Between 15 and 20 per cent of US smartphone owners will use mobile wallets by 2018, according to a report from Forrester Research.

The same report shows that marketers are way ahead of the curve, with 14 per cent of surveyed executives already using mobile wallets to reach consumers, and a further 27 per cent planning to use them in the next year.

The top feature that Americans want in their mobile wallets is loyalty programs points and rewards, with 57 per cent showing interest, followed by coupons, discounts and special offers (56 per cent) and price comparison info (52 per cent).

Interest is significantly lower among people in EU7 countries, though it follows a similar pattern – coupons are the most popular feature (36 per cent), followed by loyalty points (34 per cent).

However, brands need to consider whether they make sense as a mobile wallet provider, as the report found a major discrepancy in consumer trust for these services depending on the kind of business. While 41 per cent of Europeans said they would trust a bank to provide a mobile wallet, compared to just 10 per cent for a mobile network operator and eight per cent for a retailer.

Interestingly, iPhone users are more likely to trust mobile wallet providers than the average mobile user. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Apple in particular sees a huge boost – 23 per cent of iPhone users, compared to a seven per cent average – but this effect applies across the board.