Samsung Wallet expands to 13 markets, Australia still waiting

Combining prior products Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass in the one all-inclusive app, Samsung Wallet will offer much the same kind of functions as that of the Apple Wallet, allowing consumers easy access to digital cards, passes and loyalty program cards within the app.

Samsung have also flagged their hopes of including support for identification cards such as driver’s licenses and student ID cards in future updates to the app.

The 13 new markets to be granted access to the Samsung Wallet solution include Bahrain, Denmark, Finland, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Norway, Oman, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Vietnam, and the UAE. They join the eight markets already granted access to the tech giant’s all-inclusive digital wallet in China, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, the UK, and the US.

Plans to release the Samsung Wallet app to the Australian market remain undisclosed, despite Samsung boasting the second highest smartphone market share in Australia, at a rate thought to be greater than 27 percent and sitting behind only that of fiercest rival Apple.

In a statement, EVP and Head of Digital Life Team at Mobile eXperience Business for Samsung Electronics Jeanie Han said of the latest expansion, “Samsung Wallet takes everyday convenience to the next level and we have worked closely with our trusted partners and developers to enrich our Wallet experience. We are focused on bringing the platform to as many markets as possible, as soon as possible, so more Samsung Galaxy users have the opportunity to reap the benefits of the digital wallet.”

Progress on the release of the product to the Australian market will be watched closely by local retailers and consumers alike, as findings from payment platform Marqeta showed that 83 percent of Australian consumers reported having used a mobile wallet in the year prior to being surveyed – a rate greater than that of even the UK and the US at 77 percent and 71 percent respectively.

Given such widespread adoption of digital wallet solutions and Samsung’s smartphone market share in Australia, the future introduction of the Samsung Wallet to Australian shores could see the country move even further towards digital payment solutions as the preferred payment strategy.

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