Next.Direct Conference – Prudential’s Egg cracks open a lucrative market
Egg, the telephone and Internet banking arm of Britain’s largest insurer, Prudential, has attracted deposits of more than (UKPound) 3 billion since its launch in mid-October.
Egg's chief executive Mike Harris says: "We were shocked at the initial response.
We got ten times the volume we expected at the opening."
He says Egg's Internet site received 1.75 million "hits" within days of its launch and has been red hot ever since, thanks to the psychologists, actors and dancers who were used to create a "customer experience" on the net.
Egg's name was chosen because research showed that it was instantly memorable, vital in the UK market where there are over 100 financial service brands.
Harris says Egg, which offers home finance and savings options, has attracted customers who are "above average in everything". Its products are competitively priced and were created from scratch.
Egg does not provide specific advice, but offers the information and tools to help customers work out what is right for them. Much emphasis is placed on getting to know customers so that relevant offers can be made to them at the right time, says Harris.
Recommended for you
With the final tally for FY25 now confirmed, how many advisers left during the financial year and how does it compare to the previous year?
HUB24 has appointed Matt Willis from Vanguard as an executive general manager of platform growth to strengthen the platform’s relationships with industry stakeholders.
Investment manager Drummond Capital Partners has announced a raft of adviser-focused updates, including a practice growth division, relaunched manager research capabilities, and a passive model portfolio suite.
When it comes to M&A activity, the share of financial buyers such as private equity firms in Australia fell from 67 per cent to 12 per cent in the last financial year.