Electronic payments soared among participants in what has been billed as the largest-ever trial of NFC bank payment, held last year in Bangalore, India–though part of the increase can be tied to financial incentives users got to tap their phones to pay, a new report shows.
The report shows card use also increased among trial participants, revealing a possible knock-on effect from NFC on cards, at least in developing countries.
“The key thing is to look at the impact of mobile on the customer’s behavior,” Samee Zafar, a director for consulting company Edgar, Dunn & Co. and co-author of the report, told NFC Times. “When you use the mobile, you appreciate more the convenience of the offer given you, of the card and mobile. It’s not like you throw out the card and only use the mobile. It just gives people more choice.”
