When you can look at numbers like “78 percent”, it’s safe to say that not only has the development related to that number gone mainstream, but also, it’s nearly universal.
The word from a recent Visa study suggests that mobile payments in Ireland have not only gone mainstream but are approaching universal as 79 percent of consumers are turning to mobile devices to manage money or make payments.
Though that term is a bit broad—it includes mobile banking in the same category as mobile payments—it still makes it clear that the mobile device is indeed frequently turned to when money’s involved in some way.
What’s more, Ireland is actually ahead of the general curve; in the EU, only 54 percent of customers turn to mobile devices for similar activities.
Though that’s gained a lot of ground in a short time—last year that number was down around 18 percent—it’s still behind the Irish average by a fairly wide margin.
Interestingly, the numbers of never-wills is on the decline. In 2015, 38 percent of those surveyed would never turn to such means to interact with money. Never doesn’t last as long as it used to, because in 2016, that’s down around 12 percent.
What’s more, age isn’t really a factor, not that it can be given the sheer depth of users. Sixty percent of users between 55 and 64 are using mobile banking, and that’s also the fastest-growing age category of users.
It’s not so much a surprise that the Irish are using mobile payment systems of some time, but rather the sheer concentration of such users. When 78 percent of the country is doing anything, it’s worth taking note of, and here, it’s obvious that mobile payments are a big part of Irish life.
It’s likewise interesting to take this alongside the British interest in mobile payments and compare these two to the wider European Union; why do the islanders have such a clear interest?
Regardless of the motives, it’s clear this has caught on in Ireland, and once in place, it’s likely to stay. Irish mobile payment users will be a big market going forward, and we should start seeing, fairly soon, how the market is perceived and pursued.