Share of wallet in Australian retail banking an empirical study with implications for practice and research

Previous research has investigated the determinants and consequences of customer loyalty, but in banking, a critical yet often neglected measure is the customer’s ‘share of wallet’ (SOW). Since some customers are more active in either investments or loans, the study, based on a survey of 1,951 retail banking customers, models SOW separately in terms of deposits and debts/loans. The results suggest that approximately 25% of the variance in share of wallet can be predicted, in particular by demographic factors such as age, income and a customer’s location. The typical customer with growth potential for deposits is found to be male, aged 35-65, has a high income and a university degree, and lives in a city area. In contrast, factors such as customer satisfaction, affective attitude and perceived service quality were not significant unique predictors of SOW. Implications for bankers and researchers are discussed.