iPad and Banking
The Financial Brand sent an interesting tweet earlier: “If online banking works fine on iPads, then why would a financial institution ever need to build an iPad-specific app? ipadpeek.com.”
Maybe it’s the geek in me, but I see the iPad as a way to redefine online banking. While having lunch this week with a couple of co-workers and Bryan Clagett (@clagett) of Geezeo, we talked about online banking in general. Most FI customers currently go to their FI’s homepage and then go directly to online banking. They never look over the other information that’s listed on the website.
I believe an iPad app can be more beneficial to customers. For instance, you can push balance/transaction alerts. You could also push alerts about rate changes and marketing events or even iAds. An iPad app would give a FI the opportunity to make mobile banking more PFM like, which would be a much better experience.
My point is, if newspapers can see the benefit of having an app instead of just letting people go to their website, there must be some tangible benefit. You’re only limited by your imagination. I believe most online and mobile web banking experiences are pretty crappy. The iPad gives you the outlet to really do it right.
Posted on April 8, 2010, in Mobile Alerts, Mobile Banking, Online Banking, Personal Finance Management, PFM and tagged Apple, iPad. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a Comment.
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Having an iPad app would be cool, and there are certainly things that can be done with the iPad that can’t be done with other platforms. But when you consider the time, energy and effort required to develop an iPad app, plus the size of the iPad audience, it just doesn’t seem like a high priority.
If I had a big bucket of tech time I could use, I’d rework my old, cruddy website, or integrate a PFM partner like Geezeo, or build an iPhone app. There’s probably a lot of other stuff tech folks at financial institutions should be prioritizing over the iPad.
95% of FI sites do little to de-commoditize the industry and that is something I am sure we all agree on. We’re still partying like it’s 1999. The iPad (or what it represents) may help drive the tipping point as the mobile and wireless world become even more mainstream. I am hoping this will push FIs to be more innovative in how they build online experiences.
Very cool, I have been following the ipad’s release closely and will keep following it until I am able to get one.Anybody know when the iPad will be released outside USA.Cheersi