BNP Paribas has become the latest major
retail bank to launch a retail store concept, in an attempt to
differentiate itself from its rivals by promoting a technology and
innovation-led strategy.
BNPP said that the
store, dubbed ‘2 Opéra’, would improve customers’ banking
experience.
Following client
feedback, BNPP designed the pilot branch concept over the past 15
months, the main aims being:
- To offer both clients and non-clients a
new banking experience; - To “reinvent the relationship with
clients and prospective customers, through openness and
responsiveness, whether informing people directly or helping them
to learn”; - To turn the branch into a ‘lab’ promoting
innovation and new features; and to - To position BNPP as a pioneer of
innovation.
The concept store is
divided into 10 specific areas in to flag up the bank’s core values
of commitment, approachability, learning, responsiveness and
innovation.
The concept store is
divided into 10 specific areas in to flag up the bank’s core values
of commitment, approachability, learning, responsiveness and
innovation.
Channel innovation has
been a key part of BNPP’s retail investment in the past year. To
promote its online channel, BNPP was the first French bank to
launch a service on Apple’s iPad tablet platform. BNPP has also
rolled out online banking subsidiary Net Agence.
The bank has also
invested in a mobile banking service; that channel attracts 200,000
regular customers each month.