Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CURRENCY
PAYMENTS &
ABRIDGED VERSION
OCTOBER 2014
2
WHAT WELL COVER
Introduction
Trend drivers
New ways to pay
New forms of value exchange
New payment players
Appendix: More about our experts and influencers
The following is an abridged
version of JWT's Future of
Payments & Currency report. To
download the full version, please visit
JWTIntelligence.com.
3
INTRODUCTION
It seems that suddenly most aspects of the established payments system are on the verge of disruption.
Apple Pay has just arrived, Facebook is reportedly mulling peer-to-peer payments, more merchants are
accepting bitcoin, banks are testing payment-enabled wristbands or creating pay-by-tweet schemes, and
the ranks of fintech innovators are growing.
This report examines the rise of new ways to pay and new forms of value exchange, along with new
players in the payments space, and what it all means for brands.
Never in the history of the payments industry has there been a time
of such disruption and opportunity across regions. Digital
technologies will upset the competitive order and the role that
payments play both in the operations of businesses and in the daily lives of
consumers.
BCG PERSPECTIVES, Global Payments 2014, Sept. 17, 2014
4
METHODOLOGY
Our trend reports are the result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research conducted by
JWTIntelligence through out the year. For this report, we also interviewed several experts and influencers
in payments and currency.*
Deborah Baxley,
consulting services
principal, Capgemini
Financial Services
Rob Girling,
co-founder and
principal, Artefact
EXPERTS
AND
INFLUENCER
S
Bill Maurer,
dean of social sciences and
professor of anthropology
and law, UC Irvine
Craig Erickson,
creative director and
designer, Artefact
*See Appendix to learn more about these experts.
While technology is opening up myriad possibilities in payments and forms of
currency, the mobile wallet and other innovations have taken off in fits and
starts. Skeptics say consumers have little incentive to adopt new systems. But
Millennials are ushering in a new mindset: Theyre much less attached to the
status quo than their elders and far more open to alternative ideas.
TREND DRIVERS
TREND DRIVERS
MILLENNIAL MINDSET
DISTRUST IN FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
TECHNOLOGY
DATA BREACHES
TRICKLE-UP INNOVATION
HEDGE AGAINST
ECONOMIC CHAOS
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
TREND DRIVERS
MILLENNIAL MINDSET
DISTRUST IN FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
TECHNOLOGY
DATA BREACHES
TRICKLE-UP INNOVATION
HEDGE AGAINST
ECONOMIC CHAOS
TREND DRIVERS
MILLENNIAL MINDSET
DISTRUST IN FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
TECHNOLOGY
DATA BREACHES
TRICKLE-UP INNOVATION
HEDGE AGAINST
ECONOMIC CHAOS
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
TREND DRIVERS
Image credits: bitcoin; Apple
MILLENNIAL MINDSET
DISTRUST IN FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
TECHNOLOGY
DATA BREACHES
TRICKLE-UP INNOVATION
HEDGE AGAINST
ECONOMIC CHAOS
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
TREND DRIVERS
MILLENNIAL MINDSET
DISTRUST IN FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
TECHNOLOGY
DATA BREACHES
TRICKLE-UP INNOVATION
HEDGE AGAINST
ECONOMIC CHAOS
Recent high-profile data breaches have severely impacted consumer
confidence in the payments system and motivated retailers to seek more
secure tools. In the U.S., Neiman Marcus, Home Depot, Supervalu and, most
notably, Target are among the prominent businesses to have suffered data
breaches. These have compromised millions of credit and debit cards, with
Targets breach affecting up to 110 million people.
Fear of fraud will both drive adoption of new systems and inhibit some
consumers from embracing relatively untested systems.
Image credit: businessjournalism.org 10
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
TREND DRIVERS
With less competition and fewer regulatory restrictions, emerging markets
serve as fertile testing grounds for new payment methods and new players.
And with many consumers in these markets unbankedoutside the
commercial banking systemalternative systems like mobile money are
flourishing.
Telecoms have led the way when it comes to sending and receiving payments
via basic cellphones. Safaricom, in partnership with Vodafone, launched the
most successful of these services in Kenya in 2007. Nearly two-thirds of
Kenyans now use M-Pesa, and 43% of the nations GDP moves through it.
The success of M-Pesa and similar services is prompting new ideas in
developed markets. In the U.S., mobile carriers T-Mobile and Sprint have both
entered into the mobile money space.
