Entwicklung eines zukunftsfähigen Bankfilialmodells in der Omnikanalstrategie für das deutsche Retailbanking

The dissertation deals with the development of a future-proof bank branch model in the omni-channel strategy for German retail banking. The key challenges for retail banking lie in the increased influence of digitalization, new competitors and changing customer needs, which have a direct impact on the bank branch. In Germany alone, the branch network has been reduced by 15% in the last three years.

The remaining number of branches should act as a connection between the physical and digital world, which can be explained by the omni-channel strategy. The specific design of the bank branch in the context of the omni-channel strategy was defined as the field of action for this work. Through the systematic literature analysis, 187 research-specific publications were identified. This was used to derive relevant branch dimensions and evaluation criteria that are relevant for the development of a future-proof bank branch in an omni-channel strategy. The new term “branch dimension” was introduced. The individual components of a bank branch model are referred to as branch dimensions, which can be differentiated from one another in terms of focus and design, depending on the branch model. A total of seven branch dimensions were classified in the present research: target group, branch design, experience, service, advice, products and employees. Furthermore, a set of evaluation criteria was derived, which can be used to evaluate the future viability of the bank branch model developed. The evaluation criteria are categorized into customer, brand, employee and economic efficiency.

These results served as the basis for the qualitative study. For this purpose, 15 expert interviews were conducted and then analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method according to Kuckartz. Subsequently, the results from theory and empirical research were combined. The result is “The Future Omni Branch” as well as specific recommendations for action for each branch dimension, which make it possible to implement the bank branch model in practice in order to position yourself as a branch bank in retail banking in the future. With the development of “The Future Omni Branch”, a significant contribution was made to research and the research gap was closed.