Expectations & Experiences Consumer Trends Research from Fiserv
Exploring the digital transformation of billing and payments

How digital reminders, autopay and payment apps are reshaping consumer trust and behavior in an evolving financial ecosystem.

 

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Highlights
  • Digital reminders are essential – nearly four in five people receive them and a significant majority appreciate them
  • Consumers trust digital payment options over physical methods, with autopay, apps and websites leading the way
  • Autopay is among the most used, most trusted bill pay methods for consumers, especially when it comes to fixed bills like subscriptions and insurance
  • Payment apps are now used far more than cash/checks for P2P transactions, with consumers valuing their convenience and speed
  • Consumers remain optimistic despite economic uncertainty, and 40% expect to be doing better a year from now
Consumers value digital reminders
The variety and complexity of bills have expanded, transforming how people manage and prioritize their finances. Digital reminders have emerged as a critical element to keep consumers organized in their billing.
25%
 
55%

  

Trust in digital payment methods surpasses in person
Consumers trust digital payments more than traditional channels like in-person, mail and email that could be intercepted.
Trust in payment methods

Autopay

65%    

Biller's app/website

61%    

Bank/credit union website

57%     

In person

43%    

Mail

24%    

Email

24%    

Phone call

21%    

For eight in ten consumers, autopay is the go-to for convenience and reliability

 

Bills paid with autopay

 

 

39%

Reasons to use autopay

 

 

39%

Payment apps are the most used method to pay another person

Payment apps are rapidly overtaking traditional methods, including cash and checks, driven by consumer demand for convenience and speed.

 

Methods to pay another person in a typical month

horizontal bar graph showing the different reasons consumers use one card versus multiple

Consumers are nearly twice as likely to use P2P

Consumers are significantly more likely to use digital payments over physical ones to pay another person. In fact, payment apps like PayPal and Zelle are significantly outperforming traditional cash and check payments.

Top payment app motivators

bubble chart showing the different rewards that influence a consumer's choice of which card to use

It’s about convenience and speed

Consumers want convenience and speed in P2P payments. Security is a distant third, likely because the expectation for secure payments is so ingrained that it is now considered non-negotiable.

 

Why people don’t use payment apps

 

Barriers present opportunities

Eight in ten consumers use payment apps to pay another person. Those who don’t are most likely to say it’s because of fees. This presents an essential opportunity for consumer education and engagement given that most payment apps are free of charge for friends and family transactions.

 

Consumer financial expectations remain positive despite economic concerns
While inflation and economic uncertainty continue to dominate the news, consumers remain optimistic about their financial outlooks.
39%
39%