Three in five Spaniards happy for smart devices to shop on their behalf

27^th September 2017 – Madrid — New research from Worldpay reveals that three in five (58%) Spanish consumers would feel comfortable for a smart in-home device, such as a connected fridge, to purchase items on their behalf. The country is overwhelmingly in favor of connected technologies, with only 27% of respondents saying they would not feel comfortable giving their devices this level of autonomy.

While a growing number of consumers welcome the potential of connected devices, there remain some concerns around data security and privacy. Worldpay’s research has found that 71% of Spaniards worry about device manufacturers sharing their personal data, and 76% are apprehensive about these devices being hacked.

With little question remaining about the country’s enthusiasm for connected technologies, the onus falls on businesses to reassure consumers by giving them control over their devices. Fifty-five (55%) percent of Spaniards say they are more likely to embrace connected devices if they can set rules that govern what is bought and when.

Rogier De Boer, VP of Business Development in EMEA at Worldpay said: “No matter if done by a human or machine, it is vital for consumers to remain in control when they’re delegating payment tasks. Our research has found that there should always be a conscious ‘act of consent’; be that via a device notification, button press or a pre-set rule like a spending limit, being agreed in advance.

The beauty of technology advancements means that there are many opportunities for virtual assistants and connected devices to make consumers lives easier. If machines can offer consumers a ‘concierge’ style service that reduces day-to-day life admin and menial tasks then there is no reason why they won’t want to delegate some of their shopping responsibilities – after all, we would all appreciate an extra bit of time to ourselves. In the end, consumers need confidence that machines can be trusted to make the right decisions and keep their owners informed and in control.”

To help companies overcome the perceived security barrier, Worldpay is trialing an open source software development kit (SDK) to facilitate payments between connected devices. Worldpay Within is an embeddable payments agent that allows smart devices to make and accept payments simply, quickly and securely. With the number of connected devices estimated to reach 20 billion globally by the end of 2017¹, making sure these technologies can communicate effectively and securely will be crucial to getting the most value out of them.

From 3-5^th November, Worldpay will host its first ever hackathon in Bucharest, Romania, where attendees will be challenged to use Worldpay Within to develop innovative applications of IoT technology in payments. To register for the Worldpay Payments & IoT hackathon, visit the event website.

About the data
The research was conducted by research house Opinium in June 2017 and interviewed 20,000 consumers who have heard about the Internet of Things in Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, The Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United States of America and United Kingdom. The full Connected Consumer report is available upon request. In Germany, 2,000 consumers were surveyed.

About Worldpay
Worldpay is a leading payments company with global reach. We provide an extensive range of technology-led payment products and services to around 400,000 customers, enabling their businesses to grow and prosper. We manage the increasing complexity of the payments landscape for our customers, allowing them to accept the widest range of payment types around the world. Using our network and technology, we are able to process payments from geographies covering 99% of global GDP, across 146 countries and 126 currencies. We help our customers to accept more than 300 different payment types. For more information visit: http://www.worldpay.com/global

For more information, please contact:

Global eCom
Emily Lahey, PR Director
+44 (0) 203 664 5663
emily.lahey@worldpay.com

Golin
Nitesh Khetani
+44 (0) 207 067 0128
worldpayecommteam@golin.com

¹Statista: IoT – Number of connected devices worldwide 2015-2025