On-Line Banks Unsure About What Kind of Web to Weave, Study Shows

Most banks want to do more with their Web sites, but aren't exactly sure what, according to a survey of banks that have presences on the Internet.

Netmarquee Online Services Inc., a Needham, Mass., company that offers on-line information for family businesses, conducted the survey this month.

Of 150 banks in the survey, 65% wanted to enhance their content so that people would visit the Web sites more often.

"A good number of these banks put Web sites up nine months or a year ago, and they're saying, 'Now what?'," said David Gumpert, president of Netmarquee.

"They're coming to realize that they need to do something more than an electronic brochure, to provide some kind of value added to their prospects and customers besides just saying, 'Aren't we great?',"

Mr. Gumpert's survey, conducted by telephone, found that traffic ranged from 100 to 500 visits a month. Only 5% of banks surveyed said they were actively promoting or advertising their Web sites.

The survey also found that the larger the bank, the more interested it was in using the Internet for business purposes.

Banks now are devising a variety of ways to draw repeat traffic to their sites, including trivia quizzes and mortgage calculators.

Mr. Gumpert's company sells packages of information relevant to small businesses, and he is trying to coax banks to subscribe to his information service, which provides monthly updates.

One bank that is considering a subscription to Netmarquee's product is Bank of Boston Corp.

Ray Graber, marketing manager for the Web site, said the bank is looking at ways to provide interactive features, like on-line account applications or account transfer capabilities.

Mr. Graber said the bank is also considering a service called "Rentnet" that lists apartment rentals on the Internet and might prove helpful to the many college students in the Boston area.

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