61% millennials willing to switch banks for digital-only experience: Survey
1 min read 13 Sep 2021, 03:42 PM ISTNearly one-third respondents have changed their primary bank in the past five years, and out of the total, about 30% made the shift for a more convenient banking experience
PremiumConvenient and quick digital interactions are fast becoming critical factors for young consumers to consider while choosing where to bank. So much so that consumers are willing to switch from traditional banks to new age neo-banks for a digital-only banking experience, revealed a survey conducted by internet-based market research and data analytics firm YouGov.
As per the survey findings, nearly one-third respondents have changed their primary bank in the past five years, and out of the total about 30% made the shift for a more convenient banking experience. About 26% switched banks for better interest rates, while 27% wanted better financial products and benefits.
“While convenience was the main reason to switch for all the surveyed respondents, nearly a quarter (23%) switched in order to move to a bank that offers digital services or is a digital only bank, highlighting the building appetite for online banking in the country," the report stated.
The shift is expected to pick up pace going forward, as over half of the total 1,017 respondents said they are likely to switch from a traditional to a digital bank in the near future.
“Banking has been considered for long as a more traditional industry with high switching costs but with the advent of digital banking services, we can see the switching costs come down," said Deepa Bhatia, general manager, YouGov.
Among Gen Z, and Gen X, millennials, 61%, are most likely to switch to a fully digital bank in the future for services such as 24X7 accessibility to banking, remote banking experience in place of crowded branch visits and ease of banking, all of which are provided by a digital bank. Cashbacks and rewards appeal more to the millennials than the GenX, while the older cohort is more likely to find the round-the-clock accessibility as well as ease and convenience of banking the biggest advantage of digital banking, as per the survey.
“Millennials, those aged between 30 and 40 years old, one of the most sought-after cohorts have been particularly open to switching their primary bank accounts and are fairly open to digital banks. Banking needs to learn about the changing motivations of their customers so as to better serve them and retain the," said Bhatia.
