More consumers in The Philippines are using contactless payments, according to the Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study 2015.
It shows that 29 per cent of Filipinos have used contactless payments for transactions over the past year, up from 21 per cent in 2014. Cardholders cited the convenience of the system, security and ease of use among reasons for using contactless payments.
Trends in payments behaviour and openness to using contactless payments were identified by the study which surveyed consumers in six Southeast Asian markets. Contactless payments are made by waving a credit or debit card or smartphone over a point-of-sale terminal, eliminating the need for cash, PIN number or signature.
“As more Filipinos learn about the convenience, security and speed that contactless payments, such as Visa PayWave, bring to their lives, they are more willing to use them regularly,” says Visa country manager for The Philippines and Guam, Stuart Tomlinson.
Filipinos’ awareness for contactless payments has risen 62 per cent in 2014 to 66 per cent last year. This has led to usage growing from 21 per cent last year to 29 per cent.
Using contactless payments help save time, report 78 per cent of respondents (up from 58 per cent in 2014). The same percentage said system means they don’t need to carry cash (also up from 58 per cent), and 55 per cent said contactless payments are easier than using cash – a leap from 9 per cent in 2014.
It was also revealed that Filipinos recognise contactless payments as being less hassle to use (41 per cent) and safer (36 per cent), while freeing them from queueing (34 per cent) and giving them a more enjoyable shopping experience (22 per cent).
In The Philippines, contactless payments are mainly used for groceries plus food and beverage – 57 per cent for groceries, 37 per cent for F&B, 28 per cent for fashion and accessories, 27 per cent for beauty and cosmetics, 25 per cent for health and wellness services, 23 per cent for movie tickets, and 22 per cent for household electronics. Another revelation was that women are buying across all categories, however men use these payments more than women for transportation (8 per cent of total purchases). Other expenditures include books, CDs and DVDs (18 per cent), personal electronics (18 per cent), financial services (17 per cent), and events and concerts (10 per cent).
Most respondents (80 per cent) said they prefer to buy products and services from retailers who offer contactless payments, and 84 per cent are interested in making payments with contactless wearables, such as smartwatches. Women would like to make such payments for groceries (67 per cent) while men prefer them for buying food and drinks (62 per cent).
Users said security is also important, which is addressed by contactless cards having multiple layers of security including EMV chip technology and dynamic encryption. As they have a short read range, they are claimed to be virtually impossible to compromise. Financial institutions and credit card companies also monitor transactions to identify suspicious and unusual transactions.
“Given growing awareness, use and openness to contactless payments among Filipinos over the past year, there is an immense opportunity for businesses to grow their market share by adopting the technology,” says Tomlinson.
