Yep they’re back, and hopefully these new (and some old) ideas will inspire you. Twitter is still the best place to go for this stuff.
Global financial services innovation & news
- This may be old news for you but last week a Goldman Sachs banker wrote this scathing leaving letter published by the New York Times. Culture eats strategy for breakfast so the saying goes … this letter seems to support that.
- PayPal have launched a ‘Square-like’ dongle for the iphone that allows small business merchants to accept credit card payments from the convenience of the mobile phone. Nice packaging, nice ecosystem approach. Huge game changer for the cards and merchant businesses. Watch the video here. There is an equivalent here in Singapore called SwiffPay
- Speaking of mobile money, 2 really interesting articles from Fastcompany – the broader argument on a cashless society, and another specific mobile phone solution called Geode.
- Wells Fargo have become the biggest bank by market value. They’re also consistent winners of most customer satisfaction surveys amongst the big banks in the US. This is a unique double, that only someone like Apple can parallel.
- Nice ideas that play on the strength of local knowledge and connection with local communities and customers. Can we be so bold to do the same here in Singapore?
- Using this new app from Commonwealth Bank you can check your account balance without logging in. Security issue or not? If the Aus regulator lets that one through, most others would too.
- You may have heard of the Big Mac Index – a common form of commodity across the globe that we can all understand. It’s an intriguing measure of purchasing power across currencies relative to the USD. Where does Singapore or Malaysia sit?
- An update on Singapore’s efforts to digitize signatures to prevent online banking fraud, looking at the monitor itself as a potential tool to avoid man in the middle attacks
Other sources of customer experience & focus innovation
- These colorful tents are designed to stand out in their natural setting, whilst also having a little fun doing so. Fancy spending a night in a giant piece of cheese or watermelon, or a circus tent, or under an old quilt?
- Gerry McGovern makes a good argument about focusing on a users tasks not your content. This uses a website analogy but of course could apply to any channel customers use. (Vimeo video) “Get to the task. They want to get in, they want to get out as quickly as possible”
- Dollar Shave Club takes a fresh approach to the usually boring – and expensive – subject of mens shaving razors. Building fans before they’ve even sold them a razor! Watch the video (if you have access!)
- We’ve all heard of Flash Mobs – they’re kind of old now. Next comes Cash Mobs – a group of folks get together and flood a local, independent business, each ready to spend about $20. A nice way to spontaneously support a local business that’s doing good.
- The Jawbone JAMBOX speaker is a simple speaker linking to a smart phone via Bluetooth but this add shows its multiple functions, simple use and fashionable styling
- Scrabble Typography Edition anyone? Beautiful.
nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information. Wonderful read!