The financial services industry is facing an era of unparalleled fragmentation. Consumers are no longer limited to a single bank or financial provider in an increasingly nomadic digital environment. Instead, consumers can move seamlessly between services and products across multiple platforms. This creates a highly competitive marketplace while still maintaining some degree of segmentation. As fintech disruptors and traditional financial institutions compete for consumers, creating brand differentiation and customer loyalty has become one of the hardest and most critical aspects of growing a business.
Adding to this challenge, banks and financial service providers face an environment of unprecedented consumer choice. In the 2024 banking outlook, Deloitte cautions the industry that “retail customers are spoiled for choice, and it has become easier for them to switch accounts and diversify deposits across multiple platforms.”
However, solutions are emerging that can break down the barriers between financial institutions and allow consumers to access a bundle of value-added features and capabilities alongside traditional financial products—all in one place.
Lessons from travel and e-commerce industries
The financial system is undergoing a seismic shift akin to the transformation that occurred over the past several decades in the travel industry, where consumers now prefer one-stop marketplaces like Kayak or Expedia for their travel needs. Closed loop ecosystems (e.g. I get my banking, personal loan, insurance, mortgage and brokerage all from one bank) are now being challenged by a la carte open systems where products are becoming provider agnostic and more goals oriented. Consumers are often asking, “what is the optimal basket of financial products for me today?”
E-commerce giants like Amazon continue to illustrate changing consumer behavior by providing a range of add-on services, from groceries to online medical consultations. Like the travel sites, customers can do all this on Amazon itself, not separately going to the individual companies and services. Because of today’s e-commerce and travel platform experiences, customers are accustomed to one-stop shopping—it’s become an expectation, not just a want. However, shopping for financial services has always lagged behind the other vertical industries.
This has produced a drive to create financial ecosystems with a seamless, holistic shopping and checkout experience. A broad spectrum of companies can come together to offer financial services and products personalized for each consumer, offered in one centralized marketplace. For consumers, this means greater convenience and tailored products and financial solutions without needing to navigate multiple platforms. For financial institutions and service providers, this offers a chance to showcase their products and services to a wider audience, creating loyalty and trust while reducing the cost of customer acquisition.
Data and AI can further fuel personalization
Data analytics can be a powerful tool in revealing consumer behaviors and demands. Right now, consumers are demanding executable and tailored options, but in a simplified way (as in, a “ready to checkout” way). The emergence of low-latency deployable AI models in digital interfaces now allows the industry to customize offer deliveries right from the source of truth (e.g. a bank or financial institution’s offer catalog) quickly and seamlessly.
Again, insights and observed consumer behaviors from the travel industry are instructive in setting the next stage of financial services. An Expedia survey found that 50% of respondents were interested in using generative AI to plan their next trip in 2024. In addition, nearly 40% of travelers said they would use AI to find the perfect stay.
Consumers are beginning to trust AI to make informed decisions at a time when the traditional, fragmented financial system is losing trust and loyalty.
By using AI tools to provide additional financial options faster and more seamlessly, the industry can rebuild trust and loyalty with customers. Consumers tend to trust when they are given options, rather than being told what to do, and offered little choice. That consumer demand is as equally true when shopping for a hotel as it is when shopping for a savings account. They want to see the full picture rather than one product or service.
To achieve this, a more unified ecosystem of financial service providers is needed, built with the help of AI tools, so consumers do not have to dig to find the right options in a fragmented landscape.
A critical juncture
The financial services industry faces a critical juncture where customer loyalty is being heavily tested by competitive offers and a fragmented digital environment. However, by leveraging AI and data, this challenge will be turned into an opportunity. Just as the travel industry has evolved to meet consumer demands through comprehensive platforms, the financial sector must embrace technology innovation and collaboration to offer one holistic, user-friendly experience.
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