Banks pushing eBills

Despite online banking being the only way to handle personal finances for many, only 70% of internet users currently bank online, according to a report from Mintel Comperemedia.

Banks are trying to ramp up online usage in offline media, with 40% of direct mail pieces promoting online. An emerging. Most banks offer consumers the choice to consolidate their bill paying through the bank's site. Called eBills, the consolidation gives users reason to visit the bank's site more often. However, 45% of online bankers bypass this step when logging into their accounts.

It should be interesting to see how banks will promote eBills. As more people get comfortable banking online, perhaps bill consolidation will be that much more attractive and response will increase, or perhaps a cross-channel approach will work best, with direct mail pieces informing consumers of just how much less direct mail they could be receiving if they signed up for the service.