More than 80% of the respondents to a survey conducted by ABI Research on behalf of the NFC Forum said they have used a smartphone or smartwatch to make a contactless payment.

Of those that have made a mobile contactless payment, more than half say they would prefer to use their smartphone or smartwatch to make a payment rather than their card — and 95% say they have left their physical wallet or purse at home on at least one occasion, choosing instead to rely solely on mobile payments.

53% said they now leave their physical wallet or purse at home multiple times each week.

“Additionally, when compared to other payment options including contactless cards, QR codes, and cash, consumers rated NFC contactless as the most secure, most convenient, most reliable, and easiest way to pay in-person,” the NFC Forum says.

The biennial NFC Usage and Adoption Study involved consumers in nine countries — the US, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea.

“The 2024 Study highlights a significant paradigm shift in the way that people use their contactless devices,” says Andrew Zignani, research director at ABI Research. “Daily use of mobile payment platforms is becoming increasingly common, with users citing the security, reliability and convenience of digital solutions as core driving factors.

“As familiarity and understanding of NFC continues to grow, so too does demand for additional applications and use cases for the technology.

“We are now entering an end user perception step change whereby NFC is not just considered a payments technology, but a technology that can underpin a variety of different applications and use cases, such as the ability to tap to receive additional product information, for digital car and/or house key storage, use across brand protection or tap to register a product warranty to name but a few.”

“NFC technology enables the creation of efficient, reliable, secure, environmentally-friendly, and smart solutions,” adds Mike McCamon, executive director of the NFC Forum.

“And with emerging concepts such as multi-purpose tap – an evolution of NFC that allows users to complete multiple required actions in a transaction in a single tap – device makers and solution providers are being empowered to create transformative solutions across all manner of vertical industries.

“Access control, payments, digital identity, transport and even emerging Digital Product Passport requirements for sustainability all stand to benefit from improved usability and security thanks to NFC.”

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