RSS Feed

Related Articles

Related Categories

Four in ten more likely to bank with a new entrant than a year ago

27th August 2014 Print

New research from uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service, reveals that the wave of new entrants to the banking sector has created even more appetite amongst consumers for an alternative to the high street banks, as four in ten (40%) are now more likely to bank with a new entrant than a year ago.

The success of financial offerings by Tesco and Asda seems to have rubbed off on the sector as consumers would trust other supermarkets such as Waitrose (45%), Morrisons (18%) and Aldi (12%) to do their banking if given the choice.

In fact, the findings suggest that if other much-loved high street brands moved into banking, they could be just as successful, with three quarters (77%) of consumers saying they would trust John Lewis to take care of their banking needs, while competitors Debenhams (30%) and House of Fraser (27%) also prove popular.

When it comes to choosing who they would like to bank with, consumers are most likely to be influenced by how financially secure an institution is (87%), the strength of its reputation (86%), how competitive its interest rates are (85%), and whether their money will be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. 

It’s perhaps unsurprising that consumers are continuing to warm to new entrants, as one in six (15%) say they offer better value for money and care more about their customers (15%) than the traditional banks.  

However, as consumers’ needs change, banks are coming under increasing pressure to improve their digital offerings. While a third (36%) of current account holders still value face-to-face contact with their bank, nine out of ten (88%) feel having online banking is important, half (52%) feel the same about telephone banking and 45% about mobile banking.

David Mann, Head of Money at uSwitch.com, says: “It’s clear that consumers want to see the established banks put under more pressure to provide better rates, rewards and services. The reality is that if these traditional lenders don’t start upping their game, they may find themselves sitting on the sidelines when the whistle blows.

“New entrants are a catalyst to drive change in the market, so it’s great to see them continuing to challenge the dominance of the big four by bringing competitive products and services to the table and providing better value for customers.

“However, it’s important to remember that competition needs to be driven by better banks, not just more banks. New entrants need to be innovative and in touch with their customers’ needs in order to compete with more established players and online, telephone and mobile banking present an opportunity to do this.”