In India’s crowded digital payments space, the platform offering the smoothest transaction experience may have the best chance to stand out. And Walmart-owned PhonePe is outperforming rivals on that front, according to a new study by Forrester Research.
PhonePe pips industry leader Paytm in ease of use and also has fewer technical glitches, making it easier for first-time users to make digital transactions. “The app (PhonePe) does a good job of ensuring customers don’t commit errors, and they can recover if they make a mistake,” Forrester said in the report released on Dec. 17.
Ease of looking up terms, navigating across pages and options, and privacy measures embedded in the PhonePe app makes it the leader in user experience.
It also leads in functionality—transferring money between accounts with low failure rates.
The report says most payment apps in India are not user-friendly. Burying a QR code deep within the menu, flooding the app with too many features, and the use of jargon are some of the ways in which an app can go wrong.
Even simple expectations like shorter load times and smooth movement across options are proving to be hurdles on digital payments apps in India. “For customers, payment apps exist for only one reason: to make payments quickly and conveniently. But many apps struggle to meet this single goal,” said the report.
There are also common concerns over fraud. Yet, the report finds that PhonePe has a clear advantage in building users’ trust, with features to dispute transactions, and closely track their status.