Consumers Embracing the Convenience and Security of NFC Contactless Technology

Recent ABI Research Report Highlights NFC User Experience And Use in Nine Countries

WAKEFIELD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#nfcforum–A global ABI Research study found 45% of consumers in nine countries use contactless payment with more than two-thirds of customers having two or more cards stored in their digital wallet it was announced by the NFC Forum today. The United Kingdom led all countries surveyed with 20% of respondents reporting they use the technology daily. The study timeframe was at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing industry research reports surging use of contactless technology as part of the global health crisis. The NFC Forum sponsored the research and more information about the results can be found here.

The survey also reported that user experience with NFC was very positive and most respondents were equally positive about security. The vast majority of respondents (88%) reported a consistently positive user experience with NFC contactless technologies and 70% were confident with the security contactless cards/mobile wallets provide.

“Adoption of contactless technology is surging as consumers look for convenient, secure, and safer ways to pay, unlock, access transportation and connect with the world around them,” said Mike McCamon executive director, NFC Forum., “Our members and supporters are making a ‘contactless lifestyle’ a reality for more and more consumers every day.”

The goal of the survey was to provide a greater understanding of consumer adoption, familiarity, and experiences with NFC at both a global and regional level. NFC is a short-range technology that is a standard feature on the approximately 2.5 billion smartphones in use today — or 20% of the world’s population.

“NFC usage is much more common than many think. It is an extremely useful technology that you already have in the palm of your hand embedded in a smartphone or payment card,” said Phil Sealy, research director, ABI Research. “The pandemic has created a surge in NFC usage. This survey shows that NFC use in payment scenarios pre-Covid-19 was high but, post-Covid-19, we predict that NFC will be extended to other use cases as consumers are showing an increasing reliance on the technology.”

NFC contactless usage continues to surge as consumers use the technology for personal safety as well as for convenience and simplicity. Already, in many traditionally cash-centric countries contactless payments is growing. NFC’s contactless form factor is spiking its adoption for uses beyond payments making it one of the most prolific technologies on the planet.

Country Differences Revealed

Over 2,000 respondents in the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany and Italy participated in the survey.

“The United Kingdom reported the highest NFC contactless usage even beyond payment,” said Andrew Zignani, principal analyst, ABI Research. “China had one of the highest penetration rates of contactless cards but, along with Germany, the lowest usage. The United States has lagged behind in most areas but is now catching up rapidly. For mobile wallets, Apple and Google Pay remain the most popular mobile payment platforms, although there are regional variations, such as extremely strong adoption of Samsung Pay in its home country of South Korea, Huawei Pay in China, and correspondingly low Google Pay usage in China.”

About the NFC Forum

The NFC Forum was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum’s mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum’s global member companies are currently developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery and device capability. Only member companies can participate in the Forum’s certification program of NFC devices, readers and tags.

Contacts

Sinead Carthy, INCE Public Relations

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Bob Olson, INCE Public Relations

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