Millions of catering subscriptions for nothing: four in 10 consumers see no point

Four in 10 consumers find most receipts in the hospitality industry useless. Taking a receipt indicates an established routine, after which it ends up straight in the bin. Half of consumers (49%) end up doing nothing with it. 39 per cent check whether everything is correct and then throw it away. This is according to research by checkout and payment platform Lightspeed Commerce Inc (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), conducted among 1,000 Dutch consumers. According to Lightspeed's own data analysis, more than 17 million paper receipts were printed in 2025 in a sample of more than 600 Dutch hospitality establishments.

Voucher adopted mainly out of habit

Every week, 68 per cent of consumers receive three to 10 receipts after making purchases in a shop or visiting a restaurant. The two main reasons for accepting a receipt are to check that everything is correct (76%) and for warranty or returns (63%). Regularly, receipts end up in a bag or jacket pocket immediately after receipt (54%), especially among women (62%) compared to men (47%). Only one in 10 consumers actually keeps (almost) all the receipts they receive. So the vast majority end up doing little with them. Indeed, almost a quarter (23%) often lose them before they can be used at all.

Consumers open to digital alternatives

Interestingly, just over half of consumers (57%) see the advantage of paper receipts in the fact that they can be kept physically. A sense of control, just in case. When consumers are asked about digital options, almost three quarters (72%) are positive. Of these, 27 per cent think digital may become the standard. 28 per cent absolutely want to stick with paper.

“Paper receipts are still often the standard in the Dutch hospitality industry, but figures show that consumers are open to digital alternatives,” says Emine Youssef, Regional Senior Director Sales at Lightspeed. “For entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry, offering digital receipts as a preferred option is not merely an operational choice, but a strategic one, taking a clear step towards more sustainable operations.”