IMGCAP(1)]
Despite aggressive moves recently to expand contactless payments in the United Kingdom, many "smaller retailers" know little about the technology, Gregor Rankin, northern Europe marketing manager for France-based terminal vendor Ingenico S.A., tells CardLine Global. Rankin's views comes amid a major push by UK-based Barclays PLC and its credit card arm, Barclaycard, to put millions of contactless credit and debit cards into the hands of consumers over the next few years, one of the largest and most focused contactless-payment efforts to date. At the same time, the financial-services arm of France-based Carrefour Group, one of the world's largest retailers, is deploying up to 4,600 contactless-payment terminals in its stores. Persuading consumers to use the cards, designed primarily for low-value daily purchases, only goes so far. Retailers also must rent, buy or accept subsidies for terminals that can take the cards. Many retailers are nearing the point where they must upgrade terminal systems that last saw major changes with the approach of the UK's chip-and-PIN system, which relies on contact chip cards, Rankin says. Retailers who fail to buy contactless terminals or devices that can attach to existing systems "are making a pretty brave bet against contactless," Rankin says, denying a suggestion that contactless terminals represent a "cash cow" for Ingenico. The vendor's own research indicates that only one of eight UK consumers have a strong awareness of contactless payments. To increase that awareness, and to persuade more retailers to upgrade their terminals, requires "a bit of work across the whole industry," including vendors, banks and retailers already familiar with contactless, he says.
