Study finds consumers see biometric authentication as easier way to pay than traditional methods

01/09/2020

 

A new study commissioned by Visa has found that a strong majority of cardholders in Vietnam are interested in using biometric authentication such as fingerprints or facial recognition to complete transactions, rather than PIN numbers or passwords—with many having already used these technologies to make payments.

The study, which was commissioned by Visa and conducted by Fabrizio Ward, LLC was an online survey of credit cardholders in Vietnam which looked into attitudes towards existing and new methods of payment authentication, with a particular focus on issues of security, convenience, and reliability¹.

According to the research, 95 percent of respondents had used fingerprint recognition in the past to make a payment—making it the most popularly used form of biometric authentication. Across the board, the survey found that biometric payments are seen as being more secure, faster and easier than traditional methods.

Survey respondents very clearly ranked biometrics as some of the most secure forms of authentication, with 97 percent indicating that they felt fingerprint recognition was a secure method, followed by eye scans at 94 percent, and facial recognition at 92 percent. These ranked above methods like PIN numbers at 87 percent, and passwords at 84 percent.

83 percent of survey respondents indicated that they had abandoned a purchase online, with the most commonly cited reasons for doing so being that they’d forgotten a password (41 percent), or they’d had troubles logging on to their account (38 percent). This could explain why only one in five respondents stated that they use unique passwords for each account. At the same time, 93 percent said that they felt secure when paying using either a PIN or password.

Madame Dang Tuyet Dung, Visa Vietnam’s Country Manager, said: “The study shows that there is a clear desire for biometrics in the marketplace, and furthermore, that Vietnamese consumers are very keen adopters of new technologies. These are positive signs for us, as we work with banks in Vietnam to introduce more individualized and secure methods of identifying cardholders, so that we can work towards our goal of eliminating fraud while making the payment process even simpler for consumers.”

When asked for reasons why they may not currently be using biometric authentication, respondents’ leading response was that their bank didn’t support the technology. However, a large majority indicated they would likely switch away from banks, payment card providers, or mobile services that didn’t offer biometric authentication.

 

 

¹ Research conducted by Fabrizio Ward, LLC in March 2019, among 500 adult consumers in Vietnam who have a credit card.

 

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit  About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.