Perspectives on a Cashless Consumer Economy
Presenter: Spencer Ross, Associate Professor, Manning School of Business, UMass Lowell
In contemporary marketplaces, it often seems as though the resilience of cash has come into question. Though personal checks and atm and credit cards have been around for decades, the proliferation of fintech has rapidly and radically changed the nature of how consumers make payments. In this talk, I draw on my various ongoing research projects to discuss how digitalizing payments is transforming these behaviors, from Venmo-ing donations to street performers to using cryptocurrency to buy NFTs in web3 marketplaces. Of particular note is how cashless economies may affect vulnerable consumers and strengthen the case for cash, after all.