December 6 (SeeNews) - The number of contactless payments in Bulgaria rose by a three-digit percentage figure in 2016, Visa Europe's manager for Bulgaria, Krassimira Raykova, said on Tuesday.
"The growth is driven mainly by supermarkets, petrol stations and fast food restaurants, where the quick contactless payments facilitate business and provide better services for customers," Raykova told SeeNews on the sidelines of a news conference on the use of online payments in Bulgaria.
After the infrastructure for contactless payments at point-of-sale terminals has been completely set up, the next step will be the introduction of payments through mobile devices, Raykova also said.
The number of online payments through Visa credit cards in Bulgaria rose by 8% in 2016, compared to an increase of 4% in the previous year, according to a survey presented at the news conference .
The survey was conducted by local market research agency Noema and covers the ten largest cities in the country. It represents a quantitative research of people aged 18-55 years who purchased products and services in the last three months using online payments.
Around 40% of consumers in Bulgaria made online purchases more than once each month, compared to 33% last year. Furthermore, 20% of respondents said they would not buy a product if the online payment method is unavailable.
The largest share (45%) of online purchases was conducted through Bulgarian online stores. Large international retailers had a share of 20%, while group buying web stores attracted 21% of all transactions. The remaining 15% was generated by other international stores.
The most frequently purchased products include clothes and shoes, holiday trips, technological products and books.
According to Raykova, at least one in three Bulgarian consumers will opt for making payments online to buy Christmas presents this year.