Bank Design Trends
Reinforce the Brand
By Julie Bennett, Vice
President of Marketing
and Retail Delivery
Consultants and Builders, Inc. (CBI), julie.bennett@consultantsandbuilders.com
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Bank design trends have changed in recent years shifting from a linear design – teller lines, management offices lining one side of the lobby – to an all-encompassing retail and interactive environment designed to sell. Today, there are two goals in bank design: 1) create an environment that draws people in, and 2) encourages them to stay. While bank designs of yesterday focused on security, today’s financial institution has awakened to retail-savvy customers who expect a host of product offerings, 24/7 access, and state-of-the-art merchandising commonly referred to as “infotainment”. The result is a value added service experience that compels customers to interact freely with the environment, explore product offerings and connect on a deeper level. All of which contributes to higher sales, greater operational efficiencies and maximum ROI.
Design to Reinforce the Brand
Your bank is an extension of your brand; not the other way around. This
means that, from floor plan to floor covering, every feature of your
physical space must be planned with the overall brand and retail strategies
in mind. Are you a more traditional bank with a largely Baby Boomer
customer base? Perhaps a conservative façade, brick walls, white
columns and trimmed hedges are best in keeping with your image. Is
your institution technologically driven with a customer base skewed
toward thirty-somethings? If so, consider a modern exterior with lots
of glass, dramatic design angles and extra drive-up lanes for time-pressed
customers on the move. When architectural design falls perfectly in
line with your identity and image, the branch experience becomes something
far greater: a brand experience.
Inside the branch, use promotions and merchandising tools to transform your physical space into a well-branded sales driven environment. Hanging banners and effectively positioned signage remain a mainstay of any winning in-store merchandising program. But, new media can complement traditional media, offering expanded channels for delivering a sales message with impact and excitement. For instance, digital presentations displayed on plasma screens can add energy, motion and visual interest to an otherwise static promotion for loan rates or savings accounts.
Centrally Managing a Network of Kiosks or Plasma Screens
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90% of our customers connect their Electronic Merchandising directly to their network. This is a growing trend because of these advantages:
- It is Already Monitored
- It is Already In Place
- It is Already Secure
- It is Already Budgeted
IT departments are usually most concerned with excessive bandwidth usage, which is easily remedied with controlled off hours scheduling. Be sure your provider has the ability to delay content updates until the wee hours of the morning when bank critical traffic is at a minimum.
There are other options. "DSL & cable modems are very prevalent, but cost an extra $50-100 per month per site, satellite systems may require holes in the bank roof, are expensive and usually only provide downstream traffic, but can be very fast, so all network types have their advantages and disadvantages" says Jon VanderMeer, President of The Kiosk and Display Company.
Catch us at our remaining trade shows in September in Florida and Puerto Rico
Demonstrations and learning sessions in your conference room are always available by contacting our sales department or calling 800-724-8947.
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| Conference Demo |
Or if you prefer we would welcome your visit next time you are in the Atlanta area.
The Kiosk and Display Company contributed funds to help restore and reopen a local city pool. The Grant Park pool, which previously had been closed for years, was in danger of being filled with dirt before an organization was dedicated to its preservation. TKADC helped develop the poster campaign to raise awareness for the re-grand opening.
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The real praise belongs to the hundreds of volunteers who painted, sealed, scraped, and plumbed into the wee hours
We care about the integrity and timley nature of your marketing campaigns.
Please call us when you need ideas, new solutions, technical support or to re-engerize your content.
Need inspiration for your next electronic merchandising campaign? Our content library has a range of examples we have produced for other clients.
We love to help!
Toll Free Support Numbers:
Sales: 1-800-724-8947
Support:1-800-668-1975
Content: 1-877-585-3387
