Friday, December 14, 2012

NFC taking off will only happen with focused education


Most of us belong to a group that are fascinated by new payment technology and also (often) love gadgets. This is why it comes so naturally to us to consider using our phone to tap and go. For many others this is quite a strange concept, if we want think about it for a while. In the mind of the average person, this is quite a strange way to transfer payment.

In a recent study conducted by Barclaycard in the UK, more than 80% of UK citizens now can recognize the contactless symbol (this has doubled in the past year). (Read here). Forrester research, in a recent article expects that it will still take a decade for NFC to become mainstream. They predict that it will take three to five years for critical mass (15% to 25%) to be reached (Read here).

For NFC to become mainstream, most subscribers will have to be educated. The payment mechanism will have to be explained and supported with clear instructions and guidance. Only when the average consumer understand and have been made comfortable with the implications of NFC payments will it be used extensively.This will only be possible through extensive education.

1 comment:

Gregor McKelvie said...

Completely agree. I think part of the issue is that for your "average" consumer NFC doesn't really solve a problem (that they know they have). I think it will change, but will be a slow process.