Customer switching behaviour in the Chinese retail banking industry

With the intense competition and increasing globalization in the financial markets, bank management must develop customer-oriented strategies in order to compete successfully in the competitive retail banking environment. The longer a bank can retain a customer, the greater revenue and cost savings from that customer. However, customers are also more prone to changing their banking behaviour when they can purchase nearly identical financial products provided by the retail banks. In order to stay competitive, bank managers need to understand the factors that influence and determine consumer’s bank switching behaviour. With China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), their financial services market was liberalized and deregulated. As a result, customers have a greater choice between domestic and foreign banks. Furthermore, the emergence of the internet allows customers to access financial products without limitation, and increases the Chinese retail banks’ ability to prevent customers’ switching banks. This study identifies and analyses the factors that influence bank customers’ switching behaviour in the Chinese retail banking industry. The findings reveal that Price, Reputation, Service Quality, Effective Advertising, Involuntary Switching, Distance, and Switching Costs have an impact on customers’ bank switching behaviour. The results also reveal that the Young Age and High Income Groups are more likely to switch banks. In general, the results of this research allow service marketers and practitioners to develop and implement services marketing strategies to decrease customer defection rates, and in turn, increase bank profits. Furthermore, this research provides useful information for future researchers who study switching-behaviour in the banking industry