Brand Awareness, Preference, and Satisfaction for a Fintech Brand
Brand preference
Client
A prominent digital lending company in the Indian fintech space aimed to gain competitive clarity in its category by evaluating its brand funnel performance - from awareness to preference - against other players.
Objective
With aggressive expansion goals in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the client sought to uncover how consumers perceived its brand, what factors influenced switching behavior, and how to align future strategy with digital lending behavior trends. Furthermore, the client sought to decode the brand's position within the fintech competitive domain and understand the overall consumer mindset towards digital financial services.
The study was designed to provide a clear picture of:
Where the brand stood in terms of awareness, consideration, current usage, and preference
Key emotional and functional attributes influencing brand choice
How consumers evaluate trust, service, customization, and innovation across different fintech apps
Insights to help the brand better connect with users who are non-digital native payment users or do not actively engage with credit score-based services
Mobile credit usage insights, consumer perception research, and financial service preferences were also explored to enrich the strategic depth.
Ultimately, the brand aimed to use these insights to fine-tune product offerings, enhance communication, and create a more resonant user experience for the underserved population.
Methodology
Research Approach:
Hybrid methodology combining online and face-to-face interviews
Technique:
Structured quantitative research using a standardized questionnaire
Target Audience:
Smartphone users aged 20–45 years
Monthly income between INR 20,000–50,000
Bank account holders aware of digital loan products
Residents of Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian cities
Locations Covered:
• 8 Tier 2 Cities
• 16 Tier 3 Cities
Sample Size:
• 1,600 respondents (800 each from Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets)
Key Findings
1. Brand Funnel Insights
Brand C had the highest awareness and preference scores, reflecting strong mindshare and user satisfaction.
Brand A faced a steep drop-off from awareness to preference, signaling challenges in brand conversion.
Brand B, though lesser-used, showed relatively higher preference among its limited user base - hinting at growth potential if awareness is scaled.
Awareness conversion rates and comparative satisfaction levels helped further clarify brand positioning opportunities.
2. Brand Attribute Mapping
Based on net perception scores, the following emerged:
Trust, innovation, and value for money were clear differentiators for Brand C.
Brand A showed major deficits in service, design, and emotional connect - hindering its competitive advantage.
Brand B had moderate-to-low scores but stood out in customization and flexibility, making it a candidate for repositioning.
Trust evaluation in apps, app interface experience, emotional engagement study, and app usability assessment provided deeper behavioral perspectives.
The findings also highlighted the importance of:
Frictionless app customization and impact of app customization on engagement
Next-gen customer insights and mobile-first economy research to future-proof product relevance
Tech-enabled borrowing patterns, loyalty metrics in services, and performance tracking benchmarks as core CX KPIs
Feedback loops in finance apps, competitive experience audit, and market expansion enablers for sustained growth
Business Implications
Brand Strategy Realignment
Reframe the brand's imagery and messaging to close perception gaps—especially in areas like trust, innovation, and service reliability.
Position the brand as user-first and trustworthy, particularly for first-time digital borrowers in underserved cities.
Integrate key drivers of app trust and learnings from why users switch money apps into messaging frameworks.
Product Innovation & Communication
Amplify features around flexibility, customization, and intuitive design, which resonate with evolving consumer needs.
Build messaging on financial empowerment rather than just access to credit.
Use insights from innovation in finance tools, personalized finance solutions, and clarity in financial messaging to inform product roadmap.
Market Penetration in Tier 2 and 3 Cities
Leverage region-specific communication and onboarding solutions to connect with non-credit score users and digitally cautious consumers.
Expand presence through community engagement, vernacular content, and partnership-driven trust building.
Leverage regional usage variation, rural financial trends, Tier 3 user feedback, and regional language support needs to fine-tune campaigns.
Customer Experience Enhancement
Improve after-sales service, speed of response, and in-app support journeys to strengthen emotional loyalty.
Consider bundled financial wellness content, usage tips, and digital literacy modules.
Address gaps revealed by service quality mapping, friction in account onboarding, underserved customer journeys, and satisfaction gap indicators.
Conclusion
This research enabled the client to gain a granular understanding of how it is perceived within the fintech lending landscape, uncovering clear gaps in brand trust, emotional engagement, and post-onboarding satisfaction.
With these actionable insights, the client can now:
Evolve its product and service offerings for higher relevance in Tier 2/3 cities
Rethink messaging strategies to enhance brand preference and emotional affinity
Compete effectively with category leaders by emphasizing trust, innovation, and user empowerment
Behavior of young savers, low-income financial habits, and user decision triggers were critical behavioral segments that will inform future targeting.
Want to build trust, preference, and market share in the fast-growing fintech landscape?
Contact us to explore how our research-led strategies can empower your brand to resonate with the next billion users in India’s digital economy. Let’s transform insights into impact -together.
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