For both consumers and businesses, the advent of payment systems like Apple Pay represent a new avenue of revenue and payment processing options. And while some have been quick to trumpet the turning tide in favor of mobile payment processing, adoption rates lag behind the hype. 

According to PYMNTS.com, 85 percent of Apple users have yet to try the service, indicating an attachment to old payment methods. A November report by the site and InfoScout found that in November 2014, total usership among iPhone 6 owners was a mere 5 percent, which grew to 6 percent by March of this year. 

"Ask most people what the state of mobile payments is today, and they'll tell you it's just kicking off," explains Alix Murphy of TechCrunch. "With Facebook announcing the option to send money to friends via Messenger and the release of Apple Pay last year, 2015 has excitedly been dubbed 'The Year of Mobile Payments.' Yet what most people don't realize is that these services are already lagging 10 years behind."

Reconciling the media attention surrounding mobile payments with the reality of adoption rates gives a more accurate story. The truth is that while platforms like Apple Pay are promising additions to the payment processing landscape, businesses shouldn't feel rushed to become compatible with mobile platforms. InfoScout Co-founder and CEO Jared Schrieber told an audience at Innovation Project that something as simple and intrinsic as muscle memory can prevent customers from embracing a new payment method. Consumers are accustomed to reaching for their credit or debit card, not their phone, at the point of sale. 

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