Belgians are increasingly using smartphones to monitor their health and banking, but are not open to digital identification solutions.

Every year, Deloitte examines the technology habits of consumers across Europe and in Belgium in particular in its Digital Consumer Trends Report. It turns out that we like to pay with our smartphone, but we still use our laptop to surf and shop online. Belgians are less interested in fully digital identification solutions, such as a digital ID card on their smartphone.

The study now shows that one in two Belgians regularly uses their smartphone for physical payments. For some things we prefer to stick with other alternatives. For example, we prefer to stream on TV and stick to our trusty laptop when surfing or shopping online.

Although we are increasingly swapping our bank cards for our smartphones, we seem to be sticking with physical ID cards. 71 percent of Belgians do not want to have a digital ID card on their smartphone. Most (79%) are also not fans of a digital driving license.

Although we trust smartphones to access our bank accounts, we seem to be a little more careful about our identity.

Reliable solutions in Belgium

“We are noticing a great deal of reluctance among people when it comes to using smartphones as an identification solution. Often this is not necessarily due to a distrust of technology – because we already use the device to manage our banking affairs – but rather a reaction to the centralization of everything in our lives around the smartphone,” says Vincent Fosty, telecommunications manager , Media and Entertainment at Deloitte.

“For some things, people apparently still like to use the old-fashioned card, which works even when the smartphone battery is empty. We find that one in two Belgians not only refuses to fully digitize their identity documents, but also prefers to rely on tried and tested, trustworthy solutions for the keys to their home and car.”