Germany is lagging behind when it comes to digital payment methods, Klarna study shows

According to the press release, regardless of whether payment is made by card, smartphone, smartwatch, or using biometric data, German consumers have the least preference for these contactless payment options across almost all study participants. While card payments (Sweden: 72%) or mobile payments (Netherlands: 17%) are highly valued in other countries, in this country people remain loyal to cash (49%). 

Besides, the preference for card payments among Germany-based consumers is the lowest in the entire study, as only 38% would pay with a card when shopping, while more than half of the respondents in the other countries (with the exception of Austria) favor paying by card. 

Digital payment solutions are also less valued by German consumers in an international comparison. Although paying by mobile phone is now possible in many places, only 9% of those surveyed in this country would use it. In contrast, mobile payments are very popular in the USA (13%), the UK (14%), Australia (17%), and the Netherlands (17%). Likewise, newer solutions such as payment by smartwatch (2%) and biometric technologies such as facial recognition or fingerprints (2%) are not preferred by German consumers. 

Regarding gender differences, German consumers are the most conservative when it comes to digital payment methods, with 52% of women and 45% of men preferring to pay cash in the supermarket. Besides, only 37% of the women surveyed would use card payments. The results differ only slightly from the male respondents, as 39% of male consumers would pay with the card. Women are also behind men when it comes to digital payment methods. Men prefer paying by mobile phone (10%) more than women (7%), and men are ahead of women when it comes to using smartwatches or biometric technologies.

As for generational preferences, when it comes to digital payment options, older consumers in particular are still lagging behind. They would use the payment via smartphone, smartwatch, or biometric technology the least. On the other hand, younger people have a significantly higher affinity for innovative payment technologies. The group of 26-35 year olds in particular prefers such solutions. For example, at 16% of this group, most of the respondents say they prefer to pay by smartphone at the checkout.