Winston-Salem, NC, Nov. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inmar Intelligence, a data-driven technology-enabled services company, today released findings from a new survey, which shows 53 percent of today’s shoppers have used a mobile contactless payment option for the first time since the start of the pandemic, indicating a larger trend toward cashless payments.
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way retailers have engaged with shoppers along the payment journey, paving the way for greater use of contactless payments in order to limit physical contact at the register. Perhaps as a result of this shift, most shoppers (55 percent) have been avoiding using cash in general since the beginning of the pandemic.
Contactless checkout options have grown increasingly popular among shoppers, with 85 percent of respondents saying that it is important that a retailer offers a contactless payment experience. The most preferred forms of contactless checkout options among shoppers include curbside pickup (57 percent), buy online and pick up in-store (57 percent), followed by contactless, in-store self checkout (56 percent).
“Contactless payments have become an increasingly vital part of the everyday shopper’s routine throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,'' said John Helmle, EVP & President, FinTech at Inmar Intelligence. “The current shift in consumer behavior shows shoppers transitioning to cashless options, whether this is for safety or convenience reasons. Because of this, it is particularly important for retailers to accelerate their digital initiatives in this space and continue to accept and process transactions efficiently and effectively.”
Additional key findings include:
- If a retailer does not have contactless payment options, 28 percent of shoppers will avoid that retailer and choose an alternative that offers contactless payment options.
- A third (33 percent) say loyalty to regular, everyday stores has changed since the beginning of the pandemic.
- Reasons that loyalty to regular, everyday stores has changed is mainly due to inventory availability (33 percent), while 36 percent state a reason related to online payments including, options to shop using Instacart, Peapod, etc. (18 percent), and options to buy online and pick up in-store (18 percent).
- 87 percent say that promotions (coupons, digital coupons, in-store discount) are important in their decision to buy one or more products.
This comes at a time when today’s shoppers are looking to stock up on household essentials for winter to prepare for a potential second wave of the pandemic. According to a separate Inmar Intelligence survey, 54 percent shoppers plan to always have a stockpile of goods from now on, in fear of another emergency situation like the pandemic. With concern around safety and availability still palpable, the opportunity for growth in the contactless payment industry is likely to continue.
With this said, there are still some shoppers (47 percent) who have chosen to avoid mobile cashless options since the beginning of the pandemic. This is mainly due to security concerns (40 percent) and the fact that a retailer does not support mobile cashless checkout (25 percent).
“With the expansion of cashless and touchless payments, retailers are now looking for secure ways to accept and process payments, increase visibility into payment data and lay the foundation to drive shopper loyalty,” said David Mounts, Chairman and CEO of Inmar Intelligence. “Through InmarPay™, retailers can meet this demand, processing all non-cash transactions across in-store, digital sales channels as well as contactless payment types. InmarPay™ enables these merchants to engage a wider selection of their shoppers with targeted and personalized content without requiring a loyalty ID, ultimately driving up basket sizes and fostering shopper loyalty.”
For more information about InmarPay and Inmar Intelligence’s FinTech solutions, please visit www.inmar.com/fintech-solutions.
About Inmar Intelligence
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Inmar Intelligence is a leading data and tech-enabled services company. $120 billion dollars of commerce runs through our market-driven platforms which are propelling digital transformation through unified data and workflows to help leading Fortune 5000 companies, emerging brands and health systems drive innovation.
Throughout our 40-year history, we have served retailers, manufacturers, pharmacies, health systems, government and employers as their trusted intermediary in helping them redefine success. For more information about Inmar, please follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, or call (866) 440-6917.