Image credits: M-Pesa; T-Mobile
MILLENNIAL MINDSET
DISTRUST IN FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
TECHNOLOGY
DATA BREACHES
TRICKLE-UP INNOVATION
HEDGE AGAINST
ECONOMIC CHAOS
Digital technology is opening up new ways to pay, many of them more seamless
and secure than traditional methods. Foremost among these is the mobile
walletusing smartphones to make purchases or peer-to-peer paymentsbut
various other ideas are coming to fruition, including wearables (tapping a
watch, scanning a ring, etc.) and biometric technology like pay-by-fingerprint.
NEW WAYS TO PAY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
MOBILE WALLETS
Broadly speaking, mobile wallet users swipe, tap, wave or otherwise prompt a smartphone to pay after
initial setup (providing credit card or bank account information and potentially linking to various loyalty
programs). Technologies vary but include near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth and bar code
systems. For people with little to no access to commercial banks, the advent of mobile moneytexting to
send or receive payments using basic phoneshas been a godsend.
NEW WAYS TO PAY
61
MILLION+
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
*Source: GSMA
Image credit: Alipay
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
MOBILE WALLETS
(contd.)
NEW WAYS TO PAY
61
MILLION+
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
Image credits: Apple; Amazon; Google
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
MOBILE WALLETS
(contd.)
NEW WAYS TO PAY
61
MILLION+
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
Image credits: PayPal; Kuapay; Softcard
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
MOBILE WALLETS:
PEER-TO-PEER
PAYMENTS
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
Image credits: Dwolla; Venmo; Ribbon; Paym
Various startups are looking to digitize peer-to-peer transactions, mostly by way of
mobile apps. Business Insider estimates the global volume of P2P payments at more
than $1 trillion annually, with only a sliver made through mobile today.
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
BRANDED APPS
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
As banks, tech giants and new entrants vie to dominate in the mobile wallet space, Starbucks
and other brands are creating their own apps, enabling frequent customers to pay
seamlessly. In some casesnotably with taxi services like Uber and fast food brandsthe apps
let users both order and pay, reducing wait times or hassle. In other cases, as with Starbucks,
the apps draw users by folding in loyalty rewards or coupons. Brands benefit by collecting
extensive customer data and drawing in impatient, cash-averse Millennials.
Image credit: Starbucks
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
Image credit: MyCheck
DINE AND GO
Some see a role for payment apps beyond the fast food sphere, with patrons at
bars and restaurants harnessing mobile to more quickly and easily settle their
checks. Customers can tap, pay and leave without flagging down an employee;
from the merchants point of view, this frees up staff and potentially opens up
tables more quickly.
MyCheck, which has a
partnership with PayPal,
launched its app in
Israel in 2012 and has
moved into a few cities
in the U.S., the U.K.
and Brazil.
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
WEARABLES
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
WearablesInternet-connected devices worn on the bodypromise an even more seamless
method of payment than mobile phones. The vision is that consumers will simply hold up a
watch, tap a wristband or perhaps issue a verbal instruction to Google Glass.
Image credit: Eaze
Glasses: Some mobile-payment players are betting on consumers paying with a gesture, tap
or voice command using Glass or other high-tech specs. Eaze, a startup pushing the idea of
Nod to Pay, links to two bitcoin payment systems and plans to add fiat currencies.
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
WEARABLES
(contd.)
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
Image credits: Apple; Artefact
Watches: Several payment apps work in tandem with
early entrants on the smartwatch market. These
include PayPals app for Samsungs Gear 2 and
WearBucks for owners of Android Wear watches.
Wristbands: For people willing to link up credit or
debit card information, smart wristbands may have a
long-term role to play as a way to make fast
purchases at events like music festivals or
destinations like theme parks.
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
WEARABLES
(contd.)
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Active mobile money
accounts worldwide as
of June 2013*
Image credit: Barclaycard
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
BIOMETRIC
PAYMENTS
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Image credits: PayPal; Biyo
The Samsung
Galaxy S5
enables
fingerprint
payment via
PayPals app
To improve security, businesses are starting to adopt systems that identify and
authenticate people based on physical or behavioral characteristics: iris scans, digital
fingerprints, voice prints, vein or facial maps and so on. The method is also more
convenient for users than typing passwords, although privacy will be a concern for
some. Fingerprint recognition, the most widely used biometric system thus far, will
become increasingly common now that Apple is embracing mobile payments.
