ORLANDO, Fla. —Consumers are looking for streamlined, personalized support from their financial institutions through every type of transaction, from leasing a vehicle to ordering a year’s supply of dog treats.

Banks that anticipate consumers’ needs before they arise and deliver an end-to-end experience will have a competitive edge, Tiffani Montez, principal analyst at financial services-focused business intelligence firm eMarketer, said during a March 17 panel at CBA Live 2025.

However, most FIs organize their products and services in silos, forcing consumers to search, apply and sometimes even manage all their accounts separately, she said.

“This transmitted approach makes banking feel highly transactional,” she said. “It also creates friction in this opportunity for banks to be able to cross up and upsell, especially when you start to think about high-value, low-touch products such as mortgages.

“Customers no longer want fragmented financial experiences,” she continued. “They want a clear roadmap that can help them go through major life stages.”

Banking at every stage

Buying a car, for example, requires consumers and their banks to consider various options, Montez said.

“If you think about vehicle ownership, how do you help someone decide how much they can afford to pay for a vehicle?” she said. “How do you help them find a vehicle? How do you help them buy a vehicle, insure that vehicle, understand how to maintain and what it costs to maintain that vehicle, and maybe even give them insights when owning that vehicle outweighs them actually purchasing a new vehicle?”

Even adding a pet to the household can present an opportunity for banks to provide personalized insights, Montez said.

“There’s financial obligation with little furballs, and oftentimes people don’t know what it costs to truly own a pet,” Montez said.

Consumers may need guidance from their banks in determining which subscriptions for food, toys and treats are worth the investment, or whether purchasing pet insurance will save money in the long term, she said.

“The future of banking isn’t just digital. It is personalized, it is predictive, and it’s embedded in moments in everyday life where consumers are making decisions that have a financial impact,” Montez said.

Data builds trust

Better data is the key to providing consumers with a more personalized, end-to-end experience, Alicia Cao, head of product and customer experience at the $119.5 billion digital bank Synchrony, said during the panel. Data, she added, is paramount for banks to achieve a “full digital revolution.”

“If you’re not investing in data and analytics, you’re doing it wrong.”

— Alicia Cao, head of product and customer experience, Synchrony Bank

“That’s how you understand your customers. That’s how you deliver the personalized, data-driven strategies,” Cao said.

Especially with the rise of digital and mobile adoption, it’s critical for banks to continuously build trust with consumers by delivering a seamless digital experience tailored to the consumer’s needs, Montez said, echoing Cao’s statements.

“Insights are going to be the new currency of [bank-consumer] relationships,” she said.

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