In the Face of Customers' Changing Behaviour, Should Italian Banks Approach to On Line Trading Remain the Same?

What drives the behaviours of banks and their customers in time of profound changes? The modern economic crisis has significantly affected consumers’ willingness to invest and made them more price sensitive, more rational in their decision making, and thus more challenging for banks to serve. Considering these relevant changes, banks have pursued projects to improve their internal processes and online services, such as by deploying Web 2.0 mobile banking and payment opportunities. Considering these general and structural changes in customer behaviour and in the banking sector, some crucial questions arise. For example, how has the strategy banks use to provide online trading services changed in the past decade? Can outsourcing and new managerial practices resolve the lack of specific competencies and assets that marked the banking sector in the past? Furthermore, customer satisfaction represents a critical source of competitive advantages for banks, which in turn must ensure value creation in terms of quality, service, and product innovation. This study, conducted in an Italian banking context, suggests that banks can attain all three elements by engaging in smart sourcing of online services to minimize costs, gain and sustain competitive advantages, and promote strategic assets.