Transforming the Banking Experience

Despite recent advances in Peru's banking infrastructure, the Peruvian public remains largely disengaged with its country’s banks. About 75 to 80 percent of the population lacks a bank account, preferring to safeguard cash at home versus entrust it to any institution. This represents a huge challenge—and opportunity—for Interbank, one of Peru’s largest financial-services firms.

Interbank and IDEO designed a customer experience that would differentiate the Interbank brand and capture a larger share of market. The result, an experimental space called Interbank Explora, is intended to serve as an “innovation lab,” where the company can continue to try the most advanced financial service offerings and get feedback from clients.

This fun and expressive environment—designed for customers, with customers—provides a sharp contrast to competing banks in Peru, which tend to be sterile, formal places that look like hospitals and have long lines. In its initial 60 days of operation, Explora exceeded expectations: Sales more than doubled overall, customer satisfaction rates improved from 33 to 84 percent, and profitability grew, including a 138 percent gain in non-interest-income activities.