In developed countries, credit card business has become one of the main profit sources of commercial banks. For example, Citibank's credit card income exceeds one-third of its total income. However, in China, due to the short development time of credit card business, its proportion in the overall income of banks is still very small, and banks do not pay enough attention to credit card business. Therefore, first of all, we should improve the strategic position of credit card business and accurately position it, such as choosing a large market share (low-cost leading) or leading high-quality customers, or predicting its short-term and long-term market share in the domestic credit card market for a certain market segment, and making long-term and short-term development plans.
At present, in the organizational structure of Chinese banks, credit cards are mostly under the jurisdiction of the bank card department under the personal finance department. However, due to the slow decision-making process of traditional banking business, the operation of credit card business requires a high degree of concentration and independence. Therefore, an independent credit card department should be established to conduct independent cost and income accounting and targeted talent recruitment, training and management, so as to help improve the strategic position of credit card business in the overall business of banks.
2. Provide personalized credit card products.
To avoid the homogenization of credit cards, first of all, it can show its personalized characteristics in appearance design, for example, some banks have introduced transparent credit cards and photo cards; Secondly, issuing credit cards with unique personal seals can not only create product differentiation, but also further ensure the security of credit cards. In credit card marketing, banks should also pay attention to the establishment and maintenance of brands, attract consumers by creating brands, and strengthen product differentiation. Of course, to provide personalized products, it is necessary to carry out targeted and accurate market segmentation, design personalized products according to the characteristics of each market segment, and formulate corresponding marketing strategies. For example, GDB took the lead in launching the "True Love Card" in Shanghai, focusing on the female market and winning many markets with a series of female discounts.
3. Simplify applications and improve services.
The convenience of application is the first step to attract customers. First of all, we should simplify the application process. Using the Internet is one of the shortcuts: you can add a logo indicating the credit card on the home page of the bank, or provide detailed introduction and application form download online, directly provide online application, and allow mail application, postal currency card, door-to-door service and so on. In terms of guarantee, flexible forms of guarantee such as cooperation with guarantee companies can be adopted. In addition, it is necessary to shorten the time of credit evaluation and broaden the sales channels of credit cards. By cooperating with professional evaluation and sales companies, we can achieve better results while reducing costs.
At the same time, banks should constantly improve their services in the process of using cards. If you recommend an automatic deduction savings account to users, you can automatically deduct all or part of the repayment amount from the designated account before the interest-free date of the user's loan expires, which can not only help users earn some interest, but also avoid the worry of forgetting to repay in time.
4. Actively increase the added value of credit cards.
The common additional services of domestic banks are mainly the lottery of consumption points, in addition to one card and two coins, IP telephone, bank-securities link and so on. However, the additional services provided by credit cards issued by banks are still mainly limited to these simple additional services, and there are very few services that can truly reflect the special identity of credit card holders. Common additional services abroad include flying points, airport VIP lounge, "virtual tokens" consumed by specific merchants, free download of personal financial software, opening of customer clubs and exchange forums. For example, Citibank credit card holders can enjoy all kinds of preferential treatment and VIP treatment in Shangri-La hotels around the world, enjoy all kinds of convenience in booking air tickets in major airlines around the world, and enjoy preferential shopping convenience in stores all over the United States and abroad.
In addition, the added value of credit cards can also be achieved through strategic alliances, such as cooperation with insurance companies, sales of credit cards with insurance products, or cooperation with strategic partners such as merchants. For example, the ESPRIT Standard Chartered Card issued by Standard Chartered Bank allows users to enjoy special discounts if they have a credit card and a VIP card of ESPRIT. Banks can get rebates from merchants, which is helpful to expand the profit space of banks. In addition, it can also establish strategic alliances with issuers of other types of cards. For example, cooperation with Ctrip and other business travel websites can not only improve and sell, but also make use of its high-end customers.
5. Strengthen government support and jointly promote the development of credit card business.
Credit card is not only an important means to establish domestic credit system, but also helps to stimulate domestic consumer demand. Therefore, in addition to strengthening the cooperation between banks and credit companies, promoting the use of personal credit and expanding the use of credit cards as soon as possible, the government should also support the credit card business, establish and improve an efficient credit system nationwide as soon as possible, reduce people's precautionary motives, promote people's credit consumption, enhance the public's understanding of credit cards, and increase the publicity on the importance of credit to jointly promote the overall rapid development of the credit card industry.