Measuring Technology’s Promise Against Its Progress

There is no shortage of wonders in payments and commerce, which are advertised as the next big disruption in how consumers transact. Instant payments, voice and visual search, AI/ML digital card management – there are all kinds of promising possibilities. But while a promising horizon is great, in practice there are limits. Speed is desired, but faster payments can mean faster fraud. AI is powerful, but not as widely used in its true form as possible. Alternative search is advancing, but is not quite ready for prime-time use yet. The promise is definitely big, but the progress is still catching up.

Data:

• 95 percent: Level of accuracy retailers need visual search to offer in order to be a useful tool.
• 72 percent: Share of consumers who report speed as important when it comes to receiving disbursements.
• 50 percent: Share of first-time P2P users who are over the age of 45.
• 5.5 percent: Share of FIs using true AI systems.
• 1.17: Number of times a year, on average, that a consumer needs to replace highly used cards