Do biometric payment systems work during the COVID-19 pandemic? : insights from the Spanish users' viewpoint

Technological developments are changing how users pay for goods and services. In the context of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, new payment systems have been established to reduce contact between buyer and seller. In addition to the pandemic, the future is payment processing is also uncertain due to the new EU security regulations of the Payment Services Directive (PSD2). Biometric payments one option that would guarantee the security of transactions and reduce the risk of contagion. This research analyses the intention to recommend the use of the mobile phone as a tool for collecting payments in a shop using iris reading as a biometric measure of the buyer. The moderating effect of the fear of contagion in the proposed relationships was also analysed. An online survey was carried out, which yielded a sample of 368 respondents. The results indicate that the main antecedents of intention to use, which precedes intention to recommend, are perceived trust, habit, personal innovativeness and comfort of use. Additionally, the moderating effect of COVID-19 was checked among users with a higher perception of risk. The results obtained have interesting implications for purchase management among manufacturers and retailers.