Lessons I've learnt from over-reliance on phones for QR payments

The issue occurred recently when I went to a restaurant with some clients. The food was great, and we enjoyed our conversation—until it was time to pay.

Confident in the widespread usage of digital payments, now standard even at small dessert shops, I did not bring any cash with me that day.

While many restaurants offer both card readers and QR codes on their receipts, I couldn't pay at that restaurant since my banking app stopped working and I didn't have my physical card or cash on me.

Seeing me awkwardly struggle, my client smiled and offered to cover the bill. To avoid further delay, I conceded and offered to transfer the money back once my app works again.

Since that day, I’ve made it a habit to carry cash and a physical card.

A customer uses a QR code to pay for a service. Illustration photo by Pexels

What concerns me more is whether we’re truly ready for digital transformation. Businesses rush to launch apps and adopt new tools and apps, but is the quality up to par?

Take a local supermarket I frequent. It has a shopping app, but app store reviews are flooded with one-star ratings and complaints about clunky features. Customers say they must message the store manager with their personal details to earn reward points.

Meanwhile, another supermarket only required downloading the app and registering with a phone number—simple and seamless.

A friend who runs a business once launched an app, urging employees and their families to use it. Within months, it became obsolete—outdated features, slow performance, and no active users. Are such apps anything more than half-hearted attempts?

Everything humans create will have flaws. But when glitches are frequent, repetitive, or show a lack of effort, how long can businesses expect customers to stick around?

Digital transformation isn't just about launching apps, adding QR codes, or introducing new payment methods. It's a long-term commitment to quality, usability, and stability. Customers might forgive hundreds of smooth QR scans but won't forget one failed transaction.

When businesses neglect their digital products, they waste resources and risk losing customer trust. After all, who would use a slow, unreliable app?