Perceptional Analysis on the COVID-19 Digital Payment System: A Study

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift from cash to contactless transactions in India, building on momentum already created by the Digital India campaign, demonetisation and inexpensive mobile data. This paper examines consumer perception of digital payment systems in the post-pandemic setting. Primary data were gathered from 100 respondents through a structured questionnaire and analysed using percentage analysis and mean scores on a five- point Likert scale, supported by secondary data from RBI and NPCI publications. The study finds that ATM/debit cards and Google Pay are the most widely used instruments, that round-the-clock availability, cashless convenience and time saving are the strongest perceived benefits, and that poor connectivity, technical errors and server failures are the most severe difficulties. Ninety-four per cent of respondents intend to continue using digital payments, indicating durable acceptance.

Keywords: Digital payment system, COVID-19, consumer perception, UPI, cashless transactions, e-wallets, demonetisation.