For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Dutch Consumers Use The Net To Research And Buy Financial Products

The Web's Role As A Sales Channel Is Growing Fast In The Netherlands

by Alexander Hesse, November 20, 2009

The Internet's role as a distribution channel for financial products is growing fast in the Netherlands. Nearly half of Dutch Net users researched at least one financial product online in the past year, compared with 40% in 2007, and one in five bought . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

European Banking Customers Continue Migrating Away From The Branch

Branches Are Losing Their Role As The Heart Of The Customer Relationship

by Alexander Hesse, October 28, 2009

The number of consumers visiting branches each month is falling slowly but steadily across Europe. Branch users tend to be lower-value customers who use branches mainly for day-to-day transactions like depositing and withdrawing money. Although online . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

Case Study: ING Delivers Personalized Product Offers Across Channels In Real Time

by Alexander Hesse, October 27, 2009

Dutch bank ING's marketing campaigns were losing effectiveness because many of them weren't relevant to the bank's customers. The bank's organizational structure, processes, applications, and heavy reliance on direct mail were not meeting the needs of . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

iPhone Apps Fill Mobile Banking Gaps

Forgotten Functionality Holds Clues To What Banks Should Do Next

by Emmett Higdon, Alexander Hesse, September 15, 2009

Apple's iTunes App Store now offers more than 1,000 personal finance applications from banks and third-party developers for download. While today's iPhone apps from the largest banks add little value beyond what is already delivered through online banking . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

European Online Banking Holdouts Want Security Guarantees

Net Users Still Need Security Guarantees And Incentives To Bank Online

by Alexander Hesse, Lauriane Camus, August 21, 2009

More than half of Western Europeans who use the Internet regularly — about 92 million — bank online. Thirty-two percent of European adults could bank online but don't do so — or have stopped doing so. Typically, these online banking holdouts mention security . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How The iPhone Has Changed Mobile Banking

The iPhone Is A Catalyst For Mobile Banking Adoption And Innovation

by Alexander Hesse, August 4, 2009

The iPhone is a powerful catalyst for mobile banking adoption and innovation. It improves the mobile Internet browsing experience, removes uncertainty about mobile browsing costs, makes it easier to download mobile applications, and unleashes a wave of . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: BBVA's Tú Cuentas Shows What Next-Generation Online Banking Will Look Like

by Alexander Hesse, July 14, 2009

BBVA's Tú Cuentas online personal finance management service was launched in late 2008. It lets the bank's online banking customers see their account balances and transactions from different providers in one place, categorize their transactions, and benchmark . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Swedish Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Alexander Hesse, May 27, 2009

With only 12% of Swedish banking customers using branches, Sweden has the lowest branch use in Europe. Swedish banks have successfully migrated the majority of their customers to ATMs and online banking — 83% and 71%, respectively. When they move customers . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Spanish Consumers Use Banking Channels

by Alexander Hesse, April 16, 2009

Age and Internet access continue to be the strongest predictors of channel choice in Spain. Branches are used by mainstream consumers, whereas online and telephone banking attract a niche of young, high-value Net users. Online banking adoption in Spain . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Four-Fifths Of European Net Users Have Cut Their Spending In The Past Year

Net Users Have A Grim Outlook On The Economy And Their Finances

by Alexander Hesse, March 10, 2009

With the gloomy state of the economy dominating the headlines, we asked 14,230 European Net users about their expectations for the economy and their personal finances. Nearly three-fifths expect their national economy to deteriorate, and 42% expect their . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

German Online Retail And Travel Forecast, 2008 To 2014

We Expect Consumer eCommerce To Reach €44 Billion By 2014

by Alexander Hesse, Victoria Bracewell Lewis, March 2, 2009

German online shopping adoption is growing at double-digit rates each year. The number of online shoppers has almost doubled since 2000, with 36 million Germans regularly buying products online today, or 44% of adults. By 2014, we expect 44 million German . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Dutch Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Alexander Hesse, February 18, 2009

The Netherlands is the leader in online banking and ATM use in Europe. A whopping 95% of Dutch consumers use ATMs, and 78% use online banking at least monthly. Although no more than 14% use branches today, the long decline in branch use has stalled. With . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

