The future of commerce is often being laid on the shoulders of NFC technology. NFC is most often associated with contactless payments – essentially, transactions via mobile device. Google, Apple and a number of financial institutions are investing heavily into this technology, claiming it to be the catalyst for a new era of mobile commerce. While that may be true, a new study from The Retrevo Pulse, a research firm that tracks trends and consumer demand in real-time, suggests that consumers are not ready to adopt mobile payments.
Retrevo polled more than 1,000 U.S. consumers of varying ages and backgrounds. 21% of those surveyed said that they would be buying an NFC-enabled mobile device when they become available. Of the remainder, 26% had no idea what NFC or mobile payments were. An overwhelming 53% said that had no interest in phones that had mobile wallet capabilities.
The mobile wallet is often considered the major selling point of NFC technology. Google claims that their version of the concept allows mobile consumers to streamline their purchases without having to fuss with cards or cash. Retrevo’s survey, however, suggests that dealing with cards and cash is not such a hassle.
The survey notes that those most willing to purchase NFC-enabled devices are iPhone users. There is no clear reason as to why iPhone owners are so eager for the technology, but Andrew Eisner, director of community and content for Retrevo, attributes the trend to Apple’s grooming its consumers to be more accepting of such technologies.
