Mobile payments are not yet taking off in the United Kingdom, but there are signs of potential, according to Auriemma Consulting Group LLC.
So far, "it's not really being pushed and no one has really come out and said 'we're marketing this,' " said Megan Bramlette, an Auriemma managing associate. The reason, she said, is because a solid commercial model has not been determined by the various players in the market, including mobile phone operators, card issuers and processors.
"It's a business issue, not a consumer-adoption or technology issue," Bramlette said. Those players still need to decide how to divide up the fees for a mobile payment service. But that could change. "If consumers were going bonkers about this then you can be sure the business model would shake out faster," she said.
There is a glimmer of hope, according to Auriemma. Twelve percent of 511 consumers it surveyed said they would change mobile carriers in order to take advantage of mobile payment technology and 15% said they would obtain a new handset that would enable them to make mobile payments. Bramlette said this is a substantial number since consumers usually only change mobile carriers and phones when they have a customer service problem.
