La eBank connaît un essor en France

27 octobre 2008

15 Million People Banked Online in France in August

PARIS, France, October 20, 2008- comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report on the French online banking sector, showing that France is one of the world’s most developed markets for online banking.

Of the 37 global markets individually-reported by comScore, France ranked number four in penetration of online banking, with 46 percent of French Internet users accessing online banking sites in August 2008, ranking behind only Canada (64 percent), the Netherlands (51 percent) and Sweden (47 percent). French Internet users also exhibited high frequency in accessing online banking sites, with an average of 6 usage days and 7 online banking visits per visitor in August.

“Online banking is clearly an important business sector in France, with one of the highest adoption rates in Europe,” said Herve Le Jouan, Managing Director, comScore Europe. “In today’s current global economic climate, consumers will undoubtedly be seeking greater accessibility and control over their personal finances – a service which is provided by the immediacy of Internet banking. But with competition in the online banking sector in France already fierce, marketers need to understand the online behaviours of these consumers to ensure that they meet their needs online, and ultimately capitalise upon the growing popularity of the sector.”

Credit Agricole Leads French Online Banking Category
Of the 32.2 million French Internet users in August 2008, 14.8 million visited at least one online banking site, up 28 percent versus last year. Credit Agricole led the category with 6.9 million visitors, followed by Societe Generale with 4 million visitors and Caisse d'Epargne with 3 million visitors. Among those banks in the top 10, ING Group experienced the greatest increase in visitation during the past year, growing 209 percent to 757,000 visitors.

Top 10 Online Banking Sites Total French Unique Visitors (000) Age 15+ Home & Work Locations* August 2008 vs. August 2007 Source: comScore World Metrix
Property	Aug-2007	Aug-2008	% Change
Total French Internet Audience	26,852	32,227	20%
Banking	11,537	14,781	28%
Credit Agricole	4,877	6,879	41%
Societe Generale	3,027	3,999	32%
Caisse d'Epargne	2,234	3,035	36%
BNP Paribas	2,056	2,151	5%
LABANQUEPOSTALE.FR	955	1,934	102%
Groupe Credit Mutuel	1,367	1,531	12%
Groupe Banque Populaire	1,106	1,492	35%
Groupe CIC	1,047	1,029	-2%
ING Group	245	757	209%
Natixis	380	445	17%

* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

25-34 Year Olds are Heaviest Online Bankers

An examination of the demographics of online banking users reveals that the 25-34 year old segment has the broadest usage of online banking services while 15-24 year old consumers have the lowest. Since most 15-24 year olds are either in full time education or first time employment, they may be less inclined to manage their finances online or have limited financial assets to manage. Meanwhile, heavy access among 25-34 year olds likely reflects their increasing financial responsibilities and their familiarity with managing accounts online. With many from this age segment confronting new financial challenges, such as buying their first home or expecting a child, they represent an especially important segment for marketers to target.

Interestingly, consumers in the 35 – 44 year age segment and those 55 years and older visited online banking sites most frequently, with the 55+ group viewing the most pages per visitor in the month.

Online Banking Category Demographics Total France Age 15+ Home & Work Locations* August 2008 Source: comScore World Metrix
Age	% Reach	Average Pages per Visitor	Average Visits per Visitor
Total Audience	45.9%	78	7.3
Persons: 15-24	36.1%	58	5.9
Persons: 25-34	51.4%	73	7.2
Persons: 35-44	48.4%	89	8.2
Persons: 45-54	48.5%	67	6.3
Persons: 55+	45.1%	97	8.2