American Express named top finance brand in 2016 mobile commerce benchmark

That’s according to a new “Future of Finance” report from digital experience consultancy Episerver which analysed the mobile sites, Android, iPhone and tablet apps of 40 top UK and US financial service providers. The report also incorporates survey data from over 1000 consumers, outlining their expectations and demands for a mobile user experience.
The mobile experiences delivered by these 40 financial providers was assessed using 75 different mobile ranking factors, covering aspects such as personalised content, in-app customer support and the inclusion of clearly-labeled security certificates.
In both the UK and US benchmarks, American Express received the highest scores, benefiting from a responsive design, intuitive interface and the latest TouchID security login. Other high ranking contenders include The AA, H&RBlock and Hargreaves Lansdown.
The UK’s top five financial mobile experiences:

• American Express
• The AA
• Hargreaves Lansdown
• PayPal
• Barclaycard

GoCompare ranks as the highest scoring mobile website across both the UK and US, but despite the quality of its responsive site, the company lost out in the overall benchmark due to a complete lack of mobile and tablet apps.  UK brands that scored poorly include LSE, MoneySavingExpert and CreditExpert.

Overall, the mobile experience scores were lower for the financial sector than they were in Episerver’s cross-market retail benchmark, launched in November 2015.

As James Norwood, CMO at Episerver, explains: “For traditional bricks and mortar retailers, a mobile-first approach has generally been welcomed with open arms; within the financial services sector however, the move is much more challenging.
“Given the complex nature of financial purchasing decisions, as well as the significant values involved, many financial retailers have struggled to convert their services into a mobile friendly format. At the same time, customer security concerns have traditionally slowed the adoption of mobile banking and financial servicing apps.

“The top performing retailers in our financial services benchmark have demonstrated their ability to address these concerns, maintaining an intuitive interface while still managing to incorporate the very latest security features. As these technologies evolve and customers become more open to managing their finances on the go, these businesses have the opportunity to plant their flag early in the mobile finance marketplace.”

To find out more about mobile finance, or to download the free Episerver report, click here.

Ends
 
Notes to editors

Research methodology

The survey of 1,000 smartphone and tablet owners in the UK/US was conducted by ResearchNow. Episerver completed the retail benchmark study in June 2016, carried out among the top 40 retailers in the UK and US according to IMRG. The scoring was based on the mobile experiences delivered across a mobile site, iPhone app, iPad app, Android smartphone app and Android tablet app. Each retailer was scored on a set of criteria covering the functionality of each app and mobile site, and how well they met the experience expectations identified in the consumer research. 

A percentage score was awarded to each retailed based on performance against the criteria and marks out of a total 810 points were available.

For media information, please contact:

Alex Warren/Joanne Rowe

Wildfire PR

Episerver@wildfirepr.com

About Episerver

Episerver connects digital commerce and digital marketing to help organizations create unique digital experiences for their customers, with measurable business results. The Episerver Digital Experience Cloud™ combines content, commerce and multi-channel marketing in a single platform to work full-circle for businesses online – from intelligent optimisation and lead-generation through to conversion and repeat business – with unprecedented ease-of-use.

Sitting at the centre of the digital experience ecosystem, Episerver empowers digital leaders to embrace disruptive, transformational strategies to deliver standout experiences for their customers – everywhere they engage. Founded in 1994, Episerver has offices in the USA, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, The Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, Spain, UAE and the UK.