Forrester Research: Forrester Retail Insights Financial Services First Look: Research & Event Highlights From Forrester

 08 Dec. 2005
Advisor Reputation Matters
In 1998, 60% of millionaires made their own investment decisions. By the end of 2004, just 50% made their own decisions. At the same time, they became more likely to seek advice. Our survey of mass-affluent and affluent consumers shows that reputation drives their choice of advisors. Key lesson learned: Advisors need to demonstrate customer advocacy.


Branch Banking In Europe
European banks are investing in branches to drive sales. But moving from transaction-based branches to sales-oriented ones will require significant changes in the physical layout, staffing, technology, and processes of branches.


Other Hot New Research
Take a look at these recent research reports:

Mutual Fund Home Pages: Vanguard Sets The Pace
Best And Worst Of European Mobile Site Design, 2005
TCS Acquires Banking Platform Vendor FNS
Digital Business Architecture: IT Foundation For Business Flexibility
Insurance Policy Administration Spending Plans


New Technology Evaluations
We've recently evaluated these technologies and services using The Forrester Wave™:

P&C claims platforms
Indian vendor consulting capabilities
Enterprise risk management consultants
Security configuration management
Security information management
Enterprise content management


Assessing P&C Claims Management Platforms
Processing insurance claims is no longer an art form -- it needs to be both flexible and automated. To assess the state of the property and casualty claims system market and see how the vendors stack up against each other, we used The Forrester Wave™ to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of top claims platform vendors across 22 criteria.


Forrester Wave™: P&C Claims Platforms
Forrester Wave™: P&C Claims Platforms

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Happy Holidays!
This is our last Financial Services First Look in 2005. With that in mind, we'd like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season -- and a very happy and healthy new year.

Next year is going to be exciting. The combination of consumer shifts, intense competition, and new capabilities should really shake up the industry. And we want to make sure our research is even more valuable in this environment. Help us by clicking here to take a short survey about your plans and priorities. It'll only take about 15 minutes to complete, and your return on investment will be very high.

Overview Of The Affluent And Mass Affluent
One of the things we expect to see in 2006 is an intense battle for the affluent (investable assets over $1 million) and the mass affluent (investable assets between $100,000 and $1 million). To help you reach these groups, we compared them to mainstream consumers across four different age groups. Our analysis examined their demographics, online activities, and financial activities. Here are some of our findings:


Overview: The Affluent And Mass Affluent *Online bill-paying generally grows with affluence and declines with age.

*Unlike most other online activities, the use of instant messaging drops as wealth increases.

*The largest percentage of self-directed investors can be found among affluent 40- to 54-year-olds (32%).

*Broadband Internet access increases with assets and declines with age.

To help select the right marketing channels to reach affluent and mass-affluent consumers, we further examined their media habits. Our analysis identified their preferred search portals, information Web sites, print newspapers, print magazines, and TV networks.

Let Us Know If We Can Help
Here are some areas in which we've helped financial services firms:

  • Customer experience reviews. We can evaluate the usability of your Web sites, emails, and phone apps.
  • Web Site assessments. We can compare the features on your site with those of your competitors' sites.
  • Market research. We can provide insights on consumers from our existing Consumer Technographics® data or through customized research.
  • Online activity benchmarking. Compare your firm's online efforts with that of other banks and credit unions. We are also kicking off a multiclient research project on organizational models and staffing levels.

Got Feedback?
If you haven't done it already, please consider taking a short survey on your plans and priorities. If you can't see the link to the survey, paste this URL into your browser: http://www.gmi-mr.com/20/survey/s.phtml?sn=37773. Your input will be very valuable for shaping our 2006 research plans. Thanks!

Drop me a line at brucetemkin@forrester.com if you have any other comments.

Bruce D. Temkin
Vice President & Practice Director, Financial Services



Research Referenced In This Issue

Best And Worst Of European Mobile Site Design, 2005 (37527)
Customer Advocacy: The Secret To Loyal Financial Services Customers (35057)
Digital Business Architecture: IT Foundation For Business Flexibility (36927)
Driving Sales Through The Branch Network (37547)
How Affluent Investors Choose Their Advisors (38170)
Insurance Policy Administration Spending Plans (37722)
Mutual Fund Home Pages: Vanguard Sets The Pace (38237)
Overview: The Affluent And Mass Affluent (38188)
TCS Acquires Banking Platform Vendor FNS (38320)
The Forrester Wave™ 2005 (36769)
The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Content Management Suites, Q3 2005 (36512)
The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Risk Management Consultants, Q4 2005 (35887)
The Forrester Wave™: Indian Vendor Consulting Capabilities, Q4 2005 (38189)
The Forrester Wave™: P&C Claims Platform, Q4 2005 (37160)
The Forrester Wave™: Security Configuration Management, Q4 2005 (37956)
The Forrester Wave™: Security Information Management, Q4 2005 (37244)
Which News And Information Web Sites Appeal To The Mass Affluent And Affluent? (38229)
Which Print Magazines Appeal To The Mass Affluent And Affluent? (38230)
Which Print Newspapers Appeal To The Mass Affluent And Affluent? (38232)
Which Search Portals Appeal To The Mass Affluent And Affluent? (38221)
Which TV Networks Appeal To The Mass Affluent And Affluent? (38201)


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