First National Bank of South Africa is applying motion-sensor technology at its flagship cashless and paperless bank branch in Cape Town to attract the attention of passers-by and encourage interaction with the screen.
The store-front of the dotFNB branch recognises the movement of shoppers as they pass by, prompts messaging and allows those who choose to interact with the screen to explore and apply for FNB banking products and services.
Kim Gibson-Van der Walt, head of dotFNB, says: "Customer migration to our digital banking channels is very important for us and we realised that we could use gesture technology to communicate virtually as well."
In addition to advertising communication, the system also enables customers to view the current accounts and smart devices offered by FNB and instantly apply for them.
Once the customer has selected the bundle of choice, a unique code is displayed on the screen that the customer sends via sms - this concludes the logging of an application and can be done in less than five minutes. The customer will then be called by a consultant within 24 hours to finalise the application process and ensure that the new account and smart device deal is active.
FNB has so far opened 12 dotFNB stores in shopping malls across South Africa. The branches incorporate the latest technology such as a Microsoft Surface and video conferencing facilities where customers can instantly chat to a banking specialist to discuss their banking needs.
Bank staff at the branches are trained to help customers in selecting the most appropriate technology for each account and to assist with app uploading and migration to digital channels.