Santander, the first bank in Poland that incorporated shopping services into its mobile banking app, shows a constant increase in the value of e-commerce transactions. In September 2018 the service grew nearly 80% year-over-year.
What functionalities will we find in the Santander (previously BZ WBK) application? Among others, the bank’s clients can buy bus and car park tickets (the list includes over 200 cities). The most rapid increase in popularity has been observed in the case of purchasing tickets for cultural events and taxis, which is, by the way, one of the most recent implementations on the platform. Other services include booking hotels, sending gifts or supporting the needy.
An increasing number of banks are entering into cooperation with m–commerce service providers like FINANTEQ. After FINANTEQ introduced its Superwallet for the first time during Finovate New York in 2015, a number of banks in Poland introduced the ability to buy goods and services through their banking apps. More institutions are on their way.
As a result of such an alliance, a financial institution usually associated with the dull financial sphere receives a new and surprising opportunity to engage the users—by offering useful services. The other side of the deal, e.g. an e–book store or a cinema chain, receives access to a multimillion database of new consumers—the bank’s customers. At the end of the day, both parties divide the profits they have generated together.
