Mobile Payments Spurts Up, Apple Seems to Lost the Plot

People are taking up the mobile payment platforms whole heartedly rather than being extremely concerned in the recent times. An Accenture survey brought out some interesting facts which show that 40 percent of the North American consumers are actively using the Smartphones to make a payment at merchant location. Furthermore the 60 percent consumers who had kept themselves aloof from the mobile payment cited mainly security worries and privacy concerns. But still they show a tendency towards using it once these issues are sorted out.

Payment Technologies Improvement Is Demanded By Consumers

This survey also pointed out that the consumers are embracing the alternative forms of payments as they are quicker and much swifter than the traditional banking methods. Banks are quite sceptic about it and they are paying their keen interest on further developments. The payment technologies are expected to continue to evolve in coming times and the financial intuitions would be required to upgrade their middle and back-office systems in order to supports the customer demands for faster and more real time digital payments. It is the consumers who are driving the changes in the payments and the institutions have to adapt o fulfil their needs.

Apple Pay Promises To Provide Better Services

The Apple made biggest shake up in mobile based payment platform when it announced its feature rich payments system, tentatively titled Apple Pay. This NFC compatible system would allow the users with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to make payments over 200,000 retail locations in the United States. Apple boasts a number of features which is expected to eliminate the consumers top mobile payments concerns.

Apple Gets a Jolt from MCX

MCX is a consortium of over 70 of the largest retailers in the United States which had came up with their own version of mobile wallet called ‘Current C’. These merchants have a huge clout and they are control in one in five retail dollars spent in the US stores. Furthermore they had also announced that they would be accepting the Apple Pay in their stores.

Consumers Sticks With Major Card Providers

This survey has also pointed out toward the trend of sticking up with the established and trusted credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard and Amex which stands at 72 percent. Another 70 percent has said that they use PayPal as an alternative. 79 percent mobile users who find discounts and coupons based on their past purchases find it attractive. 29 percent had affirmed that they are willing to be tracked but only by trusted merchants.

Millennials are driving the changes in the mobile payments systems. They come from the age group of 18-34 and they are actively using mobile wallets. Report suggests that 30 percent of them are eager to try out wearables as a payment device, 29 percent of them uses PayPal at least weekly and 13 percent use digital currencies today. Apple Pay has a unique ability to change the consumer behaviour on a larger scale but their efforts would be based on satisfying the millennial first, if they wish to win over other competitors.