Payment security isn’t the highest priority for millions of consumers who increasingly use smartphones to buy games online, a new study suggests.
What’s more important than security is making sure games purchased online offer a fast, convenient payment approach or the opportunity to earn a discount with their payment method, according to a study PayPal released Nov. 1.
Mobile devices have surged in popularity among consumers, reaching $37.6 billion this year, PayPal said. Mobile games accounting for 49% of all games purchased in the $77.3 billion worldwide games market, the San Jose, Calif.-based payments company said in the release.
Seventy-eight percent of U.S. consumers use smartphones for gaming, overlapping their use with other devices including tablets (59%) and laptops (47%). Though mobile games tend to cost less compared with PC and console games, mobile transaction volume for games is higher, PayPal said.
In the U.S., 48% of gamers would switch payment methods if a faster, easier method came along, while 43% would switch if an alternative payment method offered better discounts, and 41% would switch if another method provided superior security. About 11% said they wouldn’t change even with these improvements.
PayPal was cited at the payment method used the most in the last three months by U.S. respondents to buy digital games or in-game content for their PC or console accounting for 30% of all purchases. Debit cards (of any brand) ranked second, at 22%, and Visa debit cards ranked third, at 11%, PayPal said.
PayPal based its study on data gathered online by SuperData Research in September 2016 from 10,000 consumers in 10 global markets.
