Customers report: Apple Pay on Apple Watch is Magical

Unlike Apple Pay on an iPhone, which requires one to pull the phone out and authorize, typically, with a fingerprint, payment with an Apple Watch is a joy. Frictionless. In a Wristly research report, most users describe the process as "magical."

Wristly had over 1,000 respondents in its poll of Apple Watch users in the US and the UK. The analysis revealed several fascinating things about Apple Pay on the Apple Watch.

  1. 80 percent of Apple Watch owners have used Apple Pay.
  2. Apple Pay is typically used first in a retail environment instead of an in-app purchase.
  3. 51 percent described the Apple Pay experience as "magical" while another 42 percent declared it "convenient."
  4. 81 percent use Apple pay for everyday shopping, like groceries.
  5. 86 percent actively look for Apple Pay branding materials when checking out at a store.
  6. Fewer than 5 percent aren't interested in using ApplePay
  7. Very few (5 percent) have concerns about the security of Apple Pay.

Notable was the number of credit cards installed. 69 percent have two cards installed while four percent have as many as five cards enabled.

Image credit: Wristly Research

The report finished with customer statements about Apple Pay on the Apple Watch, stating: "'Wanting to use it more often at retail' took the top spot in the ranking of several key statements about the Apple Watch."

Observations

From experience, I can confirm that there is a significant amount of glee when using Apple Pay on an Apple Watch. There are grins all around, and checkout clerks often chat with each other about the experience they have with delighted customers.

The ability to wave a hand and pay without having to pull an iPhone out of the pocket is not mere laziness. It's the joy of a lack of encumbrance combined with the satisfaction of doing something extraordinary and highly technical with ease and success–in an age often punctuated by technical frustrations.

Apple has done a good job of explaining the security of Apple Pay, and so it's not surprising that so few have concerns. Apple has to be pleased with that successful messaging in an age known for irrational technology myths.

Finally, the report alludes to the fact that savvy banks and merchants have much to gain by cashing in, so to speak, on this highly favorable customer mentality. Apple Pay, especially on an Apple Watch, has turned the retail payment experience from an inconvenience, fraught with concerns about having a number stolen, into a "magical" experience. Merchants must be delighted.