Digital Experience Report

CU Websites Still Product Focused and Not Based on Needs

Topics: Best Practices, Content, Digital Strategy

Last month, Finalytics.ai released its 2023 Credit Union Digital Experience report on the state of digital at the largest 100 credit unions in the United States. Over several weeks we are publishing blog posts that drill down into the various categories and scoring that made up the final results used in the report. This article focuses on how the top 100 credit unions measure up to the expectations of members whose baseline is online retailers.

In the 2023 Finalytics.ai report, the following criteria help assess how credit unions performed in this area:

  • Effective cross-sell and up-sell of products and services
  • Addressing key audience segments
  • Evidence of personalization
  • Use of social media to drive campaigns
  • Special offers

 

Our analysis discovered that credit union marketing remains primarily product based rather than needs-oriented. There is a need for a greater overall focus on member experience and more tailored offerings.

digital marketing credit union dx report 2023

The five organizations with the top scores in needs-based content are Vystar CU, Desert FCU, Texas Dow Employees CU, Alliant CU, and Members 1st FCU. All scoring in the Finalytics.ai report is on a scale of one to five, with one being “poor” and five being “most innovative.”  Findings from our evaluations include the importance of the following areas.

Cross-selling

This year, cross-selling on credit union websites increased. Out of the 100 sites we reviewed, 42 showed evidence of cross-selling. Fifteen of these rose to the top by presenting their customers with other product options and CTAs throughout the site, leading them to explore a variety of sections. But only a few credit unions told a truly holistic needs-based story for how their products can serve members.

Personalization

As a top growth trend, we understand many organizations are seeking out ways to personalize. We found only 21 of the 100 CUs we rated exhibit some level of personalization. Just seven of these feature deeper, more enhanced personalization. We expect to see a continual increase in optimized data strategies, increasing member engagement by tracking customer behavior and providing more real-time advice, offers, and rewards. This category can be challenging to assess as some personalization activity may occur only within the online banking platform. Still, most CUs present the same content across the site despite differences in the users’ geolocations or recent product searches.

Segmentation

While most CUs (91 of the 100 surveyed) identify some level of segmentation, we found that just 30% represent their defined segments very well within their website content. Of those using segmentation, 58% showed two or more segments in their primary navigation. These segments are typically Personal, Business, and Wealth Management). Other sites use product types as the primary organization, indicating that they offer a product-focused experience rather than centering members and their specific needs. Several sites hide the punchline by not being clear who their target audience is, making it difficult to find information on who is eligible to join.

 

Read the entire 2023 Credit Union Digital Experience report.