AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE UNIFIED PAYMENT INTERFACE (UPI) – A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION

The people are changing the society with technology in the hope of a bright future in India. Indian government's decision to adopt a cashless transaction economy was wise and effective (Mohan 2023). With this effect, the cashless transactions are rising with the help of UPI (Unified Payment Interface), which allows sending and requesting money through digital transfers. The Digital India program is a leading program of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy (Babu 2018). Many people have frequently shifted from traditional payments todigital payment systems due to its speed and efficiency. India is ranked third in terms of adoption of newer payment technologies after the US and UK as per FinTech Adoption Index 2022-23. Even though people are struggling in one or another to access UPI digital payments systems due to their innovative and frequent changes or updates or network issues in the services, this paper made an attempt to explore how aspects like awareness, purpose, preference, and satisfaction in UPI digital payments, as well as convenience of usage and problems faced while availing UPI payments, are interrelated with each otherwith the help of a few statistical tools like ANOVA, chi-square, and percentage analysis to study various factors and determine the relationship between the variables.