Survey: Shoppers not totally sold on mobile payments
Consumers plan to use mobile payments this holiday season, but with reservations.
According to the 2019 Holiday Shopping and Mobile Payments Survey from mobile rewards/payments platform Ibotta, nearly six in 10 respondents are likely to use a mobile payments solution for some of their holiday purchases this year. Another 39% are interested in learning more about mobile payments and rewards programs.
Respondents are generally prepared for a mobile holiday, as nearly 60% say they have three or more rewards and/or payments apps on their phones. Another 15% have eight or more.
However, shoppers do not have uniformly positive views of mobile commerce as the holidays approach. More than half (52%) of respondents say they feel overwhelmed by the large number of mobile payments and rewards programs. When respondents who have not yet used or are hesitant to use mobile payments are asked why, leading answers include paying with a card is easier (14%), viewing mobile payments as a hassle (10%), and feeling uneducated about the options (10%).
And when asked what their first instinct would be when invited to sign up for a new retailer app or rewards program at the register, 21% of survey respondents would immediately dismiss the offer because of the large number of programs they’re already signed up for, 20% assume it requires too much work, and 34% assume there is a catch.
Additional survey takeaways include:
• Of the 61% of survey respondents who have used their phones to make an in-store purchase, 63% are motivated by payment methods that offer rewards, rebates and cash back, while 55% would be inclined to adopt mobile payments if the solutions saved them money.
• 54% of respondents say mobile payments solutions are more convenient than using card payments in-store.
• 53% want to know if mobile payments and rewards programs will save them money, 37% want to know if they will save them time, and 35% want to know if they can expect faster checkout times.
• Two-thirds say they’re most likely to use mobile payments at major retailers.
The mobile shopping solutions and reward platforms detailed in the survey included, but were not limited to Apple Pay, Google Pay, Pay with Ibotta, Samsung Pay, Starbucks Rewards, Target Cartwheel, Target Circle, Walmart Pay, and Zelle. Ibotta surveyed 1,074 U.S. consumers age 18-65.