Empowering Underbanked Consumers in the Mobile Era: Identifying Bank Needs and Ranking Top Prepaid Providers
- Date:May 27, 2014
- Author(s):
- Mary Monahan
- Report Details: 32 pages, 19 graphics
- Research Topic(s):
- Mobile & Online Banking
- Digital Strategy & Experience
- Payments
- Digital Banking
- PAID CONTENT
- Download summary
Overview
The underserved, underbanked, and unbanked population is large and diverse: At present just over one in four Americans fall into this category. Because of the underbanked market’s clout, alternative financial providers are stepping up to provide products and services expressly tailored to meet the needs of this increasingly influential group. Prepaid accounts, coupled with mobile access, FDIC insurance, and bill pay, are one of the better ways that alternative providers are serving high‐tech, underserved consumers. The report ranks 13 prepaid providers on their underbanked consumer offerings and examines five second‐chance providers. This report not only looks at the financial behaviors and habits of this highly mobile, younger group of consumers but also examines its preferences for omnichannel banking interactions, and makes recommendations for best practices.
Primary Questions:
- How many Americans are underbanked and unbanked, and what is their general profile?
- What devices (e.g., computers, laptops, tablets, feature phones, or smartphones) do the underbanked favor for various transactions?
- Do underbanked customers prefer the branch, ATM, call center, or online or mobile banking for different financial actvities?
- What payment methods — debit, checks, prepaid, etc. — do the underbanked use most?
- What are the best prepaid products on the market?
- What are the best pracices for serving the underbanked?
Companies Mentioned:
American Express | City Bank Texas | Fifth Third | JPMorgan Chase |
Apple | Commonwealth One FCU | NetSpend | |
BB&T | CVS/pharmacy | Green Dot | Office Depot |
BBVA Compass | Duane Reade Family Dollar | H&R Block | PNC |
Bill Me Later | FDIC | Heritage Community CU | Regions |
Sheetz | Super Dollar | T-Mobile | U.S. Bank |
Visa | Walgreens | Walmart | Wells Fargo |
Western Union | Wipit |
Methodology
- A random-sample panel of 3,213 respondents in an October 2013 online survey.
- A random-sample panel of 5,641respondents in an March 2013 online survey.
- A random-sample panel of 3,285 respondents in an July 2013 online survey.
- A random-sample panel of 3,509 respondents in an November 2013 online survey.
Interested In This Report
Related content
Digital Account Opening Raises the Bar for Single-Channel Success
Mobile and online channels are no longer just complementary players in banks’ sales success. Now, they are essential to bringing in and onboarding new customers. Eight in 10 succes...
Forecast 2025: Mobile Is the New Workhorse in Consumer Banking
Digital banking adoption—online and mobile—has returned to pre-pandemic levels and in some cases has even stagnated. However, here’s the bigger, permanent story: Mobile banking is ...
Gen Z’s Rough Start with Digital Banking
Generation Z is emerging as a major consumer segment for FIs now that they’re reaching adulthood, so FIs must take the time to understand what makes them tick. That includes examin...
Make informed decisions in a digital financial world