Most important features for websites in the banking industry

The digitization of banking operations is constantly growing, due to changes in user consumption habits. Instead of going to a bank branch, people now prefer to do most of their paperwork and transactions online, either through an application or a web page. That is why it is essential for banks to have a website that offers users to carry out a variety of procedures with just a couple of clicks.

How many are online banking users around the world?

So that you can see the importance of online banking at this time, we will show you figures collected by the firm Statista in one of its investigations. The use of online banking is expected to grow steadily between 2021 and 2024, with the Asian market being the largest.

China and the Far East, for example, registered 805 million online banking users in 2020, followed by Europe with 361 million and the United States with 240 million active users. Latin America was also in the ranking with 109 million users.

In 2024, the projection indicates that China and the Far East may reach 974 million active users in online banking, with Europe reaching 435 million, the United States 279 million and Latin America almost doubling the number of users, reaching 198 million.

In another Statista report, cited by the Safeatlast portal, in 2021, at least 64.6% of US citizens used online banking platforms and in 2022, that number may rise to 65.3% according to estimates. Likewise, the volume of digital payments rose 21% in 2020, pushed by the pandemic.

Main features of online banking

• It facilitates user access to banking services.
• It offers options for making bill payments and transferring funds to other accounts.
• The user can maintain control over mortgages, loans, savings, they explained on the Paisa Bazaar portal.
• Online banking platforms have an authentication process that provides the necessary security to users. The data will always be protected.
• Allows you to set up automatic or recurring payments.

Features that a bank's website should have

Branch Map

It is one of the most important features on a bank's website, as it makes it easier for the user to search for the agencies closest to their location. In the frontend of the website, the map of branches must be in a visible and easy place for the user to locate, but also the backend must be built in such a way that the bank team can easily update the locations, to generate a good user experience.

Promotions

Through a website, banks can not only show their basic services, but also offer special promotions to their customers and, in this way, diversify the relationship and the products they offer to users. You can implement banners and notifications on the bank's website in order to draw the attention of users who enter the site.

Online Appointments

Banks are trying to digitize more and more operations, which is why they now even allow users to schedule their appointments online. Among the benefits of this is that you will be able to speak with a bank specialist at the time you can, without waiting times in an agency and, in addition, by scheduling the appointment online and explaining the reason, the bank agents will be able to prepare better to meet your requirement.

In the specialized portal The Financial Brand, they estimated that online appointments will be the “new normal, recognizing that the pandemic had a lot to do with the transformation of online banking operations. And they found that online appointment scheduling drives growth in new accounts, improves customer access to bank service, and improves customer problem resolution.

Chatbot

One way to guarantee a good user experience is with the implementation of a chatbot. "Live chat is the most effective way to help customers who need an immediate response," they noted on the Smooth Fusion portal. In other words, even if you make your social networks or an email available to users, through these options the response will not be as immediate as with a chatbot. You can configure this chatbot according to the most frequent questions that users may have and thus speed up the response for them.

According to statistics shared by 99firms, at least 79% of users are satisfied using live chats because they provide an immediate response to their query or question. And of those users, 63% were more likely to return to the website because of a previously successful experience.

Products Profile

In an area of the website, the bank can also organize the profiles of the products it offers to customers so that they can be easily located by users of the page. A website is a 24/7 marketing channel, so banks should take advantage of this benefit.

The content that you offer on the website will be a reflection of the bank, therefore, each piece of information that is published must be valuable content for users, but also optimized for search engines.

What is a website developer?

To create these websites you need a person who is an expert in programming and technology, this is known as a website developer. It is responsible for designing and building the page following the parameters and needs of the client at the time.

Coursera, a website that specialized in professional courses, defines this profession as "A web developer's job is to create websites. Although their main function is to ensure that the website is visually attractive and easy to navigate, many web developers are also responsible performance and capacity of the website.

Types of web developer

This profession is divided into three main types: back-end developer, front-end developer, and full-stack developer. The back-end developer takes care of the structure of the page, writes the code, and verifies that everything works correctly.

The front-end developer works on the visual part of the website, everything the end user interacts with. They design the physical layout of each page, integrate graphics, and use HTML and JavaScript to enhance the site.

The full-stack developer is a function of the first two, they have the knowledge to carry out the complete development of a website by themselves and are the most sought after by software agencies and companies.

Do you need support to develop the website of your banking institution? At Rootstack we have +10 years accompanying global companies in their digital transformation process. Contact us!

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