Apple Pay is accepted at 35 percent of retailers — or around 4 million locations — in the U.S., claims Jennifer Bailey, the VP in charge of Apple Pay.
Speaking at San Francisco’s Code Commerce conference (try saying that five times quickly!), Bailey cited it as a victory for Apple, and evidence that the service is finding its mark.
In 2017, she said that Apple is targeting big retailers, including GAP, to help it further increase its growth trajectory.
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Bailey said that the new EMV chip cards being introduced by banks are likely to help drive Apple Pay adoption since they prove annoying for customers, who would likely appreciate a smoother alternative.
In a Steve Jobs-esque touch, Bailey took a swipe at what she clearly sees as a subpar technology (in EMV chips), saying that: “Once you figure out you have to dip, you wait awhile, you wait awhile.” She then mimicked the “BEEP BEEP BEEP” made by the chip card readers.
However, despite this grievance she said that Apple’s is not going to focus on “knocking EMV” in ads, and is instead focusing on building praetorship with retailers and banks which give customers a “value added” incentive to use Apple Pay — such as the bonus points issued by American Airlines.
She also gave the vague tease that, “Everything in your wallet we’re thinking about” as a possible next step for Apple Pay — although no further details were offered.
Last month, a study suggested that vending machines that advertise Apple Pay can provide a big boost in revenues, resulting in customers being 135 percent more likely to pull out their iPhones to pay if digital advertising for Apple Pay is presented at the point of sale.
That certainly suggests that getting people to use Apple Pay is just about giving the service enough time and ad dollars for it to sink in with the vast majority of users.
Are you a regular Apple Pay user? Leave us a comment below.
Source: The Verge
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
3 responses to “Apple Pay is now accepted by 35% of U.S. retailers”
Unconsciously, I’ve started to prefer restaurants and retailers that support Apple Pay. Being able to leave my wallet behind and still make payments is awesome.
Me too!
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