Retailers encouraged to Switch On to contactless

Retailers encouraged to Switch On to the benefits of contactless

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Auckland, New Zealand – 31 July 2017 – A new campaign has launched today to encourage retailers to ‘Switch On’ to the benefits of contactless payments.

The Switch On website, www.switchonnz.co.nz, profiles Kiwi businesses talking about how contactless technology is making a real difference to their businesses.

Kiwi consumers are already switched on to the benefits of contactless technology, with a recent Mastercard survey of over 1000 New Zealanders finding almost three quarters of Kiwis are using contactless.

The survey found more than half of Kiwis use contactless technology at least once a week, up 12% on last year, as the technology becomes increasingly part of everyday use.

“People are increasingly using contactless when making day-to-day purchases. More consumers are choosing contactless payments as their first option, and this demand is encouraging retailers to make the technology more widely available,” says Peter Chisnall, Country Manager for New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

While consumers are using the technology, 38% of New Zealanders think retailers need to do more to embrace new payment innovations. A third of respondents said they get frustrated when retailers do not have contactless technology enabled.

“For retailers, the benefits aren’t just faster queues, reduced cash handling and more efficiently serving customers, but also paving the way for emerging payment methods like mobile payments and biometrics that will soon become mainstream in New Zealand,” says Chisnall.

Switch On profiles a range of Kiwi businesses in a number of industries about how contactless technology is helping them day-to-day to provide great customer service, convenience and choice.

Tim Dryburgh, Asset Manager at Z Energy, says “Contactless payments mean that, on average, every transaction at Z is now seven seconds faster. At peak times, when you’re under pressure and there are queues forming, that’s a significant amount of time saved across the huge number of customers that shop with us. Contactless is ideal for businesses that have a short window of time to make transactions or those who have a large number of transactions, like Z.”

Shane Howell, Chief Product Officer, Westpac, says “The benefits of contactless for retailers will only continue to increase as more consumers embrace the technology. Each day more New Zealand businesses are contacting their bank to switch on contactless, so they can provide the options their customers want to ensure their ongoing business success in a more digital society.”

Retailers are encouraged to find out how contactless technology can help their business, and challenge some common misconceptions around contactless acceptance at switchonnz.co.nz

About the research

This monthly Perceptive Omnibus surveyed 1007 New Zealanders online in December 2016 using a nationwide sampling framework. The results are then weighted to Statistics New Zealand census gender, age and location data.

The survey and its accompanying reports do not represent Mastercard’s financial performance.

About Switch On

Switch On is a joint initiative between Mastercard and the Australasian Acceptance Development Fund, made up of four New Zealand banks, ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac. The aim of Switch On is to deliver acceptance development initiatives to benefit card acceptance in New Zealand.

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.Mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardAP and @MastercardNZ, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

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