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
EMAILS, TEXTS
AND TWEETS
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Image credit: Popmoney
Today more and more companiesfrom startups to financial institutions and tech giants
like Googleare enabling person-to-person payments, bill payments and product
purchases via a simple message. For instance, French bank Groupe BPCE will enable
people to tweet money to one another via its S-money mobile-wallet subsidiary, thanks
to a partnership with Twitter.
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
WHAT IT MEANS
FOR BRANDS
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Cater to Millennials
Dish Network
Dell
United Way
Expedia
Overstock.com
The Sacramento
Kings
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
ALTERNATIVE BRAND
CURRENCIES
Social media as currency: Brands commonly offer incentives in exchange for
Facebook likes or Twitter follows. Now, with social media ingrained into the daily
lives of many, some are evolving this idea by enabling consumers to acquire
products or discounts with social media actions in lieu of cash.
Image credit: Carlsberg
Danish beer company
Carlsberg partnered with
bars in Denmark to
extend happy hour for
drinkers who posted
social media photos with
the hashtag
#HappyBeerTime
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
ALTERNATIVE BRAND
CURRENCIES
(contd.)
Tweet-to-pay pop-up shops:
These temporary locations
provide unique experiences that
consumers are keen to capture
and then share with their
followers, increasing brand
engagement and stimulating
word-of-mouth.
In London, Weight Watchers
created the Feel Good Caf,
where visitors paid with social
media shares. And Marc Jacobs
launched a Tweet Shop where
guests received free gifts based
on their social posts.
Image credit: Weight Watchers
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
ALTERNATIVE BRAND
CURRENCIES
(contd.)
Vending machines: Along with pop-up shops, Internet-connected vending
machines are becoming a go-to source for accepting social media actions
for payment.
Image credits: Walkers; Old Navy
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
ALTERNATIVE BRAND
CURRENCIES
(contd.)
Incentivizing good behavior: Some brands have turned positive actions on
the part of consumers into a form of currency.
Image credits: Anthon Berg; McDonalds
Chocolate brand Anthon
Berg set up the pop-up
Generous Store, where
customers could earn boxes
of chocolate by pledging to
do good deeds, and
McDonalds let customers
pay with recycled cans.
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
ALTERNATIVE BRAND
CURRENCIES
(contd.)
Branded currency: For years, loyalty has translated into a currency of sorts, with
merchants offering Buy 10, get 1 free, airlines awarding seats to frequent flyers
and so on. These loyalty schemes, including gift cards and coupons, account for
more than $165 billion in purchasing power in the U.S. alone. With that much value
in circulation, some brands are reframing these offers, shifting brand loyalty into a
currency in a more traditional sense. And thanks to smartphones, disparate
programs are becoming more manageable for consumers, who can readily cash in.
Image credits: Amazon; Kik; McDonalds
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
ALTERNATIVE BRAND
CURRENCIES
(contd.)
Products as currency: Brands have been getting creative with the age-old practice
of barter, turning their goods into currency as part of social responsibility initiatives
or novel marketing ploys. For telecom brands, mobile minutes or data can serve as
currency for consumers hungry for more phone access.
Image credits: KitKat; Vodafone
Social responsibility: To help boost tourism in a
region of Japan that was devastated by the 2011
earthquake and tsunami, Nestl is enabling
travelers to use special-edition KitKat packs as
travel passes on the Sanriku Railway.
Mobile airtime/data: In Egypt, Vodafone worked with
JWT to introduce airtime as a form of currency. Small
shops or kiosks in the country often substitute low-value
items like gum and candy for small change; in a twist on
this practice, Vodafone created mobile-top-up cards in
small denominations, designing them to fit in a cash
register. These Fakka (small change) cards drove an
average 7% rise in revenue per customer.
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
ALTERNATIVE BRAND
CURRENCIES
(contd.)
Ad campaigns: Some brands have turned their products into currencies in ad
campaigns, framing the emotional value of their goods in a new light. To show that
Heineken opens your world, the beer-maker tasked a man with getting from Inner
Mongolia back home to Thailand using nothing but Heineken and a little bit of wit.
Image credit: Heineken
NEW FORMS OF CURRENCY
NICK BILTON,
The New York Times
WHAT IT MEANS
FOR BRANDS