As a design and customer experience agency with a reputation as a leader in the international banking sector, we regularly receive project briefs from banks around the world. While most banks talk about the need to differentiate themselves from their competitors, it’s remarkable how a common theme runs through many of the briefs we receive: irrespective of budget or country of origin, everyone seems to be looking for the ‘wow factor’.
This begs the question: do banks actually design for their customers’ needs and wishes – or is the priority to look better than their competitors? And which is the better approach for attracting new customers and ensuring loyalty from existing ones?
Having led design projects for banks around the world, I-AM Group Managing Director, Jon Blakeney, was very well placed to address these questions at the Next Bank, Asia conference in Singapore in May.
Speaking to an audience of bankers from around the region, Jon talked of the importance of banks getting to know themselves, their customers and their customers’ needs as the essential first step in any design project.
The reality is that not every bank is a Ferrari – and not every customer is looking for a Ferrari. Most people are perfectly content with their VW or Fiat 500 if it caters to all their needs. Jon provided examples of banks in Europe that deliver unique, customer-centric design and how their businesses benefit as a result.