Digital consumers are changing payments

Not so long ago, Saturdays were days for catching up. For omnibus sessions of your favourite TV show, hitting the high street to buy winter clothes for the changing season, going to the movies, to the beauticians or out for a meal. Now, TV is on demand, shopping is done at the desk or on a mobile device, movies are downloaded straight to your computer, beauticians come to your house at a time convenient for you and your favourite restaurant can package a meal and have it with you within minutes. The consumer market has already changed enormously in the last 10, even 5, years. Progress is just becoming faster. All of this change has meant technology and user experience for payments has had to change just as rapidly. As a mobile-first payment service provider, Judopay are on the front lines of the revolution. More and more we’re seeing big decisions being made on the move from a mobile device: buying, ordering, transacting. We believe that, relatively soon, we’ll all live in a cashless society and the wealth of innovative payment options available to us will replace traditional methods. Anything connected to the internet will be able to purchase on your behalf: for example, you would allow your car to purchase petrol. Drive in, fill up, maybe order a few other bits and bobs through an app, and simply drive out again, with your payment taken care of in the background.

‍

Frictionless payments aren't easy for everyone to accept

For some people, having your car pay for your petrol sounds like a convenience no-brainer. However, for others, they might find it intrusive or feel like they are no longer in control. A study1 by Accenture shows a strong generational shift: a higher percentage of Gen Zs are open to new methods of payment that will gain them convenience, compared a higher degree of scepticism in other generations. Gen Zs are described as “the first generation to forgo the leather wallet for the digital wallet”. Gen-Z is likely to take up 32%2 of the global consumer population by 2020. They have grown up completely surrounded by digital convenience. That said, they are not over the high street store yet. Around 66%3 of Gen Zs prefer in-store shopping while 28% want to interact with store associates. They do use digital channels to research products, but also like to go in-store to touch and try out those products prior to making their purchases.

With that in mind, the in-store experience needs reviewing: the customer is no longer simply browsing. Judopay recently worked with Young’s pubs1 to create an ‘online offline’ experience. Established in 1831, Young’s looks to disrupt the traditional pub market by integrating technology in ways that complement people’s visit. When people go to the pub, they can use an app to order food and drink, split bills easily, and complete payment without waiting. This changes not only the customer experience but also alters the role of staff from simpler waiting jobs to a richer ‘expert’ role. The growing consumer expectation of personal convenience, ubiquitous mobile purchasing, and the rise of Gen Z are all trends playing together to challenge the traditional payment market. Financial institutions which are fixed in a traditional mindset will not thrive. Banks and fintechs are essential players in the payments ecosystem, and need active research, an open mind, and technological agility to be able to keep up with where things are heading.

‍

About the author

Jeremy Nicholds is CEO of Judopay, and has previously acted as an independent advisor in the cards, payments and FinTech space, helping firms to bring new products and propositions to market and to successfully scale them. He was a NED of Vipera Plc – the AIM listed banking solutions provider, and Deputy Chairman for SafeCharge International – a leading edge payment solutions company also listed on the AIM exchange. Jeremy was previously Executive Director, Mobile at Visa, where he drove mass market adoption of NFC mobile payments across multiple markets, and led the launch of compelling new propositions like Apple Pay, whilst also supporting bank programmes using Visa Cloud Based Payments. Prior to running mobile, Jeremy led Visa’s commercial and business development activities across Europe, working extensively with Europe’s major banks, top retailers and other partners to increase Visa card issuance, boost card acceptance, encourage technology rollouts such as contactless in order to grow volumes of transactions processed. Prior to joining Visa, Jeremy held senior Sales & Marketing roles at Mastercard, Natwest, Reuters, and Prudential. Judopay is a leading enabler of mobile web and app commerce – helping companies across multiple sectors to serve their customers with a better way to pay.

Download the full report here.

‍