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Five Must Do’s in Retail Branch Design

By Adam James, AIA

January 12, 2022
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While it feels like many in-person things have gone remote or contactless, financial customers still want a retail branch to call home. Economic volitility and rapidly changing technology can make considering a new branch or remodel overwhelming. Finding a trusted partner to help you identify meaningful differentiators, uncover opportunities and establish bold goals can make the process  insightful, smooth, and even fun! To kick things off, we’ve compiled a list of must do’s for the future of retail branch banking.

1. Location, Location, Location

While the pandemic has forced branch closures and mobile channel adoption, research shows customers still are craving a physical location to do their banking. In fact, one survey concluded that 78% of the population wants a retail branch within 15 minutes of their home. The most important part of that 15 minutes is truly understanding where your customers are going to and from and thanks to mobility data – you can see exactly where your customers are going. Financial institutions should be leveraging this data to make more informed decisions on what branches to reduce (potentially change to ATM / PTM stations only) and where to build new.
Retail Branch Location Site Planning
Retail Branch Location Site Planning
Retail Branch Branding - First Federal Bank Van Wert environmental graphics

2. Activating the Brand

Your branch network is a physical extension of your brand and should reinforce your unique values and the communities you help support.  Using signature design elements that are physical manifestations of who you are, your brand can come to life within your branches and tell the story of who you are, supporting your digital platforms. There’s a fine balance of using the brand within spaces, but your customers should be able to identify you in the crowd through the careful design of your building.
Retail Branch Branding - First Federal Bank Van Wert environmental graphics

3. Customer Experience

Whether it is a new customer or one that has always been with you, a physical branch naturally lends itself opportunities to further connect and engage with your customers. Incorporating design elements that encourage conversation or highlight other service areas can help further engage your customers to the other benefits of your financial institution. Think about one-on-one areas (that are well branded!) and spaces for larger conversations to make your space as flexible as possible.
Retail Branch Customer Experience - Bank of Commerce teller pods
Retail Branch Customer Experience - Bank of Commerce teller pods
Retail Branch Technology - ORNL Federal Credit Union teller pods

4. Technology

The most successful uses of technology within the branch should deliver a better customer experience, every time. Today’s customers can engage in a multitude of digital options, but they seek the branch channel to receive the personal and trusted experiences of your team. Using technology to assist your team members to help deliver a more efficient process can lead to more engagement opportunities and is important to understand how the transaction area or private area can facilitate not only the technology but the conversations. While future-proofing technology can be hard, working with an experienced design team can help prepare your future technology upgrades and save you issues down the road.
Retail Branch Technology - ORNL Federal Credit Union teller pods

5. Planning for the Future

While the future is uncertain, your branch is undoubtedly an investment to your commitment to the communities you serve and should be able to stand the test of time the best it can. Today’s designs need to consider tomorrow’s needs – how can the transaction area of today be ready to be converted to a private conversation area down the road? Do you have spaces that allow for in-person meetings but also digital video calls that will be even more relevant in the near future? Designs today need to be adaptable and more flexible for tomorrow’s use that doesn’t require a complete renovation in a few years.
Retail Banking Future - Fort Financial Credit Union headquarters lobby rendering
Retail Banking Future - Fort Financial Credit Union headquarters lobby rendering

Keep these things in mind when you start a new project to ensure successful outcomes that drive customer experience and satisfaction. Dreaming of how your space could serve you and your customers better? Check out our Financial market portfolio for some more inspiration.

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