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Study: Restaurant customers ready for mobile payments

Customers are more comfortable with mobile payments, a fact restaurants should embrace, according to study published today by Harbortouch, a supplier of point- of-sale systems.

May 14, 2015

Customers are more comfortable with mobile payments, a fact restaurants should embrace, according to study published today by Harbortouch, a supplier of point- of-sale systems. The survey, which polled 1,000 U.S. adults last month, examined the current state of mobile payment adoption and found a shift in consumers' comfort level and acceptance, with a greater focus on interface and experience.

“One of the more interesting findings we uncovered from our survey is the growing desire for consumers to use mobile payment technology at restaurants,” said Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Harbortouch. “Currently, most mobile payment transactions happen in retail environments. There is now a unique opportunity for restaurants to gain a competitive advantage by making mobile payments part of the dining experience.”

Other findings included:

• The future of mobile payments is in restaurants: Out of seven categories, including entertainment and retail, one in four people chose the restaurant industry as the most likely to widely adopt mobile payments in the near future.
• Millennials love mobile payments: Among those surveyed, Millennials were the highest percentage of mobile payment users, with nearly half of respondents (41.9 percent) falling into that demographic.Men are leading the charge: Men are twice as likely to use some form of mobile payment compared to women.
• Addressing consumers' pain points: Of those surveyed who aren't currently using mobile payments, 20 percent blame payment-related issues, like waiting for a server to pick up the bill or figuring out how much to tip, for hampering their dining experiences.