Virtually obsolete

摘要

Banks have long tried to leverage technology to hit the most elusive triple: new-customer growth, customer retention and per-customer revenue. When the 24-hour ATM was a rarity, for example, Citibank could get serious mileage out of a marketing campaign that trumpeted its ability to service "the city that never sleeps". Retail banks — especially those in the US — practically tripped over each other around the turn of the century, developing ever-more-intricate online banking sites in an attempt to combat the inroads made by "net banks" such as E*Trade and Egg, entities that sported lower overheads, more attractive lending and interest rates, and cutting-edge functionality. (At one point, Bank of America famously touted its website's ability to "build your own bank".)