Mobile First: how smartphones are shaping tomorrow's bank?

Mobile, the preferred channel for web services

Two thirds of our time spent on digital media is on either a smartphone or tablet. Mobile has emerged as the device of choice for digital users in just a little over 10 years. By 2010, just a couple of years of their release, mobile and smartphones had already overtaken personal computer sales—with computer sales seeing a steady decline ever since (down 2.7% in 2017). This trend may well accelerate in coming years, as millennials have shown a clear preference for mobile web usage—worldwide, people between 18 and 24 perform 66% of their digital interactions on a smartphone. In France, 43% of people between 15 and 34 surf the web and access services exclusively via applications on their mobile phones.* 

A line of mobile services focused on the customer 

The success of smartphones represents the retaliation of usage over technology. It is the ease of use (no instructions, no complicated setup) and fast access to services (from anywhere and at any time) that have made mobile devices so indispensable.  For brands, the challenge lies in their capacity to offer new services that align with these practices, and interfaces that are more intuitive, fun and practical. BNP Paribas is a key part of this movement, which aims to make life easier for customers by anticipating their needs. 

In 2017, the Group implemented new mobile services, including: 

• Overhauling and improving the user experience of the Group’s two flagship apps—“Mes comptes” (an account management interface for BNP Paribas customers) and “Hello bank!" (a 100% digital banking solution)
• Contactless mobile payment with Paylib, 
• App-unlocking using fingerprint and face recognition (on iPhone X only), 
  
• The option to send money immediately by adding new recipients from a mobile device 
  
• Book a meeting online with your bank advisor (open schedule)
  

2018 has brought even more innovation. Numerous new solutions are now live in the world of payments, including: 

• Mobile payment with LyfPay, integrated in to “Mes comptes” in July 
• Peer-to-peer payment via Paylib or by SMS

And the flow of practical innovation does not end there! BNP Paribas has also implemented several innovations, such as mobile check scanning, to save users a trip to the branch, and grouped accounts (the ability for users to view their BNP Paribas accounts in addition to those of other banks) on the ‘Mes comptes’ app.

BNP Paribas, the leader in digitizing bank services

By staying focused on streamlining the customer experience, BNP Paribas creates a consistent and efficient digital universe across all platforms. According to the ratings agency D-Rating, BNP Paribas is the top French bank in terms of digitizing its customer pathways and services. It also claims the top ranking for number of mobile features. Users (5 million digital customers, including 1.2 million mobile-only customers) also value BNP Paribas mobile solutions for their content, user experience, design, fast access and technical stability, and 73% of the Group’s customers recommend BNP Paribas apps (well above the average of 53%, according to the M-Observer norm).   

Encouraged by these results, BNP Paribas has ramped up its digital mobile strategy by developing new services on a regular basis. For example, the performance achieved by voice technologies (notably with the rise of chatbots) has opened up new opportunities for customer relations: account consultation via SIRI (Apple’s voice assistant), chatbots on Twitter and Facebook, the holographic assistant Helloïz for Hello Bank!, and more. 

*According to a Médiamétrie / NetRatings study from September 2017 

Photos credits: header © sepy  // © WavebreakMediaMicro