It is time to bid farewell to QR codes and get ready to enter the age of face recognition

Just imagine you are going to the super market and you pay without your phone or wallet.  Only smile at the register for the camera, verify your ID and then authorize your account for the fee. A couple of quick steps and you're sorted.

This may sound crazy to most people in the world. However, facial pay has, in reality, been popular in China for years already. It makes only logical that China is also leading this new trend, as it has long led the world in mobile payments.

Techwire Asia mentioned that customers can make a transaction in China, where mobile payments are among the most advanced worldwide, simply by posing in front of point-of-sale (POS) machines fitted with cameras, after connecting a picture of their face to a digital payment system or bank account.

According to their report, "In 2019 alone, some 1,000 convenience stores in China installed a facial payment method, and more than 100 million Chinese have registered to use the technology. Alipay, the payment service operated by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, and its main rival, WeChat Pay from Tencent, have been powering the trend."

It only feels normal to wonder whether or not this trend will expand to the rest of the world, witnessing development with facial payments well underway in China. Or the concern is "Is the entire globe prepared for facial payment?"

Benefits and Drawbacks of Facial Payments Use

The benefits provide higher security standards than other security tools for payments via biometric identity verification. Like the crimes perpetrated by other forms of payment systems, this is almost hard to break. Another benefit is that the technology for facial payment is relatively easy to incorporate into a current payment system. As the technology does not need any touch or machine, it is faster, simpler, and more versatile than mobile payments or fingerprints verification.

It's an extremely precise operation. The entire transaction can also be completely automated for greater productivity and decreased friction, helping to enhance the customer experience.

Nevertheless, there are many drawbacks to consider. First of all, there is a lot of data to store, secure, track and handle. Also, as the image size and its quality continue to progress, face recognition has a long way to go. In order to ensure that people know how they must pose for screening purposes, the detection angle is essential. With color glasses, lenses, and beard, such problems may occur.

The implementation of the payment system for facial recognition comes when many customers are interested in making purchases using biometrics. A recent research study reveals that half of the respondents prefer biometric payment solutions over other forms of emerging payment technology.

Thus, facial recognition will change the world of digital payment. Customers can make purchases without any cash, bank card or smart phone with this advanced innovation. As the facial recognition has been stepped up in the rising numbers of sectors such as automotive, banking, and healthcare, this technology is growing rapidly in the immediate future to replace conventional digital payments. It is time to bid farewell to pincodes/passwords and get ready to enter the age of face recognition.