How Europeans Pay For Goods And Services

by Alexander Hesse, Reineke Reitsma, December 11, 2008

No two countries are the same when it comes to retail payment habits in Europe. Unlike in the US — where most firms can offer their customers a uniform set of payment options — companies selling into European markets need to offer a customized set of . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Customer Advocacy 2008: How Customers Rate European Banks

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., Alexander Hesse, November 20, 2008

Customers who consider their main bank as a customer advocate that does what's best for them have more accounts at their main bank, are more likely to consider it for future purchases, and are more likely to recommend it to others. But only 29% of Western . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Dutch Savings Buyers Want Simplicity And Speed

The Credit Crisis Increases Competition In The Dutch Savings Market

by Alexander Hesse, Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., October 27, 2008

Almost nine out of 10 Dutch consumers have a savings or deposit account — the highest penetration in Europe. Dutch savings account buyers mainly use the Net to research and buy savings products: More than half of them have either used financial companies' . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How To Win Retail Deposits In The Credit Crisis

Fourteen Quick Things To Do To Sell More Savings Products Online

by Alexander Hesse, Benjamin Ensor, October 16, 2008

The acute worsening of the financial crisis following the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008, has left many banks desperate for retail funding. As the business owners of a major communication channel and a primary distribution channel, . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Europe's Financial Comparison Site Jungle

A Diverse Range Of Sites Are Battling To Control Online Product Distribution

by Alexander Hesse, Benjamin Ensor, September 4, 2008

Nearly three out of 10 European online financial researchers use personal finance comparison sites today. But there isn't a clear-cut price comparison sector in Europe. Instead, there is a jungle of sites in each market, with different consumer propositions, . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Financial Comparison Sites Are Here To Stay

eBusiness Executives Need Strategies To Address Their Rising Popularity

by Benjamin Ensor, Alexander Hesse, September 4, 2008

The growth of online financial product research has been accompanied by the growth of an increasingly popular personal finance comparison site sector. The reason for this popularity is simple. Comparison sites offer what many online financial researchers . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: How iDEAL Came To Conquer Dutch Online Payments

by Alexander Hesse, Benjamin Ensor, August 12, 2008

In late 2005, the big three Dutch banks launched iDEAL — an alternative payment system that lets Dutch online shoppers authorize online payments from their current account through their bank's online banking site. Because of its clear advantages over . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How German Credit Buyers Use Different Channels

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., Alexander Hesse, July 11, 2008

Although more and more financial services firms in Germany let customers apply for mortgages, personal loans, and credit cards over the Internet, most Germans stick to in-person channels like branches and sales representatives when it comes to researching . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Europeans Show Little Interest In Contactless Payments

by Benjamin Ensor, Alexander Hesse, June 26, 2008

Contactless payments are reaching Europe — as shown by numerous trials in different countries and real rollouts in the UK and Austria. We asked online Europeans how interested they are in using contactless payments. We found that only 23% are interested . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

NFC Technology Is Revitalizing Mobile Payments

But Mobile Contactless Payments Face Huge Adoption Hurdles

by Benjamin Ensor, Alexander Hesse, April 22, 2008

Mobile contactless systems based on Near Field Communication (NFC) offer a much faster way to initiate payments with a mobile phone than SMS or other mobile network-based technologies, providing a clear improvement over earlier mobile payment systems. . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Dutch Online Banking Forecast: 2008 To 2013

by Alexander Hesse, Tim van Tongeren, April 7, 2008

Internet banking is a huge success in the Netherlands. Due to rapid take-up in the last few years, online banking growth is now slowing down — 68% of Dutch consumers now bank online, the highest adoption level in Europe. During the next five years we . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

US Digital Camera Owners Move Photos Online

The Internet Has Become A Key Medium For Photo Storing, Sharing, And Printing

by J.P. Gownder, Alexander Hesse, April 2, 2008

With more than six in 10 US individuals owning a digital camera, digital photography has gained mass-market status in the US. Digital camera owners are happy snappers who take about 28 photos per month, and they transfer nearly all of them to a home computer. . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: Rabobank Reduces The Supply-Side Barriers To Mobile Banking

by Benjamin Ensor, Alexander Hesse, March 17, 2008

Rabobank has been a pioneer of mobile financial services and has a clear vision of the future of the channel. The Dutch bank was one of the first to launch transactional mobile banking services back in 2003. Finding that barriers like unclear costs and . . .