Consumers In France Aren’t Using Mobile Devices For Payment

Consumers in France may be using their mobile phones and devices to shop online, but when it comes to how they pay, mobile payment methods aren’t as popular. That’s according to a new report by CCM Benchmark on digital commerce.

According to a report highlighting the research, 65 percent of adult digital buyers in France polled during June were already using their mobile phones in stores to check out products and make sure they got the best deal. More than one-third, or 37 percent, said they use their mobile devices to take photos of the products they are thinking of buying, while 26 percent look for product information on their phones. The researchers, which surveyed 1,000 adults, found 24 percent use their phone to compare prices while at other stores.

The researchers also found that travel was the leading category in which people would use their mobile phone to make purchases, with 40 percent saying they bought travel products and services via a smartphone. What’s more, 34 percent used their mobile phones to buy clothes, books, DVDs and accessories, while 23 percent use them to buy consumer electronics products.

As for digital payment methods, the survey found in France that Android Pay and Apple Pay are taking off but at a slow rate. Most of the mobile purchases in France are still via entering credit card details. Just 7 percent of digital buyers in France use their smartphone to tap and pay in a store. There were 27 percent of survey respondents who said they were ready to embrace mobile payments, while 56 percent said they weren’t ready to pay via mobile device.

In July, Apple Pay went live in France, making it the eighth country where the service is now offered as a payments option and the third European country to offer the service after the U.K. and Switzerland. Apple Pay is supported by Visa, Mastercard, Banque Populaire, Carrefour Banque, Ticket Restaurant and Caisse d’Epargne. The service will soon be available on Boon and Orange as well, according to Apple.