More than nine out of ten respondents to a CyberCash Inc. online survey promoted by
Digital City Inc. indicated they would
like to use the Internet to view and pay bills.
Of the 819 respondents who completed the survey between July and August, 1998,
804 respondents (98%) said they would like to receive electronic versions of
their monthly bills (i.e. credit card, utility, cable) for payment on the
Internet.
“Even though these respondents represent a group of people already familiar
with the Internet, the results dramatically demonstrate the promise of
electronic bill payment,” said Richard Crone, vice president and general
manager of CyberCash.
“The survey reinforces the hunch that most purveyors of
home banking services have had for
years, namely, if you present the bill ‘electronically’ you are more likely to
get paid electronically,” Crone said.
Banners were placed on AOL’s Digital City Washington, DC Web site linking
respondents to a page, giving them the opportunity to complete a bill
presentment and payment questionnaire.
Following the questionnaire,
respondents were sent to a
Web page detailing the opportunity to pay their bills from the Digital
City site using CyberCash’s PayNow Service.
Not surprisingly, the survey found that convenience was the key reason people
would use an Internet billing service. Twenty-eight percent said eliminating
the need for stamps, checks or mailing bills was the most important reason for
using such a service, while 25 percent indicated that simplifying monthly
bills was most important to them.