Triggers in Banking app
Channels, UX anatomy and examples
#triggers
#push notifications
#sms
#email
#banners
#CTA
#timing
#iteration
#discovery
Summary

Research explores how banks use communication triggers to guide customers from awareness into product offers. By analyzing competitor practices across mobile and internet banking, the research identifies primary interaction channels, their usage by device, and the UX anatomy of effective messages. Special focus is placed on email and banner design elements, showing how copy, visuals, and calls-to-action shape engagement.

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Conducted in February 2023.

Key takeaways
  • Relevance and timing drive effectiveness; generic or frequent triggers risk being perceived as spam
  • Cross-channel consistency ensures trust - users see the same offer in push, email, and app
  • Design matters: concise copy, strong CTA placement, and personalization significantly increase engagement
  • Mobile-first context: Deep links into app journeys are critical for frictionless conversion
  • Balance needed between business push and user control (opt-out options, predictable frequency)
Scope and goal
  1. To map primary communication channels used by competitors for delivering requests and offers
  2. To identify the journey steps from each trigger to a product offer, including best-practice UX patterns and design anatomy
Methods
  • Competitor Analysis: Observed communication strategies across retail banks in multiple markets
  • Artifact Review: Collected examples of push notifications, in-app banners, SMS, and email campaigns
  • Design Anatomy Audit: Broke down structure of banners and emails (headline, copy, visuals, CTA)
  • Cross-Channel Comparison: Assessed differences between mobile-first triggers (push, SMS, in-app) and web-first triggers (email, web banners)
Results
  1. Primary interaction Cchannels

    • Push notifications - personalized, time-sensitive)
    • In-app notifications and banners - contextual, discovery-driven
    • SMS - security, short offers with deep links
    • Email - detailed campaigns, strongest for education and upsell
    • Web banners - homepage, dashboards, transactional confirmations
  2. Channels by device

    • Mobile: Push, SMS, in-app - strong immediacy and conversion potential
    • Web: Banners, email CTA landings - suited for longer applications or detailed product exploration
    • Omnichannel: Many competitors synchronize the same offer across multiple entry points
  3. UX anatomy of effective triggers

    • Banners: Visual hook → headline → short body → single clear CTA
    • Emails: Subject line → header image → strong headline → body text → primary CTA → footer trust signals
    • SMS: Direct language + short link → app deep link
  4. Trigger → Offer flow

    • Delivery → User notice → Interaction → Offer landing → Conversion (or drop-off)
    • Best practice: deep links into pre-filled or personalized flows, reducing effort

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You can see screens from competitor analysis in full results.

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Sources: 
  • 11fs
  • Mobbin
See full results