October 2025
Authors: Katharina Casanova, Armand Hofstetter
Our third annual Digital Client Interaction Survey, with 1,045 participants in Switzerland, provides a clear view of changing client behavior. While satisfaction with digital banking services continues to rise, expectations are rapidly evolving. The data especially highlights shifting engagement patterns among younger demographics and underscores the growing importance of trust and relevance in digital interactions.
This article highlights four key trends shaping client interactions in 2025 that should guide strategic priorities for banks:
- Digital satisfaction remains high, but expectations are growing
- Younger users show signs of declining engagement and digital fatigue
- Increasing demand for personalized and value-enhancing experiences
- Security and trust remain critical
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Swiss retail clients embrace digital banking, and expectations are growing
Digital services have become an integral part of everyday banking, with usage rates for e-banking (64%) and mobile banking apps (45%) remaining consistently high over the past two years. Most clients (92%) report being satisfied with their bank’s digital offering, particularly appreciating its user-friendliness (91%).
While traditional communication channels, such as in-person visits (35% vs. 39% in 2024), telephone (34% vs. 40% in 2024), and email (34% vs. 37% in 2024), are still used, their relevance is gradually declining. This suggests that client expectations for convenience and seamless digital services increasingly shape interactions.> Implication for banks: Digital services must evolve in line with the rising expectations for simplicity, speed, and value.
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Younger users show signs of declining engagement and digital fatigue
Although digital channels1 remain the preferred means of interaction with banks, engagement among younger users is showing signs of erosion. In 2024, daily use of e-banking (24%) and mobile apps (33%) among users aged 18–34 was comparatively strong. However, in 2025, these figures dropped significantly to 8% for e-banking and 9% for mobile apps.
This group also reports the steepest decline in perceived relevance of digital functionalities such as notifications, secure messaging, chatbots, and voice assistants. This suggests not a rejection of digital banking itself, but a growing sense of “digital fatigue,” where users disengage when interactions feel intrusive, repetitive, or lacking in meaningful value.
Younger users, who are accustomed to high-quality digital experiences across platforms, expect intuitive, relevant, and emotionally resonant interactions rather than feature overload or generic touchpoints.
> Implication for banks: To retain engagement, especially among younger segments, digital services must shift from feature-driven design to relevance-driven experiences that feel purposeful, streamlined, and genuinely supportive.
1 In our survey, we consider e-banking and banking apps as digital channels.
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Digital experiences should feel personal, not promotional
According to the survey, 70% of respondents appreciate tailored product recommendations or communications in their e-banking services or mobile apps. This indicates a growing expectation for interactions that reflect individual financial needs and behaviors.
However, satisfaction with personalization varies significantly by age. Among users aged 18–24, satisfaction drops to 60%, and 11% in this segment report having actively disabled notifications for personalized content. This indicates a disconnect between what banks consider “personalized” and what younger clients perceive as useful or relevant.
Clients are signaling a clear preference for personalization that feels helpful rather than intrusive. When recommendations appear generic, poorly timed, or overly sales-driven, they are quickly dismissed as noise.
> Implication for banks: Effective personalization must be meaningful, data-driven, and value-oriented, helping clients make smarter financial decisions rather than simply pushing products.
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Respondents feel increasingly more secure – yet also increasingly encounter cyber fraud
Security continues to be a cornerstone of digital banking, and Swiss retail clients generally perceive their banks’ digital services as secure: 88% of respondents feel safe using their bank’s digital services — a sentiment that has remained relatively stable over the past two years (89% in 2024, 84% in 2023).
Yet, this trust is not without tension: 26% of respondents have experienced or been exposed to cyber fraud or attempted fraud linked to their bank at least once. Concerns about hacking and data breaches remain high, with 16% of respondents citing this as a top concern in 2025.
While confidence in digital banking remains high, these findings underscore how easily incidents of fraud or technical failures can erode trust. Clients expect banks not only to meet security standards but to consistently exceed them through transparency, proactive protection, and rapid incident response.
> Implication for banks: Security is not just a compliance requirement but a key driver of client loyalty. Trust must be earned through visible, ongoing commitment to safeguarding client data and ensuring reliability in every digital interaction.
Summary
The survey results confirm that digital banking has entered a new phase. Convenience remains essential, but engagement now depends on emotional relevance, personalization, and trust. Younger users, in particular, are signaling that convenience alone is no longer sufficient. Banks that invest in meaningful personalization, intuitive experiences, and proactive trust-building will be best positioned to lead in 2025 and beyond.
About the study
The data used is based on an online survey conducted by BearingPoint and carried out by YouGov Deutschland GmbH, which included 1,045 participants between August 18 and 25, 2025. The results were weighted and are representative of the Swiss population aged 18 and over. The survey was conducted for the third year in a row.
