Are Banks Ready for the Next Generation Customer?
Wie Finanzinstitute die neuen Herausforderungen meistern können, welche durch die Generation Y an sie gestellt werden.
Banks Are in Early Stages of Realigning Operations and Marketing to Serve Generation Y; New Research by Oracle Financial Services and the European Financial Marketing Association (Efma) Looks at Banks’ Preparedness to Serve and Succeed with Gen-Y Customers
Many banks are still in the early stages of launching dedicated strategies to serve Generation Y (Gen-Y), a demographic group that is estimated to constitute the majority of wealth accumulators in developed nations over the next decade, according to a new study by Oracle Financial Services and the European Financial Marketing Association.
“Are Banks Ready for the Next-Generation Customer?” presents findings about Gen-Y preparedness from interviews with more than 100 key executives at the largest banks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Despite the growing economic importance of Gen-Y, 31 percent of respondents say they do not have an active, dedicated strategy for marketing to and serving this demographic segment. 31 percent say they have a dedicated strategy and 38 percent of respondents, however, say their organizations are working on a strategy – signalling growing recognition of the unique requirements and needs of Gen-Y.
Banks without a dedicated Gen-Y engagement strategy appear to be less focused than their peers with active Gen-Y initiatives on three critical parameters for successful engagement with this demographic segment: utilization of social media as a marketing and communications channel; responsive and flexible customer service; and speed in launching new products.
- Only 31 percent of respondents have a social media strategy in place, a key channel for interacting with Gen-Y – whose members spend a significant amount of time on line and engaged with social media. By comparison, more than 40 percent of banks with an established Gen-Y focus use social media to communicate and market, and another 26 percent plan to move forward with launching a strategy in the next six months.
- Only 8 percent of respondents say they deliver “Exceptional” service, a key factor in sustaining customer loyalty, while 54 percent say they provide “Good” service. Of the banks focused on Gen-Y, 15 percent call their service “Exceptional” and nearly 60 percent say that their service level is “Good.”
- While personalized and configurable products resonate with Gen-Y, only 4 percent of overall respondents say they can launch a product in one week. This compares with 11 percent of Gen-Y focused banks. This group is also more likely to offer products tailored to Gen-Y, including prepaid debit cards, and partnerships with retail chains. Both groups are nearly comparable in their ability to launch products in the one-week to one-month range.
Compared to their peers, banks with Gen-Y strategies are more likely to invest in modernizing their retail banking platform, a fundamental requirement for providing more agile service and product offerings. Banks without a Gen-Y strategy were more likely to be focused on maintaining and upgrading current applications and platforms.
Quelle: Oracle Financial Services
Die Studie “Are Banks Ready for the Next Generation Customer?” kann hier heruntergeladen warden.
