When it comes to business strategy, it is essential to learn from past examples and great strategists. For example, we all know that business cannibalization is a hard task that entails obstacles of many types. Not only it means giving up on known success in exchange of unknown future, but it also creates competition within a company, as it entails winners and losers. And yet, successful masters embraced it and brought it to the next level, accelerating the process.
Steve Jobs once said: “If you don’t cannibalize yourself, someone else will”.
This simple and powerful sentence well explains his approach to a subject matter that he overemphasized by thinking, developing and selling Apple’s new products as substitutes of the old ones, without being afraid of the risks that this entailed.
For example, in 2005, even though sales of the iPod were satisfactory and steady, Steve Jobs started fearing that such a product could soon be cannibalized. In fact, smartphones at the time were presenting more and more features. If the iPod was to be replaced by a phone, Steve Jobs wanted to guide the company in charge of creating and commercializing such a device.
This became his priority and, only two years and a half later, he presented the “the best iPod ever made”. The iPhone was the combination of three different things:
A widescreen iPod with touch controls
A revolutionary mobile phone
A breakthrough communication device
and it was priced accordingly, as it was sold for the sum of the prices of the bestselling iPod and of an average smartphone. It was, of course, a revolutionary product. One of those unique products that change the entire industry they belong to.
As we know, it was an innovation miracle. The revenues boomed and, although the sales of the iPod were shrinking, the company was surfing the wave of success.
In 2010, with the launch of the first iPad, the story repeated itself. When asked what effect it had over Macintosh sales, Tim Cook simply replied: “Some customers chose to purchase an iPad instead of a Mac. Even more decided to buy an iPad over a Windows PC.”
As exemplified, cannibalizing your own business is never easy but can deliver unexpected and incredible results, therefore, it is undoubtedly worth the risk.
References:
Yoffie, David B., and Cusumano, Michael A. Strategy Rules: Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs. New York: HarperBusiness, 2015.
The Future of Fintech – Collaboration or Cannibalization?
29
September
2016
4.92/5 (12) Source: Fintech Investment Financial Internet Technology Concept
According to M. Porter: “the “new economy” appears less like a new economy than like an old economy that has access to a new technology” (Porter, 2001). While this statement may be true for some industries, it is not entirely valid for the banking sector which got completely transformed through IT advancements during the last 30 years.
Before the advent of digital computers and the rise of the Internet, employees in financial firms had to keep record of all transactions on paper. Job hunting and advertising efforts were being conducted through newspapers. Nowadays every single bank department is transformed – through the introduction of various software programs, the Internet and IT enhancements in general (both software- and hardware-wise). Consequentially, new processes, jobs, and business models are continuously emerging.
Fintech
IT has helped financial institutions offer higher quality services and convenience, creating a potential for collaboration and mutual profit. There is a buzzword to describe the phenomenon – fintech.
But what gives fintech companies an advantage over traditional market players? The trick is that IT companies can engage in the banking business without having to go through strict regulations and complex processes. Exactly this window of opportunity threatens the old-fashioned and traditionalistic banks and favours technology firms.
So what new business models will emerge from the recent technology disruption? There are two major scenarios: banks will get stronger and improve their reputation through collaboration with tech companies or technology companies will get greedy and eventually start eating up bank’s market share.
Scenario 1: Collaboration
The sweet spot called fintech offers new opportunities for collaboration between fin and tech companies as the fin part (financial sector) is highly regulated while the tech part (technology sector) is not. Currently, tech firms are mainly concentrating on providing complementary products and services that do not require banking license. In the future, as they exhaust growth opportunities, tech companies might lose interest in entering the complex areas (products and services) of the banking sector, which require proper infrastructure, processes, and sufficient capital. On the other hand, banks enjoy a good reputation in the financial world and possess a valuable know-how. Thus, a future collaboration between financial and technology companies seems like a profitable opportunity for both sides.
Start-up Programs
Banks have shown great interest in start-ups by attending entrepreneurship- focused events or even sponsoring fintech start-ups. Examples are Fintech Innovation Lab, Startupbootcamp and other. Some banks take part in programs that allow them to benefit from IT developments by getting involved in various types of agreements.
Partnerships
Banks are also interested in partnerships with established IT companies. Such partnerships allow financial firms to buy services and/or products and implement them under their own brands. Additionally, by participating in business networks, banks and IT organisations can provide complementary products and services that better meet consumers’ needs. Examples are online and mobile banking platforms which are often not developed by banks themselves.
Scenario 2: Cannibalization
Cannibalization is the perfect term to describe the other option for fintech’s future. The term refers to the process of one kind eating species of its own kind. Since technology companies have started offering financial services and products, they have been eating up the profits of banks.
Banks – too big to fail?
A comparison of the Fortune 500 firms from 1995 and 2015 shows that only 12% of the largest corporations still exist (Perry, 2015). This means that the largest banks of today might not exist in 10 or 20 years. On the other hand, tech companies have been very successful in offering better financial solutions that are time-saving, convenient and correspond to the latest customer preferences shifts. The tech giants have sufficient capital, human resources and the advantage of technology know-how so one could argue that they have the capacity to replace the traditional banks.
Financial products and services offered by tech companies
Customers no longer need debit/credit cards to make payments and execute financial transactions. Mobile payments have become easier with the recent hardware and software advancements. Companies such as Alibaba (its affiliated company Ant Financial Services Group), Google Wallet, Paypal, etc. offer mobile payment services, without keeping customers money under custody (in their own premises). Ant Financial Services Group sells insurance products online and provides small loans to business owners that use Alibaba’s retails website. As tech companies continue to offer convenient financial solutions, banks might abandon less profitable products and services, and focus on highly complex solutions.
Conclusion
In order to keep their market shares and for some – to survive, banks need to consider new business models that involve collaboration with IT companies. The future of banks depends on their adaptability as well as on their willingness and success in embracing new technologies. On the other hand, technology companies should as well evaluate the pros and cons of entering new areas of the financial industry.
In the long term, I expect the financial industry to go through continuous transformations in terms of hardware and software. My personal predictions are that robots will replace bank tellers, programs will completely replace financial advisors and mobile payments will make money obsolete.
What do you think – what does the future of fintech hold?
If you are interested in additional fintech analysis and prognosis, you can find more information on Deloitte’s Banking Industry Outlook.
References:
“Banking Industry Outlook | Deloitte US | Center For Financial Services”. Deloitte United States. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
“Fintech’S Golden Age: Competition To Collaboration – Accenture”. Accenture.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
“Future Of Fintech And Banking – Accenture”. Accenture.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
Group, Ant. “Ant Financial Services Group: Private Company Information – Businessweek”. Bloomberg.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
Perry, Mark and Mark Perry. “Fortune 500 Firms In 1955 V. 2015; Only 12% Remain, Thanks To The Creative Destruction That Fuels Economic Prosperity – AEI”. AEI. N.p., 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
Porter, Michael E. “Strategy And The Internet”. Harvard Business Review March 2001 (2001): n. pag. Print.
“The Challenges And Pathways For “Fintech” Companies To Break The Traditional Financial Model”. Centrodeinnovacionbbva.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
“Traditional Banks And Fintech Firms: New Collaboration Models”. ICAR. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
