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Accenture report: Banking Consumer Study 2025. How advocacy drives loyalty and organic growth in banking

Accenture’s 2025 Global Banking Consumer Study finds that banks with the highest customer advocacy scores grow revenues up to 1.7 times faster than peers, as advocates hold more products and allocate more of their finances to their main bank. The report identifies four key drivers—Reassure Me, Remember Me, Delight Me, and Reward Me—as essential to turning passive customers into passionate promoters.

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Accenture’s biennial Banking Consumer Study 2025, based on responses from 49,300 retail banking customers across 39 countries, reveals that while banks have excelled in delivering functional digital services, they’ve lost emotional connection with customers. This erosion of personal bonds has reduced advocacy—a critical growth driver that can set leaders apart in an increasingly commoditized market.

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Advocacy as a Growth Engine

The study found that banks in the top 20% for advocacy scores grow revenues 1.7 times faster than those in the bottom 20%. In North America, the growth gap is even larger at 2.6 times. Advocates are more engaged—holding 17% more products and allocating significantly more of their financial portfolios to their main bank compared to others. A 10% increase in advocacy score could boost revenue growth by 1% for the average bank.

Yet, many banks rely on “lazy loyalists”—customers who stay due to inertia rather than genuine satisfaction. These relationships are vulnerable to competitive poaching, especially as customers now hold accounts with an average of two banks and two digital wallets.

Four Drivers of Advocacy

Accenture distilled over 1,200 survey variables down to four core drivers that build stronger advocacy:

1. Reassure Me – Restore trust through transparency, ethical AI use, and advice-first approaches.

   • 46% of customers feel pressured to accept products that benefit the bank more than themselves.

   • 84% worry about data use, but banks remain the most trusted entities for data security.

   • Banks can strengthen trust by educating customers on AI benefits and prioritizing financial guidance over sales.

2. Remember Me – Personalization beyond buzzwords.

   • While 72% say personalization influences their bank choice, only 3% use existing personalization tools.

   • True personalization means consistent, contextual engagement across all channels, informed by a “digital memory” that recalls past interactions and preferences.

3. Delight Me – Treat service as a strategic value driver.

   • Only 21% of bank executives see service as a value driver, despite it being the second most important factor in advocacy.

   • Customers still value physical branches—65% see them as symbols of stability—and expect seamless handoffs between digital and in-person channels.

4. Reward Me – Move beyond rates and fees to relationship-based rewards.

   • 60% want rewards tied to loyalty and relationship depth, but only 45% are satisfied.

   • Banks should create personalized, real-time, and behavior-based incentives that acknowledge milestones, encourage good financial habits, and recognize long-term relationships.

Customer Mindsets

The report identified three advocacy mindsets among consumers:

• Traditionalists (34%) – Value stability, trust, and in-person service, less driven by innovation.

• Pragmatics (44%) – Seek a balance of competitive benefits and personalization that simplifies decisions.

• Innovation Explorers (22%) – Tech-savvy early adopters prioritizing personalization and AI-driven solutions.

Tailoring strategies to these groups allows banks to direct resources where they will have the most advocacy impact.

The Strategic Imperative

Accenture concludes that rekindling emotional connection—blending digital efficiency with human touch—is the key to growth. Generative AI offers the opportunity to enhance relationships, not replace them, enabling personalization at scale while maintaining trust and service quality.

Banks must decide where to lead—whether in trust, personalization, service, or rewards—and execute deliberately. Those that succeed will transform “lazy loyalists” into passionate advocates, unlocking faster growth, greater wallet share, and sustainable competitive advantage.