US marketers will need to shift their thinking around contactless payments as people shop, pay and pick up products, according to research by Mastercard and The Harris Poll.

Why it matters

As the COVID-19 pandemic leads to a greater emphasis on health and hygiene, contactless payments have grown in popularity among retailers and consumers. Habits like using cash or signing checks have slumped as consumers become used to ordering online and paying with cards and apps in-store.

Takeaways

  • A ‘no-contact lifestyle’ is becoming increasingly prevalent, so it's critical to be touchless-ready across all channels.

  • Eight in ten consumers do not want to physically sign anything when making payments in the future, while 48% regard cash as ‘dirty’.

  • In the banking space, 57% of consumers similarly prefer to conduct their activities digitally, up from 49% before the pandemic.

Key quote

“Touchless has become the preferred way to basically do everything: shop, pay, pick up, bank and more” – Cheryl Guerin, EVP/North America Marketing and Communications, Mastercard Worldwide.

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Sourced from WARC