Pay phone!
A survey by a mobile commerce solutions company says Indians are finally using their mobile phones to pay bills and buy movie tickets.
More Indians than ever before are using their mobile phones to make payments, though slow network speed remains a major irritant. These are among the key findings of a recent survey by Paymate, India’s leading mobile commerce provider. The survey was shared exclusively with Business Today.
While 43 per cent of the surveyed audience (1,012 people) used their mobiles to make payments, 78 per cent of the users were in the 21-30 age group. Among users, 57 per cent said they had registered in the last six months after new RBI guidelines gave the sector some clarity. However, 19.5 per cent admitted they were “lapsed” users and do not use the service any longer. Slow network speeds and security concerns were cited as the main reasons for discontinuing the service.
The most often used service was making mobile payments, with 52 per cent of the surveyed audience calling it their “most popular” activity, while 15 per cent chose buying movie tickets as their preferred activity. The survey, however, did throw up some surprises. For instance, among users of m-Commerce, bank ATMs, which offer a host of services, are not a preferred means of making payments. Only 7 per cent claimed they used the ATM.
Says Probir Roy, Executive Director, Paymate: “Over 97 per cent of m-Commerce users are regular Internet surfers, which means we are yet to spread awareness about this service beyond the upper middle-classes. There is still a huge opportunity in this space.”
— Kushan Mitra
While 43 per cent of the surveyed audience (1,012 people) used their mobiles to make payments, 78 per cent of the users were in the 21-30 age group. Among users, 57 per cent said they had registered in the last six months after new RBI guidelines gave the sector some clarity. However, 19.5 per cent admitted they were “lapsed” users and do not use the service any longer. Slow network speeds and security concerns were cited as the main reasons for discontinuing the service.
The most often used service was making mobile payments, with 52 per cent of the surveyed audience calling it their “most popular” activity, while 15 per cent chose buying movie tickets as their preferred activity. The survey, however, did throw up some surprises. For instance, among users of m-Commerce, bank ATMs, which offer a host of services, are not a preferred means of making payments. Only 7 per cent claimed they used the ATM.
Says Probir Roy, Executive Director, Paymate: “Over 97 per cent of m-Commerce users are regular Internet surfers, which means we are yet to spread awareness about this service beyond the upper middle-classes. There is still a huge opportunity in this space.”
— Kushan Mitra
