If it benefits the merchant, prospective entrepreneurs will build infrastructure so that the consumer will find it beneficial to use. Simples.
I'll believe it when I see it, but yes, if there is a convincing way to sway consumers into using bitcoin, THAT'S what you really need. So why is the focus always on the benefits to merchants?
We've been seeing it every day for two years. 100s of millions of dollars have been pumped into bitcoin-related startups this year. The Bit License and forthcoming legislation in the UK and Japan, will encourage a flood of more money in as regulatory compliance fears are eased. It won't happen over night, but its happening is an inevitability.
And I believe those startups have a big obstacle in front of them in convincing anything more than a fringe portion of consumers that bitcoin is worthwhile over more traditional methods. All those businesses will suffer immensely if they can't figure it out, or if their proposed solutions are not embraced by the consumers.