Insights from 12 Months of BehindLogin Research: Driving Engagement, Growth, and Retention in Financial Services.
In 2024, BehindLogin’s insights have continued to shape the financial services landscape. Through our competitor intelligence projects, we’ve identified six core truths that financial service providers must prioritise to stay competitive and connect with their customers. These truths offer actionable imperatives for driving engagement, fostering growth, and boosting retention.
1. Personalisation Powers Engagement
Insight: Customised experiences foster loyalty by making users feel understood and valued. Successful providers use AI-driven insights to deliver tailored features, messaging, and recommendations.
- Example: ClearScore’s personalised loan and credit card offers are tailored to users’ financial profiles, offering reassurance by showing approval likelihood. One user shared: “Applied for a ClearScore recommended loan that felt implausible and received the loan in less than 15 minutes.”
- Example: Cleo engages users through witty conversation starters, quiz games, and tailored tips on improving financial health. The combination of playful banter and effortless interaction keeps engagement levels high.
Recommendation: Leverage AI to personalise user experiences and deliver hyper-relevant content. Introduce interactive features like quizzes and chat-driven insights to maintain engagement and build trust.
2. Simplicity Drives Satisfaction
Insight: Simplifying access to key features and resources ensures users can complete tasks effortlessly and stay engaged. Reducing navigation complexity and presenting information clearly enhances satisfaction and trust.
- Example: Scottish Widows prioritises features like balance viewing and fund management, ensuring they are easily accessible with minimal navigation. Their financial wellness resources benefit from visual aids like charts and gamification, making complex data easier to understand and interact with.
Recommendation: Streamline navigation to prioritise core functionalities such as balance viewing and fund management. Use visual tools, like charts, to simplify complex data and enhance user understanding. Introduce gamified elements to encourage interaction and make financial learning more engaging.
3. Trust Begins with Transparency
Insight: Clear communication of fees, terms, and policies underpins customer confidence. Transparent billing and straightforward information foster trust and loyalty.
- Example: Octopus Energy’s transparent billing practices earned high praise: “My previous experience with Octopus was good, so I wanted to move back.”
- Example: GoHenry’s website stands out for its clarity and detailed information about costs, features, and parental controls. One parent noted: “The GoHenry website was very informative, colourful, and clearly aimed at kids and teens.”
Recommendation: Present transparent, authentic product information in both marketing materials and in-app interfaces. Consider adding decision-making guides, case studies, and side-by-side comparisons to support informed customer choices.
4. Engagement Demands Creativity
Insight: Injecting personality into tone of voice and design makes brands relatable and memorable. Interactive, multimedia content enhances stickiness and elevates the customer experience.
- Example: Spriggy’s website tailors messaging for distinct audiences (e.g., parents and children) with empowering language like “Send money in emergencies” for parents and “Manage your own money” for kids. A toggle switch in their app allows users to explore features specific to their needs.
- Example: AMEX’s in-app communications are less intrusive and appreciated for being engaging compared to traditional emails.
Recommendation: Develop audience-specific messaging with a distinct tone of voice. Incorporate multimedia elements, such as videos and interactive content, to drive deeper engagement and enhance the customer journey.
5. Financial Wellness Tools Are Underutilised
Insight: Despite their availability, features like retirement calculators and savings trackers often lack visibility and integration into the user journey.
- Example: Up has gamified their service offering to create exclusivity for products they believe will help people improve their financial wellness. Content is chunked into bite-sized sections and clearly explained (albeit at a very small font size) with compelling visuals to excite users.
- Example: Scottish Widows excels with financial wellness content and tools like fund-switching features, but providers like Willis Towers Watson LifeSight struggle with basic functionalities like balance viewing.
Recommendation: Amplify the visibility of financial wellness tools by integrating them into key user journeys. Use gamification and visual aids like charts to make these tools engaging and accessible. Clearly communicate their value to motivate usage.
6. Mobile-First Is Non-Negotiable
Insight: Customers overwhelmingly prefer mobile apps for their speed, convenience, and accessibility. Advanced features like biometric security and real-time notifications differentiate market leaders.
- Example: Starling Bank’s mobile-first approach enables users to perform all banking tasks on their phones with ease. One user shared: “Instant spend notifications are great. Ease of payments, even when setting up a new payee – it’s so much quicker with Starling.”
Recommendation: Prioritise mobile app performance and usability. Integrate advanced features like biometric authentication, real-time notifications, and interactive visualisations to enhance the mobile experience.
Why It Matters
These truths aren’t just observations—they are actionable imperatives.
The financial services landscape is evolving rapidly, and those who fail to adapt risk falling behind. By embracing these truths, your business can lead the way in delivering customer-centric, innovative, and impactful digital experiences.