Abstract

This article is based on a study that aims to analyze factors influencing the acceptance of contactless payment devices by customers in Germany. Its purpose is to explain the influence of similar technologies, already in use towards the acceptance of contactless payment technology. Smartphones, especially the I-phone as one device of mobile technology, is offering a mobile payment procedure named Apple Pay. Contactless payment technologies are developing away from physically present credit card shaped plastic cards by an integration into mobile phone devices. Interviews in personal contact on petrol stations in Hamburg, Germany, have been conducted. Petrol stations are typically points of sale with a high rate of non-cash payments and customers have time to answer questions for an interview during refuting. 48 hours of interviews have been collected on two petrol stations in one of Germany’s largest cities, interviewing typical business-customers on a Monday and private customers on the weekend. The technology acceptance model has been chosen to identify and explain the interaction in the customer’s perception of new payment devices. The study reveals that the influence of information on the new payment process and possession of a customer loyalty card are critical variables in the customer acceptance of payment devices. Information about the new payment method proves to be the argument with strongest impact on the acceptance by customers. Besides these variables, perceived usefulness of the technology has been found as a significant factor in affecting the acceptance of contactless payment processes. Apples I-Phone with its current market penetration has the potential to provide a widespread and well known concept as basis for contactless payment technology.

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