers are attracted by several features of the new payment methods, including paperless billing and loyalty cards, discount vouchers, product information, scanning and paying for articles using personal devices and location-based services. Retailers told the survey that if these new services make it possible to boost sales and attract new customers, they are willing to invest in new systems. Commenting on the report, Isabelle Alfano, Director of the Cartes Secure Connexions Event said the emerging market for contactless payments presents a challenge for retailers when it comes to picking the right technology. “Although the major players in retail are aware that they have to meet the challenge of mobile payments to secure the loyalty of existing customers and attract new ones, they do not yet know in which technologies it is worth investing. Many questions about the new payment methods remain to be answered but this also means there are opportunities to be seized.”

Related Content

  • MaaS Market conference platform for pioneering projects
    August 21, 2017
    In opening the session on putting MaaS ideas into practice, Hans Arby, chief executive of UbiGo, told the conference that, “MaaS can mean different things to different people. This is why we decided to run MaaS under real conditions and launch the Gothenburg pilot scheme in 2013.” The trial involved 70 households paying €130/month for 6 months with participants agreeing that 20 cars could be put into storage. More than 12,000 bookings/transactions took place during the trial and there were no drop-outs. Ac
  • Navigating a path towards greater safety
    May 31, 2013
    Eric Sampson takes a look at why the European Union’s eCall system is taking rather longer to arrive than it should. There’s an old story about the person who asked an Irishman for directions and after much thought he responded: “If you’re going there from here it would be better to start from somewhere else.” This came to mind when I was recently reflecting on eCall and wondering when it will come - some stakeholders say the answer is never. So despite years of workshops and discussions, eCall is still not
  • Europe's electronic toll service closer to operational reality
    November 7, 2012
    After much debate and delay, a unifying European Electronic Toll Service is now finally on the horizon, says ASFiNAG’s Klaus Schierhackl. Here, he talks with Jason Barnes about what that might mean. Aworkable European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) which will allow truck drivers to travel across the continent and pay tolls using a single account and OnBoard Unit (OBU) was originally timetabled to be in place and operating by October of this year. A lack of urgency from some of the stakeholders involved in t
  • Need for best practice enforcement standards
    February 3, 2012
    Leading systems suppliers discuss how recent events in Italy have affected the automated enforcement sector and how the situation might be remediated