Barclaycard sponsored Isle of Wight Festival 2023 under fire for being cashless event
The Isle of Wight Festival 2023 is taking place on 15th – 18th June, and it will be an entirely cashless affair.
Those attending can pay by card (Visa, Mastercard or Amex), or with apps such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. This year’s event is sponsored by, wait for it, Barclaycard.
Those with a Barclaycard or Barclays Premier card can get 10% off food and drinks at selected vendors.
The festival went cashless in 2021, and remained that way last year.
In a LinkedIn post, Ron Delnevo, Chair of the UK Cash Supply Alliance, said: “You cannot use cash. Who sponsors the event? Barclaycard. Need I say more?”
He added: “Next year, the festival will again accept cash, when the Payment Choice Act 2023 comes into force. You read it first here! Payment Choice Alliance. Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Andrew Griffith MP.”
Barclaycard and the organisers of the Isle of Wight Festival did not respond to our request for comment.
Digital wallets
50% of UK consumers say they no longer need a physical wallet or purse, swapping it for a digital equivalent on their phone. That’s according to new research from omnichannel customer engagement platform SAP Emarsys to mark the launch of its Mobile Wallet solution.
The study of 2,003 Brits suggests that the adoption of the mobile wallet is a generational change in the UK, with 67% of those who make purchases via their mobile wallet aged 18-24 comfortable without a physical wallet compared to just 37% of those over 45.
This appears to be driven by the loyalty benefits offered by mobile wallets, with 93% of consumers using a mobile wallet-based loyalty programme.
Key cited benefits for those who purchase items using digital discounts or coupons include keeping discount codes organised (25%); the speed of purchase compared to paper counterparts (31%); and the ease with which you can check your savings (32%).
With 65% of consumers actively comfortable using digital coupons/vouchers, and 64% for digital loyalty cards, these benefits are likely to become expectations as the technology continues to grow in adoption.
Just 9% said they were uncomfortable using digital coupons and vouchers, and 10% respectively said that they were uncomfortable using digital loyalty cards.
For those that don’t yet use mobile loyalty cards, the number one reason is that they aren’t loyal enough to any one brand to justify adopting them.
“Today’s savvy consumers won't tolerate poor experiences or rewards that miss the mark. Earning their loyalty means deeply understanding what each individual values and delivering it at precisely the right time on the channel they prefer,” says Kelsey Jones, Global Head of Product Marketing at SAP Emarsys.
“Our new Mobile Wallet functionality lets marketers uplevel their brand promise, giving them more ways to deliver the personalised, seamless experiences their customers expect.”
He adds: “Imagine checking out at your favourite store and simply pulling up your iPhone to pay with Apple Pay and, there waiting for you in the palm of your hand, are the exact coupons and loyalty card you need in one place.”
“Mobile Wallet makes this experience convenient and easy for marketers to implement and optimise, so the customer has the best possible shopping experience.”
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