Does cash have a place in the digital economy?

25 Sep 2025

Consumers, retailers, manufacturers, and cash-in-transit providers weigh in on the resiliency of cash and the future of consumer payment choice. 

Changes to retail commerce continue to accelerate at lightning speed. 

With these changes, retail technology continues to advance as well, giving retailers and consumers a host of payment options. But just because there are more options doesn't mean consumers or retailers will embrace them all. Is cash on the way out? 

The Service Advantage team at Ricoh USA researched this subject to find out:  

  • What do consumers want? 
  • How are retailers responding? 

The analysis covered current currency and payment trends among three groups: consumers, retailers, and vendors of cash handling equipment or security services. 

Their goal was to determine the use of technology, use of cash, and the future of payment choice. Topics explored included: 

  • Which payment methods are growing? 
  • How much of a decline in traditional payment methods will occur? 
  • What innovations are coming? 

You can see the answers to these questions and more in our report, “The Future of Payment Choice.: 

  • Uncover retail and payment trends brought on by the pandemic. 
  • Get a snapshot of the consumer’s mind: how they’re getting paid, shopping, and paying for things. 
  • Learn what retailers are saying about a cashless economy: what they’re seeing in the store, and what technology they’re investing in to give consumers payment choices. 
  • Discover what really matters to retailers when it comes to equipment, technology, and services.  

Does cash have a place in the digital economy

Source:  RICOH USA