Consumer banking is the largest single area of technology-related spending in banking, according to Financial Insights. But how many banks are really getting the most for their money in retail banking? How many financial institutions are really gaining more consumer insight; building use of alternative channels; improving customer loyalty and retention; and ultimately increasing revenues and driving growth because of the investments they're making in retail and channel performance?

The reality is that, even as bank branches appear seemingly on every corner, as e-banking and e-payments become commonplace and as the emerging mobile banking platform starts to gain credibility, many banks still struggle to make their investments in areas such as customer experience, cross-selling and channel integration pay off. This isn't a new frustration – banks have been trying to execute for years on strategies to generate more business from existing customers, with results that can only be considered mixed, at best. Furthermore, there's a looming competitive threat from non-banks - whether brokerages, retailers, telcos or other innovators adept at seizing market opportunities - looking to build more comprehensive financial relationships with consumers (especially tech-savvy Generation Next).

These questions and challenges face every retail bank, regardless of size or market. To provide insights and information that can help advance the discussion and perhaps provide some strategic solutions, Bank Systems & Technology is launching the "Maximizing Retail/Channel Performance" Online Resource Center, geared toward exploring some of the challenges and success strategies in areas such as customer acquisition/retention, analysis and segmentation, product development, channel management and cross-selling. Whether it's the future of the branch, strategies for capitalizing on changing demographics, improving speed to market and targeted product development, or mastering the emerging discipline of price optimization, we aim to provide a forum for education, news and maybe even debate. I hope you'll join in the discussion.

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