Mobile payments are not yet taking off in the United Kingdom, but there are signs they potentially could, according to a new Cardbeat report from Auriemma Consulting Group LLC.
So far, "it's not really being pushed, and no one has really come out and said 'we're marketing this,'" Megan Bramlette, Auriemma managing associate, tells CardLine Global.
The reason is the various players in the market, including mobile-phone operators, card issuers and processors, have not determined a solid commercial model, she says. "It's a business issue, not a consumer-adoption or technology issue," Bramlette says.
Those players still have yet to decide how to divvy up the fees for mobile-payment services. They could be spurred to do faster if interest peaked.
"If consumers were going bonkers about this, then you can be sure the business model would shake out faster," says Bramlette.
Cardbeat suggests a glimmer of hope, with 12% of 511 consumers surveyed saying they would change mobile carriers to take advantage of mobile-payment technology and 15% saying they would obtain a new handset that would enable them to make mobile payments.
These are substantial percentages because changing mobile carriers and phones is a difficult undertaking and one consumers usually only do when they have a customer-service issue, Bramlette says.
