Business transactions in change - Postbank equips 120 branches digitally
The Postbank reacts to the digital transformation in banking businesses with new established branches. One hundred and twenty locations in Germany are planned to be converted into digital-equipped "Consultation branches", to better support customers in the digital age, the Postbank announced. Fifty of these are expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The first of the new Consultation branches will open on Monday in Neuss near Düsseldorf.
The core concept of the Consultation branches, which do not offer postal services, are trained "Digital Coaches" who will assist customers with questions regarding digitalization. The goal is to help people who struggle with digital banking, particularly older people. Additionally, the new branches will be equipped with free Wi-Fi and lounge areas where customers can test Online- and Mobile-Banking.
Fewer customers visit the branch
Like other banks, the Postbank is also experiencing changed customer behavior in the digital age. Only one in four banking customers visit branches regularly, while Online- and Mobile-Banking is on the rise, the bank stated.
Banks therefore are thinning out their branch networks, experimenting with new showcase branches, and trying to link branches with digital offerings or video consulting - just like the Postbank: It had announced that it would reduce its branch network from 550 to 320 locations by mid-2026, along with job cuts. Two hundred of the remaining locations will offer postal services. The branch closures will be partially offset by the establishment of regional Consultation Centers, where customers can be advised telephonically or via video conferencing outside of regular business hours.
Changed Market Appearance
"The new Consultation branches with our Digital Coaches connect our new digital services with personal banking on site," said Dominik Hennen, Head of Personal Banking at the German Bank.
At the Postbank, which had angered many customers last year with major IT issues, the goal is to fundamentally change the bank's market presence for its customers. "We want to significantly change the Postbank's market presence for our customers, away from a rather branch-based model towards a model where ultimately the customer decides which channels they prefer to use," said the Head of Retail Banking Germany at the German Bank, Lars Stoy, in an interview with dpa in June.
- The changes in banking business due to digitalization have prompted Postbank to establish 120 digital-equipped branches in Germany, with the first one opening in Neuss near Düsseldorf.
- These new branches, referred to as "Consultation branches", will primarily focus on providing assistance with digitalization to customers, particularly older people.
- The core concept of these branches includes trained "Digital Coaches" who will provide support with digital banking queries and free Wi-Fi and lounge areas for testing online and mobile banking.
- Postbank's traditional branch network is also seeing changes, with plans to reduce it from 550 to 320 locations by mid-2026 and introduce regional Consultation Centers.
- In Hesse, the digital transformation in bank business has led to altered consumer behavior, with only one in four banking customers visiting branches regularly.
- Frankfurt, located in Hesse, is not exempt from these changes, and many banks in North Rhine-Westphalia, including Postbank's Neuss and Düsseldorf branches, are adapting to this new digital consumer landscape.
- The Postbank's aim in all these changes is to empower consumers by offering useful digital banking services and allowing them to choose their preferred channels of interaction.
