UBS website top in online client battle
UBS, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse
have the strongest websites among the leading private banks,
according to research.
UBS finished top of an analysis of 20 wealth
managers conducted by Swiss-based MyPrivateBanking Research. Its
site has “a clear structure and excellent navigation” and offers a
range of tools for clients to analyse investment options and
products.
UBS received 82 points out of a possible 100,
ahead of Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, which were tied on 81
points. Scoring was based on an analysis of the websites of 20 of
the leading private banks ranked by assets under management.
Points were awarded based on 47 different
criteria in three broad areas: navigation and structure, content
and interactivity. Interviews with 25 private clients were also
conducted to assess how they used websites and to establish the
areas they considered important.
Citibank, Goldman Sachs and Lombard Odier had
the poorest websites according to the research, with scores under
60. Over 60 percent of the websites were considered almost unusable
by the study because of a lack of navigation capability and poor
search functions.
It also found that only 12 of the 20 banks had
a complete privacy policy.
While websites provide a good opportunity for
private banks to position their brand and market themselves, only a
quarter managed to communicate a unique selling proposition to
clients.
Information on available services were
generally considered good, but there was less transparency on costs
and portfolio returns in most cases, and more than half of the
websites surveyed gave guidance on the necessary investment
threshold to become a client.
Most banks provided clear and accessible
contact details for clients to receive more information, the most
basic but probably most important function of any private banking
website.
The report suggests that social online
networks including LinkedIn and Facebook will play a more
significant role in client acquisition for the future.
|
ONLINE
|
|
Websites – top 10 private banks
ranked by usability
|
| |
Total
|
Navigation
(max 30)
|
Content
(max 40)
|
Interactivity
(max 30)
|
|
1
|
UBS
|
82
|
29
|
27
|
26
|
|
2=
|
Deutsche Bank
|
81
|
26
|
30
|
25
|
|
Credit Suisse
|
81
|
29
|
26
|
26
|
|
4
|
Merrill Lynch
|
80
|
28
|
24
|
28
|
|
5
|
Pictet
|
77
|
24
|
26
|
27
|
|
6=
|
Morgan Stanley
|
70
|
26
|
22
|
22
|
|
HSBC
|
70
|
26
|
23
|
21
|
|
Société Générale
|
70
|
25
|
21
|
24
|
|
9
|
Crédit Agricole
|
69
|
16
|
34
|
19
|
|
10=
|
Barclays Wealth
|
68
|
19
|
24
|
25
|
|
Julius Baer
|
68
|
18
|
24
|
26
|
|
Source: MyPrivateBanking Research
|