Products

EMARKETER delivers leading-edge research to clients in a variety of forms, including full-length reports and data visualizations to equip you with actionable takeaways for better business decisions.
PRO+
New data sets, deeper insights, and flexible data visualizations.
Learn More
Reports
In-depth analysis, benchmarks and shorter spotlights on digital trends.
Learn More
Forecasts
Interactive projections with 10k+ metrics on market trends, & consumer behavior.
Learn More
Charts
Proprietary data and over 3,000 third-party sources about the most important topics.
Learn More
Industry KPIs
Industry benchmarks for the most important KPIs in digital marketing, advertising, retail and ecommerce.
Learn More
Briefings
Client-only email newsletters with analysis and takeaways from the daily news.
Learn More
Analyst Access Program
Exclusive time with the thought leaders who craft our research.
Learn More

About EMARKETER

Our goal is to unlock digital opportunities for our clients with the world’s most trusted forecasts, analysis, and benchmarks. Spanning five core coverage areas and dozens of industries, our research on digital transformation is exhaustive.
Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how EMARKETER came to be.
Learn More
Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about EMARKETER.
Contact Us
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More
Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities
Reach an engaged audience of decision-makers.
Learn More
Events
Browse our upcoming and past events, recent podcasts, and other featured resources.
Learn More
Podcasts
Tune in to EMARKETER's daily, weekly, and monthly podcasts.
Learn More

The Mobile Payments Series: The UK

This week, we're diving into the mobile payments landscape and seeing what adoption looks like across various countries like China, the US and Germany. Yesterday, we looked at adoption in India. Next up: The UK.

Mobile payment adoption in the UK isn't as widespread as in other countries.

This year, we expect only 7.2 million people in the country will use mobile payments, making up 13.0% of the population.

What's holding back adoption? Primarily, contactless credit cards.

"Paying with a contactless credit card is a mainstream payment option that people have been comfortable using for a long time," said Christopher Bendtsen, senior forecasting analyst at eMarketer. "Consumers feel the trust and ease of contactless cards are all they need, and they just aren’t convinced that mobile payments would give them any added benefit. For example, even though the London Underground accepting virtual wallets, contactless cards are still the preferred option."

According to the recent UK Digital Banking and Payments report, digital payments in the UK have their roots in the physical world, with online card payments still the preferred method of digital payment. "When it comes to proximity mobile payments, physical cards also have the upper hand. Using a smartphone to pay for an in-store purchase has started to see some traction in the UK. However, such a method is up against an established and well-entrenched habit of paying with contactless cards," wrote eMarketer senior analyst Bill Fisher.

Still, there's room for growth. And further growth in the UK may be propelled by uptake of mobile payment services like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. "Even though they've been around for a while, they're still growth drivers as they continue to push and market their services to users," Bendtsen said.