Payments insight: What your customers are thinking

• 91% of consumers who started or increased their use of contactless payment methods plan to continue using this method.
• Digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay emerged as a trend to watch. While 16% of respondents started using (or increased their use of) digital wallets, for those aged 16-24 it was more than double (33%), and just under double (31%) for those aged 25-34.
• Almost half (48%) of adults said they started using contactless payment methods, or increased use of them, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Just over one in five (21%) have taken up, or are more frequently choosing to buy online try it at home and return it if necessary using a courier service.
• 21% also said they have taken up or increased their use of click and collect services. This is an example of omnicommerce, a hybrid of the online and in store consumer experience.
• Of those who took up, or increased, the use of contactless payments, more than nine out of ten (91%) intend to keep using contactless payments.

What do you need to do?

• Think about your digital strategy and how this meets the payment needs of your customers. Can it help you build better customer relationships and create more customer loyalty?
• Maybe you need to gain a better understanding of your existing customers, so your first step might be in carrying out some customer research
• Could an app help you give your customers more options to purchase and pay? AppInstitute is a DIY app builder platform making it easy and affordable for any business to create its own app, available through the Apple and Google app stores.

You can contact Elavon to explore ways to take payments from your customers, including face to face, over the phone, online or on the move with Elavon’s payments acceptance solutions. Or if you’d rather request a callback from a specialist at Elavon, they can guide you through the options available.

1. Elavon surveyed 1129 people online in the UK between May 28 and June 1, 2021. The respondents, aged 16-75, were asked about the payments methods they’ve started using, or have used more, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and which of those they intend to continue as everyday life begins to settle down.

The research was conducted on i:omnibus, Ipsos MORI’s online Omnibus.

• Online interviews were carried out amongst adults aged 16-75 in the UK.
• Total respondents base includes 1,129 adults who completed the survey 28th May-1st June 2021.
• The sub-base for those who started, or used more of, a payment method as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic includes 859 adults, also completing the survey May 28-June 1, 2021
• The sub-base for adults aged 16-75 in UK who started using each payment method, or used it more, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic are as following: Contactless n=557; Digital wallet = 187; Click & collect n=242 ; Buy online, try at home and return via courier service n=241; Buy online, try at home and return via store n=158; Cash payments n=146; Buy now, pay later n=81; Scan & Go n=140; Buying and paying on social media n=86.
• The sample obtained is representative of this population, having met quotas on: age, gender, region and working status.
• The data has been weighted to the known population profile by age within gender, region, education, working status and social grade to be nationally representative and reflect the adult population of the UK.