DACH region accelerates contactless payment adoption

More than three quarters of cashless transactions in the DACH region are now contactless, as the pandemic spurred contactless adoption, according to the latest data.

By June 2021, the average contactless rate in Germany was 77%, 80% in Switzerland and 82% in Austria, figures from European paytech Nets Group showed.

This compared to overall contactless adoption of just 40% in the DACH region in June 2019, which then grew rapidly to 71% by June 2020.

Robert Hoffmann, CEO of Nets Merchant Services, said that the Covid-19 pandemic “significantly accelerated” what had been a steadily growing trend in the DACH region.

“It was inevitable that Germany, Austria and Switzerland would ultimately achieve high levels of contactless payment adoption, but without this catalyst, it would have taken years to reach where it is today,” he added.

“An increasing number of merchants here are now offering and actively encouraging tap-and-go, which is becoming the norm for consumers.”

Supermarkets and bakeries have recorded the highest contactless payment rates in the DACH countries, at 87% and 94% respectively.

The region has caught up with the Nordics, which Nets said is regarded as a “highly digitised society”.

It reported that in January 2020, average contactless adoption in the Nordics was at 56%, growing to 75% by January this year.

Norway saw the biggest growth, given that in January 2020 contactless adoption was at only 35% but by January 2021 had hit 79%.