Presents a conjoint‐based method of preferential segmentation. It outperforms other techniques in that it provides a higher level of intra‐group homogeneity as far as the most preferred product/service design is concerned, and its interpretation is more straightforward. Illustrates the...

Suggests that the competitive threat faced by banks and building societies from direct banking and other technology‐driven distribution channels has serious implications for the future viability of their comprehensive branch networks. Costs associated with any significant reduction in branch...

The harsh market environment has led to fierce levels of competition within the personal financial services sector, where banks, building societies and other providers of financial services have been criticized for offering sophisticated consumers undifferentiated products. With customer...

Discusses the options available to financial service companies to accomplish product removal or elimination. Reports the findings of a two year study into the practices and processes of financial service sector product elimination activity. Outlines why product elimination is relevant to product...

In general, customers expect banks to provide the basic banking services. They also expect different levels of services to maximize the value they can derive from the banks. Hence, customers evaluate competing offers in terms of the totality of the product and service as well as the relationship...

Notes that the literature on personal selling and advising on services stresses the importance of analysing the actual client‐adviser interaction process. Explores this process of interaction in a mortgage setting by observing 42 conversations between advisers and 26 clients. The exact content...

Notes how deregulation in the banking industry has increased levels of competition in what was a highly protected sector. This increase in competition made demands on banks to manage their strategic positioning. The banks were unused to dealing with such large and rapid changes, and recent...

The process of establishing a competitive advantage is at the heart of competitive marketing strategy. However, a competitive advantage cannot be established without a clear idea of what constitutes the relevant competitive arena. Theoretically, there are strong arguments for seeing both these...

Reports the findings of a survey among customers of private and public sector banks in Greece on service quality perceptions and expectations. Finds that quality expectations and evaluation of services received were marginally higher in the private than in the public sector in most of the...

It is the purpose of this article to explore the relevance of the concept of internal marketing to the financial service arena and the extent to which it may be possible to utilise internal marketing as a means of reducing the service gaps postulated by Parasuraman et al. The study is based on...