Does a Public Campaign Influence Debit Card Usage? Evidence from the Netherlands
39 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2015
Date Written: April 9, 2015
Abstract
Do consumers change their payment behaviour after being exposed to a public campaign that encourages them to use their debit cards more often? We analyse the impact of such a campaign that started in 2007, using weekly debit card transaction data between 2005 and 2013. The overall results show positive effects of a national campaign to promote debit card usage, both in the short and in the long run. Debit card usage increased by 2%. The effects are the most significant at the early stages of the campaign, while appearing to wear off after a few years of interventions. The results suggest that high campaign intensity had a positive impact, as did a focus on certain large retail chains.
Keywords: debit cards, payment behaviour, social marketing, cost efficiency, safety
JEL Classification: D24, E42, G21, M31, M37
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