Italians prefer cashless, at least in words

A new Ipsos report created for Adyen, an international payment platform, reveals that over 63% of Italian payments are made through cashless solutions: almost all (95%) of the population uses cards while 29% is already oriented towards new smart payments. Not only that, as many as 80% say they absolutely prefer payment methods other than cash, which are judged to be more convenient, fast and secure. And in the future? Digital methods will continue to grow even if only 14% think that cash will disappear entirely. In particular, debit and credit cards dominate, the payment method most used by 1 Italian in 2; smart payments (digital wallets and apps) already adopted by 29% of the population follow, with a potential growth curve estimated at a further 6 percentage points (35%). Geographically speaking, Emilia-Romagna and Puglia are the smartest regions, thus drastically reducing the differences between north and south and between large and small centers at the level: users and prospects of smart solutions reach respectively 43% and 39% of the population, against the 35% of the national average. A diffusion, that of electronic payments of which a large part of the Italian population is now convinced. In fact, over 70% of the interviewees, still records from the Ipsos survey, believe that it is important to encourage the use of these solutions to emancipate the country from backwardness and improve the quality of life of consumers and shopkeepers. For convenience, as 67% of respondents say, for speed as 58% say. Furthermore, 33% of respondents indicate security as a determining factor when choosing to use smart payments or credit cards. As regards security, 61% of Italians believe that electronic payments help to limit tax evasion, 37 % say they can help reduce the risk of mugging, while 28% think they guarantee greater hygiene: an aspect undoubtedly linked to the pandemic and the sudden change in habits associated with it. The Ipsos survey also explored the views of Italians regarding the recent measures put in place to discourage the use of cash. The increase in the threshold up to 50 euros for contactless payments without a pin is positively evaluated by over 7 out of 10 Italians; indeed, 20% of respondents would appreciate a further increase in the limit. With just under half of the population joining (44%), the state cashback program was also welcomed by 68% of Italians. In addition to the evident growth of ecommerce, the use of payment methods in stores is also increasing: cashless payments have grown steadily over the last 2 years, thanks to the widespread adoption of credit or debit cards. used in shops by 69% of Italians. This growth will increase the trend towards cashless in stores: 26% say they have used them in the last 24 months and a further 9% growth is expected over the next 2 years.