Ljubljana, 26 May (STA) - Slovenians remain loyal to payment cards while increasingly adopting mobile wallets and smart devices for their transactions, according to the latest Masterindex survey conducted for Mastercard by market research agency Mediana. Online shopping has become a daily norm, with four out of five residents deeming it secure.
The research indicates that debit cards are the primary choice for most, used significantly more often than deferred payment cards. True credit cards are utilised by only a small fraction of users. Overall, 85% of Slovenians use a payment card at least weekly, and 27% use one daily. Card payments are also becoming more common on holiday, with a quarter of Slovenians covering all expenses this way and a third using cards for most of their holiday spending.
Approximately 80% of Slovenians occasionally shop online, and nearly 90% have made an online purchase in the last three months. The most frequently bought items are clothing (46%), household goods (26%), electronics (26%), and cosmetics (20%), primarily from Slovenian online retailers. When purchasing from international sellers, airline tickets are common (22%), often paid for using alternative methods like digital payment platforms.
Mastercard notes that mobile payments are among the fastest-growing habits for Slovenian consumers. Over 20% of Slovenians already use mobile banking, and 83% are willing to use a mobile payment app if it ensures security through authentication, such as fingerprint scanning, and is simple to use.
Nearly two-thirds (61%) of respondents have already paid with their phone in shops or at petrol stations, and almost half (48%) have done so in restaurants. Phones are thus becoming the new wallet, a trend confirming that "consumers primarily value convenience and control."
Although 83% of Slovenians consider online shopping safe, a minority still harbours concerns. Among those who do not view online shopping as secure, half distrust online payment processes, 41% express distrust of online retailers, 37% are wary of product descriptions, and 29% cite lengthy dispute resolution as problematic. Biometrics are emerging as a solution, with over a fifth of Slovenians already using fingerprint authentication for payments, and the use of facial recognition also growing.
Masterindex is an international survey by Mastercard Europe, conducted in Slovenia since 2009. The research was carried out in April by the Mediana Institute for Market and Media Research, using a computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) system on a representative sample of over 1,000 individuals.
