Consumers Increasingly Switching Banks for Mobile Considerations: Report

A new study released this week predicts that 50 percent of U.S. bank customers will use mobile banking services by 2016.

The study, conducted by business advisory firm AlixPartners, found that 39 percent of consumers say that having a mobile offering is either "extremely important" or "important" in their decision to switch primary banks.

According to AlixPartners, 15 percent of U.S. banking customers currently use mobile banking, up from 12 percent during the second quarter of 2011.

According to the AlixPartners study, when comparing the set of features for choosing a new bank between consumers who currently use mobile banking and those who do not, mobile played a decisive role in mobile banking users' bank-selection decision. Thirty-two percent of consumers who switched banks in the past year and who also used mobile banking chose mobile banking as a preferred bank attribute, versus only 6 percent of non-mobile users who also switched banks.

The study also found that the ability to use a mobile remote deposit capture (RDC) feature is the leading mobile driver for bank selection. According to the findings, 65 percent of consumers who are at least somewhat likely to switch because of mobile banking considerations, said the ability to deposit a check with their mobile device was the leading feature that would cause them to switch.

The study also delved into typical characteristics of mobile banking users. 55 percent of mobile banking users are between 18 and 34, and the average annual income for mobile banking users is $71,000

The findings are based on an online survey conducted in mid-December 2011 of 6,000 Americans.

Bryan Yurcan is associate editor for Bank Systems and Technology. He has worked in various editorial capacities for newspapers and magazines for the past 8 years. After beginning his career as a municipal and courts reporter for daily newspapers in upstate New York, Bryan has ... View Full Bio