BNZ Sees 1,313% Increase in Android User Traffic, Launches Android App

Since 13-fold growth in business activity inside of a year is almost never wrong, Bank of New Zealand developed an Android app after Android visits to its mobile web browser spiked explosively in recent months.

BNZ will now offer mobile banking services for both Android and Apple iOS-powered smartphones, along with its mobile web browser, and is working on further expansion into mobile banking and payments. Consumers will be able to view balances, transfer funds and pay bills on the Android app, which will have similar services to the iPhone app.

The bank's in-house IT team in Wellington developed the Android app after visits to the BNZ website from Android devices grew 1,313 percent between June 2010 and June 2011. Growth in the iPhone app hasn't been too shabby, either — it's been downloaded more than 15,000 times in just the past few weeks.

The overall growth of smartphone use among consumers has sparked the expansion of the bank's native apps, along with a desire to give Android users the same experience as iPhone users. "Off the back of customer feedback we received when we released our iPhone app, we realized that our mobile offering wasn't complete without an Android app," says Rogan Clarke, head of BNZ Online. "We were in effect neglecting a segment of our customer base and responded to bridge this gap as quickly as possible."

Clarke also aimed to provide better navigation and functionality in the bank's mobile apps. "The average customer with a smartphone has been exposed to a vast array of ingenious apps that are all competing on the basis of ease of use and functional richness," Clarke says. "Browser-based solutions unfortunately just don't give us the edge we're looking for. They only support simpler interaction models and the limited range of features offered compared to a native app is a real impediment."

An active adopter of mobile banking, BNZ is also developing a mobile payments suite. The bank recently completed a successful microSD pilot that's part of the bank's effort to build a merchant and consumer network for future NFC-equipped mobile phones.

The bank's internal mobile development team is charged with developing mobile banking and payments services as part of a multi-channel engagement strategy, enabling customers to choose a point of contact that's best for their needs at a certain time of day or location. "There are so many development paths available for mobile financial solutions," says Clarke, adding the mobile IT staff also use market research and solicitation of consumer input to build products for mobile P2P, location-based services, contextual and relevant marketing and partner-based offerings.

The bank's current mobile services are primarily aimed at consumers, though it's is also considering its options for a corporate rollout. Additionally, it's running trials with tablets in its branch network as part of a larger branch upgrade project. "We're assessing how digital devices can aid the in-store customer experience and support customer needs analysis and sales."