Gallup: Consumers say ‘meh’ to digital wallets

Washington, D.C. – Despite all the hype surrounding Apple Pay and other digital wallet solutions, so far consumer response to the digital wallet phenomenon has been one big shrug of the shoulders.



Gallup analysis shows that only 13% of U.S. adults with a smartphone have a digital wallet on their device.



Furthermore, 76% of those who have a digital wallet have never used it or have almost never used it to make a purchase from a retailer in the past 30 days. Of the U.S. consumers using a digital wallet, men and millennials use it more than the rest of U.S. adults. Eleven percent of men and 11% of millennials use a digital wallet every time or almost every time if they can to make a purchase.



Among consumers who have digital wallets, 38% don't see any benefits of using the technology. What's more, 91% of consumers who don't have a digital wallet say they are very unlikely or unlikely to start using one in the next 12 months. This suggests that providers either lack a strong value proposition or aren't communicating it well to prospective customers.



Consumers don't seem to be eager to start using digital wallets in the near future, either, with further analysis suggesting several reasons for their reluctance. More than half of non-users cite security as a primary reason they're unlikely to use a digital wallet in the next 12 months (55%). Others don't know enough about the technology (21%) or see any benefits of using a digital wallet compared to just using credit cards (14%). And a few don't think they are accepted at enough places to make the technology useful or worth it (5%).