In this insight piece, we dissect the meaning of mobile today. Often, the financial services industry focuses too much on "mobile banking" and forgets about mobile in the context of everyday life.
The beauty of mobile is that it is truly an agnostic channel. From one small device, a consumer can power so many different aspects of their life. This type of omnipresent power had not existed before, and now it is commonplace.
For example, the diversity of applications spans:
Calendar Social Media Gym / Fitness Music Finance Travel / Transportation Entertainment Work Games And more…
Delivering user experiences that take advantage of this convenience factor will help companies win.
“Mobile-First” has general appeal among financial institutions, but there is still strong usage across online channels. It is rare to find a financial institution with more mobile banking enrolled users than online banking enrolled users. Of course, this will change over time, but that does not mean the online channel can be ignored.
The main benefit to online channels is depth in functionality. In other words, if a consumer needs to perform any deep level of financial analysis, online banking is the most efficient way to do this.
Ultimately a strong convenient and “omni-channel” presence will win. Consumers desire a banking experience that is as close as possible to known technology-first entities – Amazon, Netflix, Google, etc.. All of these companies have invested in robust online applications in additional to mobile.
Banking is no exception. Credit unions and banks who cannot deliver seamless, omni-channel experiences do not get sympathy from consumers. There are simply too many options available.
Millennials have become the buzzword of the financial institution industry and have pushed financial institutions to alter their product offerings and chase new features.
However, which generation does not value convenience, more affordable products and better design? The reality is most consumers – regardless of age – enjoy great technology. Learning curves and adaptability to change may differ, but overall, advancing a financial institution into the future has to be embraced.
