Assessing the diffusion and use of mobile payment solutions : a case of the South African townships

Abstract

With mobile phones almost being ubiquitous in most communities, the electronic payment industry has realised the potential of using mobile phones as devices that can be used to conduct electronic payments. This realisation has led to an increase in the number of mobile payment solutions, which are being deployed for use by the public. However, these mobile payment solutions have not been widely adopted, especially by the citizens who are residing in the townships. Thus, this study investigates the factors that inhibit township residents from adopting mobile payments. The study was done at the Soshanguve township on the outskirts of Pretoria in Gauteng, South Africa. The study adopted a mixed method approach to collect data. Phase 1 relied on the interviews from a few selected individuals to collect the initial data, once this process was complete; a questionnaire (Phase 2) was developed and distributed to the general community of Soshanguve for data collection, which was qualitatively and quantitatively analysed.the diffusion and use of mobile payments in the townships. Some of the factors are as follows: mobile payments are not easy to use; lack of products to purchase using mobile payments; high costs associated with using mobile payment solutions; lack of trialability of mobile payment solutions; and lack of awareness of mobile payment providers in the townships. The study proposes several guidelines that could help developers and operators of mobile payment solutions to design and deploy their solutions in such a way that they are suitable for consumption by the users in township communities. Proposed guidelines are as follows: (1) when a mobile payment solution is launched, effort should be made to market it to the target market; (2) potential adopters of mobile payments should be able to try it without incurring any financial penalties; (3) mobile payments should be easier to use; (4) mobile payment security features should be apparent to the potential adopters in order to alleviate their fears; (5) mobile payment solutions should be designed according to the needs of the target market as one size fits all does not work; (6) mobile payment solutions should fulfill a need which is not met by the current alternatives or it should offer more value than the existing alternatives; (7) the cost of conducting mobile payments should be affordable; and (8) the regulator should develop legislation that stimulates innovation and competition while ensuring the security of mobile payments.