As user behavior rapidly shifts toward mobile platforms, the mobile-first strategy has become an inevitable direction for the banking and finance industry. This article explores how pioneering brands are leveraging technology, creativity, and user experience to transform mobile platforms into the core of the digital journey—thereby strengthening their position in the industry’s digital transformation race.

Smartphones – From Utility to the Heart of Digital Life

By 2025, the world will see nearly 5 billion smartphone users, a number expected to reach 6 billion by 2028(Backlinko, 2025). On average, each person spends about 3 hours and 45 minutes per day on their mobile device — a figure that continues to climb (Backlinko, 2025).

Smartphones have long surpassed their original purpose as communication tools; they have become the centerpiece of digital life — where users consume information, seek entertainment, shop, make payments, and manage their personal lives. This “all-in-one” behavior has made mobile phones the default touchpoint between brands and consumers.

In the banking and finance sector, customers now expect mobile experiences that are fast, seamless, and deeply personalized, mirroring the platforms they use daily. This demands that financial institutions optimize the mobile experience holistically — not only through technology, but also by designing for emotional connection and practical convenience at every interaction.

Current Trends in Smartphone Usage

Banking and Finance on the Path to Full Digital Transformation

The banking and finance industry is undergoing a profound transformation as it advances toward full digitalization. Customers are no longer tied to in-branch services or desktop transactions; instead, they are rapidly shifting toward mobile platforms. According to the American Bankers Association (2024), around 55% of customers now use mobile apps to manage their accounts (ABA, 2024).

This shift presents a major challenge for traditional banks, which must reinvent their technological infrastructure and organizational culture to meet new expectations. At the same time, the rise of fintechs and digital-native banks is intensifying competition in user experience and service speed.

Today’s users expect financial services to fit entirely “within an app” — offering the same level of convenience, personalization, and seamlessness they experience with any other digital utility in their daily lives.

Mobile-First Marketing Trends in the Banking and Finance Sector

As users increasingly migrate to mobile platforms, mobile-first marketing has become a cornerstone of the digital transformation journey for banks and financial institutions. The mobile app is no longer merely a transactional tool — it has evolved into the center of the digital journey, where technology, content, and interaction converge to create experiences that are more seamless, holistic, and personalized than ever before.

1. Mobile App Integration with Onfluencer – Employee Advocacy Marketing

Onfluencer – Employee Advocacy Marketing is a model that enables banks to transform their employees into an effective and sustainable brand communication channel. Through this platform, all activities — from campaign creation and management to performance measurement — are digitized and centralized within one unified system, allowing campaigns to be deployed quickly, transparently, and with real-time control of effectiveness.

Within a mobile-first marketing framework, Onfluencer is optimized to operate directly on the mobile app, where employees can register, receive tasks, post content, track results, and engage — all from their smartphones. This approach turns the mobile phone into a personalized communication tool, making brand advocacy more convenient, flexible, and aligned with the digital habits of modern users. By combining mobile app functionality with influencer dynamics, campaigns become more personalized, interactive, and organically viral, helping banks strengthen credibility, accelerate market penetration, and reinforce a modern, approachable brand image.

Case Study:

To naturally and consistently amplify its brand presence, Vietcombank adopted the Onfluencer – Employee Advocacy solution. When launching the next-generation VCB Digibank in June 2024, the bank aimed to reinforce its modern brand image and boost communication for its digital banking services.

To achieve this, Vietcombank partnered with Novaon Digital to deploy the Onfluencer platform, leveraging the collective influence of its employees as a credible internal communication force. The system digitized the entire campaign process — from participant management and content control to real-time performance measurement.

As a result, Vietcombank strengthened internal engagement, expanded brand culture organically, and built a modern, transparent, and sustainable internal communication model, establishing a new standard for employee-driven brand advocacy in the financial industry.

Employee Advocacy – Empowering VCB Digibank’s Growth from Within Vietcombank

2. Gamification on App

The game-mechanics approach is being widely adopted by banks to design more engaging and emotionally resonant financial experiences. Gamification helps spark user motivation, increase interaction, and encourage repeat app usage through features such as daily missions, spin-and-win games, leaderboards, reward points, and community challenges.

Users are incentivized to perform positive financial behaviors — paying bills, making deposits, investing regularly, inviting friends to install the app, or joining mini-games during special occasions. Each action is rewarded with points, badges, or prizes, creating a sense of achievement and encouraging users to return to the app more frequently.

Some banks have also integrated gamification with loyalty systems or e-wallets, allowing users to convert rewards into cash, vouchers, or shopping discounts. This approach transforms what was once a purely transactional financial app into a fun, social, and emotionally engaging experience, fostering natural virality as users share their results and rewards on social media.

Case Study:

During Tết 2022, Viettel Money faced the dual challenge of launching a new digital finance brand while inspiring optimism among users in the post-pandemic “new normal.” To address this, Novaon Digital launched the campaign “Tết An Lành – Chia Sẻ Yêu Thương” (“Peaceful New Year – Sharing Love”), using Gamification on App as the core communication strategy.

Two in-app games — “Dũng Sĩ Hổ Vàng” (“Golden Tiger Warrior”) and “Lì Xì Hổ Vàng” (“Golden Tiger Lucky Money”) — were developed directly within the Viettel Money app, allowing users to immerse themselves in the festive spirit through interactive lucky-money activities, rewards, and in-app engagement.

Combined with Influencer Marketing, the campaign amplified its message through tech and lifestyle KOLs and TikTok creators, encouraging users to download the app, play the games, and share their experiences online. The result was a lively, digital-first Tết season that connected users emotionally with the brand and strengthened Viettel Money’s positioning as a modern, people-centric digital finance platform.

Viettel Money – Gamification in the ‘Peaceful Tết, Sharing Love’ Campaign

3. Mobile Payment Integration + Chatbot Personalization

Strategic alliances in mobile payments — with e-wallets, super-apps, and e-commerce platforms — are enabling banks to expand their presence across the broader digital lifestyle ecosystem of their customers. Co-branded programs, cashback offers, and seasonal promotions allow banks to appear naturally across multiple touchpoints beyond their own apps.

At the same time, chatbots are evolving into intelligent “financial assistants”, providing instant responses and personalized recommendations tailored to each user’s age, behavior, and needs. More than just a transactional tool, the chatbot has become a personalized engagement channel, turning every conversation into a subtle marketing opportunity that strengthens the relationship between the customer and the brand.

Collectively, these mobile-first initiatives are helping banks not only achieve technological transformation but also redefine the brand experience in the digital era. Mobile has become the “living center” of the brand — a space where customers transact, interact, and build emotional connections with the bank in a seamless and natural way.

Insight from Novaon Digital Experts

The mobile-first strategy is not merely about expanding transactional channels — it represents a strategic shift in focus, enabling banks to build a truly integrated digital brand ecosystem. According to Novaon Digital, the Brand Experiencemodel, combined with the S–C–T framework (Strategy – Creative – Technology), provides a powerful foundation for effective implementation:

• Strategy: Position mobile at the heart of the customer journey, ensuring all touchpoints are seamlessly connected.
• Creative: Transform financial interactions into brand experiences — emotional, memorable, and distinctive.
• Technology: Leverage data, AI, and personalization to enhance engagement and optimize conversions.

In synergy with the Brandformance approach, this framework empowers banks to achieve dual objectives: driving short-term business results while strengthening long-term brand equity. In the mobile era, those who succeed in crafting a consistent, emotionally resonant brand experience on mobile will take the lead in the financial sector’s digital transformation race.