October 14, 2014 - BAI, the financial services industry's resource for breakthrough information and intelligence, has released "BAI Retail Banking Outlook," its latest research report identifying emerging retail-banking habits and trends. The survey of nearly 400 global industry professionals highlights the growing emphasis financial institutions are placing on mobile banking and social media.
Findings from the BAI Retail Banking Outlook report regarding the growth of mobile banking include:
Current Functionalities. The primary current mobile banking functionalities offered include checking balances (offered by 95% of surveyed institutions), balance transfers between accounts within the bank (78%) and bill pay (70%).
Future Functionalities. In expanding mobile banking offerings, the leading upgrades planned for implementation in the next three years are person-to-person (P2P) payments (34%), balance transfers between accounts at another bank (25%) and the ability to open deposit accounts (25%).
Investment Priorities. Online and mobile platforms ranked as the leading focus of technology investments, with 59% of respondents choosing investments as an influential aspect guiding their decisions.
Challenges in Expanding and Implementing Offerings. The biggest challenge faced in expanding and implementing mobile banking is concern about fraud and security, as 44% of respondents noted this is the largest barrier to mobile payment adoption. Security concerns are influential because of consumers' perception and education, lack of faith in security, and the institution's ability to stay ahead of hackers.
In an effort to meet customers' growing digital needs, 83% of institutions surveyed maintain a presence in social media. The most important reasons financial institutions maintain this presence are the abilities to address customer service questions, support community initiatives and provide an additional way to advertise products and services. Sixty-seven percent of financial institutions indicate Facebook is the primary social media tool they use to engage with customers. Facebook is trailed by Twitter (24%), LinkedIn (4%) and other platforms (4%).
"As consumers increasingly adopt digital channels to make purchases and conduct financial transactions, it's important for financial services companies to use a strong customer-centric approach to understand evolving customer needs. This is key to an institution's success in acquiring and retaining customers as well as maintaining and growing revenue," says Debbie Bianucci, president and chief executive officer, BAI.
The growth of mobile banking and focus on social media are among the most prevalent trends financial institutions must respond to as the global banking industry adjusts to changing customer preferences. This year's BAI Retail Delivery Conference agenda will address the challenges and opportunities financial institutions face through a range of sessions with top strategists, leaders and personalities from inside and outside the industry. Additionally, the BAI-Finacle Global Banking Innovation Awards 2014 which recognize innovation in the retail banking industry that positively impacts customer experience, bank efficiency and profitability, will be announced at BAI Retail Delivery during a special ceremony on November 12, 2014. This year the awards program garnered over 220 submissions from financial institutions in 30 countries.
BAI Retail Delivery 2014 will take place November 12-14, 2014 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
BAI surveyed nearly 400 financial professionals in a variety of functional areas and institution types and sizes. The goals of the survey were to capture a comprehensive outlook of the roles mobile and social media platforms play among financial institutions. In addition, the survey identified other areas such as key business challenges and opportunities, customer-facing priorities, and channel efficiencies and investments among other topics that gauge industry sentiment. Respondents' included executives from U.S. financial institutions of all sizes.
BAI is the financial services industry's resource for breakthrough information and intelligence needed to innovate and stay relevant in an evolving marketplace. For more than 85 years, BAI has provided the industry with unbiased and objective education and research. BAI's offerings are as diverse as the industry, and include premier events such as BAI Retail Delivery Conference & Expo, groundbreaking research, professional learning and development programs, and in-depth editorial coverage through BAI Banking Strategies.
