Virtual Banking, Virtual Reality, Videobanking, Non-and Near-Banks, fullrange self-servİce
The cycle s of innovative changes are rapidly shortening. As a result of foreseeable developments in telecommunications, artificial intelligence and genetic technology, many spheres of everyday life will undergo significant structural change. Work, consumption and leisure will change more over the next 15 years than they have in the past four centuries. Change will similarly affect the distribution channels of retail banks and thus communication between banks and their customers. The new electronic channels need not compete against personal cunsulting, but may be tailored to customer requirements by integrating them in the full self-service package through services such as videobanking. Banks that avail themselves
of the new facilities can offer their customers an efficient service that no longer depends of branch office locations and office hours and will be successful especially with the educated and affluent clientele. The study aims to build awareness of the impending developments and to pinpoint their opportunities as well as risks. The latter are posed mostly by new competitiors, especially from non-banks, which offer banking services in addition to their own products, without being hampered by expensive branch office networks and rigid, future challenged staff structures. One particular case in point is teleshopping and its future mutation to virtual electronic markets, because it involves a typical daily activity and need.
The newly emerging cyberworld is rapidly developing altematives to the real world, offering consumers convenient access to services and products. Banks should therefore prepare themselves to add this application of virtual reality to their distribution channels and offer their own compatible financial services at the newly established points of sale in the cyberworld, or they willlose a large part of their market share to their new competitors.