Smartphone Users Welcome NFC Technology

April 16, 2011 - PRLog -- As part of ongoing research into the preferences of Smartphone users, the company behind the moneysaving MyVoucherCodes app has conducted a study of 1,267 Smartphone users in bid to discover their attitudes towards NFC (Near-Field Communications) payment technology on mobile handsets; that would allow users to pay for goods through contactless technology on their handset.

In light of recent news that Samsung plan to release an NFC-enabled handset in time for the Olympics, the company behind the MyVoucherCodes App asked a sample of Smartphone users across Britain their opinions towards the introduction of the technology; and whether or not they welcome the breakthrough.

According to the research, more than half of the respondents, 53%, claimed that they would ‘welcome’ the new mobile phone technology; whilst a further 27% stated that they felt ‘unsure’ about the ability to purchase items with a mobile phone handset. Just under two fifths, 18%, claimed that they ‘don’t want’ the technology to be introduced in the UK.

Respondents who claimed to ‘welcome’ the NFC technology were then asked to explain their reasons for feeling this way. More than two thirds, 67%, stated they would welcome the technology because they believed it would make purchasing  ‘more convenient;’ whilst 19% explained that they would welcome the technology because it would ‘reduce’ the need to constantly carry cards/ cash.

The majority, 59%, of the respondents who stated that they ‘don’t want’ the technology introduced in the UK explained that they were concerned about the ‘safety risks’ involved in contactless payment.
A further 14% of the respondents explained that they felt the technology may lead to a  ‘lack of control’ over the monitoring of their finances.

Respondents were also asked if they would like to see contactless payment technology rolled out to other devices. Two fifths, 39%, of the respondents stated that they would like to see the technology on tablet computers, such as the iPad.

Mark Pearson, chairman of the company behind the MyVoucherCodes App, said the following about the results:

“Technology is forever adapting and I think it was only a matter of time before technology would allow people to purchase things with a simple swipe of their mobile phone handset. Whilst it is natural for people to have concerns over the safety of the technology, they must remember that the same issues were raised at the introduction of the chip and pin technology; which is now widely accepted across the world.”

He continued:

“Most technology is created with an aim to make life easier, and NFC technology is really a means of making the system for purchasing goods more efficient. Whilst it may seem an odd concept at the moment, I am sure that in years to come we’ll all be swiping our handsets at the till, wondering what we did before!”

The MyVoucherCodes Mobile App, which uses GPS technology to provide users with free discounts on the go, can be downloaded for free on Android handsets and hardware running iOS, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch by visiting http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/local/iphone.

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For more information, please contact Charlotte Horsfall of 10 Yetis Public Relations on charlotte@10yetis.co.uk or 01452 348211.  

EDITORS NOTES

The MyVoucherCodes Mobile Application is available for Android handsets and the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

The application has saved users millions of pounds since launching in December 2010.