Recently, facial recognition payment (FRP, or Face-to-Pay Scan, 刷脸支付) has gained popularity in China as a new physical stores digital payment method.

Unlike the US, China already has widespread mobile payment as the primary way to make purchases. Cash is not accepted in some places-only mobile payment. A Chinese shopper, as long as she has her phone, can leave home without her purse.

This wallet-free reality is largely due to popularity of QR-codes payment: people scan a shop’s QR code and pay the order amount on their phones. Facial recognition is the next step to it, all you need is your face, no phone required.

Extremely Convenient

The convenience of FRP was praised by all participants but especially new users. The method even reduced the total payment time to around 15–20 seconds for first time users. One male, 35, new to this process, couldn’t believe it happened so quickly. He asked the cashier twice when he finished the payment “So is it done? “He left, after being reassured repeatedly that he had paid for his croissant.

The image below shows the process a first-time user needs to undergo to use the FRP technology. After the cashier has entered the amount the client needs to pay, the client is prompted to stand before the specialized device. When the Pay with Face Recognition button is taped on the screen, the customer’s face is captured and used to obtain the Ali Pay account associated with it. Then, the user must enter the phone number listed in the Ali Pay account to validate identity. Upon confirmation of identity, the user tap Confirm Payment.

Sounds good, right? But in fact, most of the people still prefer QR-code scanning, even after experiencing this new, fast way of paying. Question here is why? Apart from the fact that users often hate change, the biggest issue was that the onboarding experience didn’t make them feel safe enough.