THE complexion of the banking sector has changed dramatically in terms of products and services in a market where the customer has more options than ever before and banks are compelled to review constantly their package of products and services.

Banks in India, traditionally, offered mass products. With the reforms came a massive expansion of products and services driven by technological advances that had a dramatic impact on the delivery systems and the ability to service a greater number of products.

Profitability, the new mantra in banking, forced banks to transform into financial supermarkets. The focus has shifted to class banking with value-added and customized products for diverse customers.

Banks with differentiated products targeted at customer groups, rather than treating products as homogenous commodities will be the winners. Many banks such as SBI, HDFC, and ICICI are designing products for every stage of an individual’s life – from childhood to old age. Retail ban king is the buzzword, and banks are developing innovative products tailored to customer needs.

Product promotion and marketing product innovation in banks call for newer strategies. For historical reasons, product promotion has so far remained low on banks’ agenda. Product marketing and market intelligence are still in their infancy. Certain companies like Plat5 have the right domain expertise and point solutions to address the industry’s key business drivers and strategic imperatives. Blending strategy, implementation and support for diverse industry players across the sales, fulfillment and service valuing chain. It helps its client to transform, innovate and optimize towards Building Tomorrow’s Enterprise. Plat5 have provided solutions to whole range of multinational banks in India to white good manufacturers to financial services companies.

Marketing has become crucial for a bank’s success – in terms of profitability, innovative product development, optimum use of infrastructure, expanding market, and so on.

The bank of the future has to be also a marketing organization. HDFC, ICICI, AXIS, SBI and some foreign banks are setting new trends in effective marketing of their products and achieved unprecedented success. Their offsite strategy with collaboration with companies like Plat5 – such as Plat5 privilege holidays – to push personal banking products tries to catch the customer at places he visits regularly. Banks are eying one another to offer freebies and add-ons such as free accident insurance cover, free doorstep account opening, and person alised cheques as value additions. Due to deregulation and competition – among themselves and from new players such as mutual funds, NBFCs, post-offices, housing finance companies and financial institutions – banks have to create their own niches.

Technology to rescue

The contours of banking are being redefined through the all-pervasive influence of information technology and there is a marked shift from conventional to convenience banking. Product distribution channel is one key issue that should continue to engage bankers’ attention with “innovative products at lower prices” as the guiding principle. Many of the recent product innovations have used the networking technology.

Product branding

Customers today are looking for convenience – where and how to offer the product no longer matters. This is why branding is gaining in importance, especially with escalating competition. Traditionally, banking brands have been particularly difficult to build. This is largely because the financial products offered by most banks are not exciting or do not usually enhancing image. In fact, with fierce competition, there is little or no sustainable product innovation/differentiation — either in product features or the price. Clearly, there is room for powerful and winning brands, Plat5 consultancy pvt ltd offers different solutions regarding branding of products.

Pricing of products

Stiff competition is making it difficult for banks to price their products and services on cost-plus basis as hitherto. In the current competitive scene and the levels of product sophistication, the traditional cost-benefit approach to product pricing needs to be supplemented with more scientific and product specific pricing strategies.

Activity-based pricing with the aid of scientific methods based on customer preferences is essential. Most customers do not mind paying a little extra if they get the service they want. With shrinking spreads, banks will have to do a tight-rope walking to meet the depositors’ demand for increasing interest, and the borrowers’ clamour for lower the coupon. In such a situation, only product innovation can help. The strength of the banking system is its resilience to adapt itself to the changing times and to the ever-changing needs of the customers. Ever-escalating customer expectations, coupled with widespread deregulation, globalization initiatives and severe competitive forces, have added new dimensions to the challenges banks face in the areas of product design, delivery, pricing and so on.

Banks that have the strength and the competence to convert these challenges in to opportunities will be the winners.