1. Mobile has eclipsed desktop Internet access and the gap will continue to widen.

Mobile (smart phones and tablets) will be the dominant Internet access point for Millennial, Gen X and other demographics for the foreseeable future. Increasingly, some of the consumers that you want to reach will, in fact, be mobile-only Internet access users. According to Pew Research, if market reach is important, ignore mobile-only users at your peril.

Consider these statistics:

• The personal computer, the darling of the 1990s and 2000s, is losing ground to the mobile phone. The average time spent using the Internet on a computer has dropped while Internet access via smartphone grew 26% in 2013.²
• 31% of Internet users say mobile is the primary way that they access the web.
• Mobile app use skyrocketed in 2013, up eight hours a month from the 2012 averages.¹

2. Mobile user sophistication is growing rapidly beyond transactions.

You've heard the phrase, “there's an app for that”. It's tempting to think that members and customers will only want to do light banking transactions on their mobile devices and return to their laptop or desktop for more meaningful interactions such as loan applications. That is not necessarily the case. Members are looking to engage with a single, unified, branded app from any of their mobile devices to tap into all of the things they can do on your web site and more, including account opening, picture pay, loan applications, remote deposit, access knowledge bases and more. Developing a mobile presence based on a desktop transaction set may negate self-service options that your institution offers.

3. Mobile form factors drive different user interface needs and experiences than desktop.

Take heed that innovation, responsive design and app-oriented presentation arethe ante to tap into the mobile channel for financial services. You'll need technology partnerswith deep experience in mobile innovation and development to provide users and memberswith a delightful mobile experience, not a headache. Trying to retrofit a desktop bankingsolution to the form factors required for mobile banking can frustrate members and sendthem looking elsewhere for a better mobile experience.

4. Innovative mobile banking features are exploding. Who's developing for the desktop anymore?

Making a decision about your technology infrastructure would wiselybe led by your mobile needs versus your desktop needs. As an economy, we'redeveloping for a mobile world, not for a desktop one. Your partner for all digital bankingneeds to be on the front end of innovation so that you can be first to market with importantnew features and services on mobile devices and continue to offer the best experience fromthe desktop or laptop as well.

5. A mobile-centric digital banking strategy will yield a greater return.

Align your financial institution with growth, not decline. Growth in every sense of the word right now is related to mobile computing, just think about Apple or Samsung growth and value versusthat of traditional desktop manufacturers. Investment and alignment with the mobile channelwill translate to growth, engagement, reach and ROI for your institution.

1. Harvard Business Review, Rise of the Mobile-Only User, May 8, 2013
2. The Callahan Report, Getting the Most from your Digital Channels, June 30, 2014

Tim Kelly is EVP of Sales and Marketing for the Austin, Texas-based mobile banking firm Fi-Mobile. He can be reached at 713-817-5858 or [email protected].