UDC: 336.719
https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2019-6-55
BEHAVIOUR OF BANKING SERVICES CONSUMERS IN DIGITAL ECONOMY
Yu.I. Korobov
Saratov Socio-Economic Institute (branch) of Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Saratov, Russia
e-mail: korobov@mail.ru
Abstract. Digitalization of the economy is nowadays one of the most important factors of economic development throughout the world. To the greatest extent, the digitalization process affects the financial markets, and especially the banking services market. One of the consequences of digitalization is a change in behaviour of consumers of banking services. The purpose of this article is to consider the impact of digitalization of the economy on behaviour of consumers of banking services, as well as on marketing activities of commercial banks. The article identifies the most important changes in behaviour of consumers of banking services, caused by the digitization of the economy: increasing the relevance of financial needs, increasing consumer autonomy and changing consumer behaviour patterns. Specific feature of needs satisfied by banking services is their secondary nature and, as a result, low relevance for many consumers. Development of information environment of financial market in context of digitalization of the economy is becoming a powerful external incentive for financial needs to become more relevant. Thanks to development of remote banking services, consumers are able to use banking services without a help of a bank employee. In addition to this, an increase in the degree of independence and freedom of choice of consumers of banking services is facilitated by development of web resources which provide structured information about banking services. This leads to the change in consumer behaviour patterns: a customer first selects the banking product using the Internet, and only after that he contacts the bank whose product best meets his needs. Changing consumer behaviour makes it necessary to improve the marketing activities of banks: a shift in focus from image advertising to product advertising, increasing attention on quality characteristics of banking services.At the end of the 20th century, the main form of banking advertising was image advertising, which worked well in conditions when a customer first chose the bank, and then a product. Today, when these stages of consumer choice have changed places, advertising again has to focus not on the bank, but on the banking product. In this regard, quality of banking services becomes the main tool of banking competition, and it is important to distinguish between two groups of criteria for quality of banking services – from the point of view of a bank and from the point of view of a customer, – focusing on the second group.
Keywords: digital economy, consumer behaviour, banking services, bank advertising, quality of banking services.
