ACI Worldwide : Mobile Apps Gain Popularity for Bill Payments Compared to Traditional Payment Methods, Reveals ACI Speedpay Pulse Study

Study finds that consumer preference for convenient, simple billing and payment options is driving the adoption of digital and mobile channels

NAPLES, FLA. - - ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading global provider of real-time electronic payments and banking solutions, has announced the results of the 2019 ACI Speedpay® Pulse, a longitudinal consumer billing and payment trends and behaviors research study of more than 3,000 adult consumers in the U.S. The findings show that consumer preference for convenience, speed and simplicity is driving the adoption of digital and mobile channels as usage of traditional payment channels and methods decreases.

Key findings from the 2019 ACI Speedpay Pulse include:

Digital and mobile-first approach on the rise for bill payments

- 21 percent of consumers used a company's mobile app to pay a bill in Q1 2019, compared to 19 percent in 2018

- Over the past year, more than 1 in 5 consumers have increased their usage of a company's website (26 percent) to pay bills, while the same number of consumers have decreased their usage of mail (22 percent) or in-person (21 percent) payments at the company's location

- 31 percent of consumers have paid a bill through a bank's website

- Approximately 2 in 5 (39 percent) of those who use mobile wallet payment methods say they have paid a bill through a mobile wallet

Decline in usage of traditional bill payment methods

- Use of traditional paper checks decreased slightly from 32 percent in 2018 to 28 percent in Q1 2019, with 3 in 5 consumers (60 percent) using checking account deductions to pay their monthly bills, and nearly half (48 percent) using debit cards

- Debit card and checking account deduction are consumers' most-preferred methods for one-time bill payments, with the preference for debit card payments on the rise (from 33 percent in 2018 to 38 percent in Q1 2019) due to convenience and simplicity

Digital and mobile channels are key for bill reminders and "urgent" or same-day payments

- Nearly 1 in 4 consumers (24 percent) say they have had to make an "urgent" or same-day payment in the past year

- Consumers often pay "urgent" or same-day payments through a company's website (36 percent), phone via CSR (34 percent) or in-person at the company's office/location (23 percent)

- 85 percent of consumers who paid a bill late take responsibility for it, while 15 percent feel it was the company's fault or they are unsure

. Of those who generally feel it was the company's fault that they paid a bill late, most say this is because the company did not provide easy payment options (32 percent) or sent the statement too late (27 percent)

- 42 percent of consumers prefer email alerts for bill notifications/reminders

- 21 percent of consumers expect to use mobile text alerts over the next 12 months

"While digital and mobile billing and payment options have been available to consumers for years, we're finally starting to see adoption of these channels surpass traditional channels in some key areas," said Sanjay Gupta, executive vice president, ACI Worldwide. "Consumers want more choice when it comes to how they receive their billing statements and notifications, and how they make payments. To continue to drive adoption and make consumers' lives easier, companies should educate and train consumers on the benefits of payment channel offerings like mobile apps and mobile wallets."

ACI's award-winning moBills technology, which is part of the ACI Speedpay solution, provides a seamless mobile billing experience for top global brands in industries such as utilities, banking, insurance, hospitality and auto lending.

Methodology

The Pulse is a longitudinal consumer billing and payments trends research study conducted in 2019 by Brownstein Group in partnership with Speedpay. Each data set in The Pulse includes responses from a survey of more than 3,000 unique respondents (no repeat participation within a one-year period). Each survey sample is U.S. Census-balanced among adults age 18 and older who are responsible for submitting payments for at least two of their household's monthly bills.