Driving QR and IBFT Adoption Through Mobile Banking User Research

How Customer Insight Research Helped Strengthen Feature Awareness, Usage, and Communication Strategy

Digital banking adoption is growing rapidly. But feature availability does not automatically translate to feature usage.

A leading bank wanted to understand how users perceived two critical mobile banking features:

• QR payments

• Interbank Fund Transfers (IBFT / InstaPay)

The objective was clear:
Identify awareness levels, usage drivers, and behavioral barriers to improve digital feature adoption and communication strategy.

Research Overview

A nationwide quantitative study was conducted among 136 active mobile banking users aged 25–55 .

Key goals:

• Measure awareness of QR and IBFT features

• Evaluate satisfaction and usage frequency

• Identify barriers to non-usage

• Assess perception of the Php 10 IBFT transfer fee

All respondents had used the mobile banking app in the past three months.

Key Insights

1. High Digital Engagement Creates Strong Upside

Mobile engagement was strong:

• 76% use the app at least weekly

• 12% use it daily

Money transfers and payments were the most recalled features at 61% .

Insight: The behavioral foundation for digital feature adoption already exists.

2. QR Payments: High Awareness, Strong Satisfaction

Awareness & Usage

• 92% aware of the QR feature

• 85% have used Pay via QR

• 53% use QR weekly or monthly

Satisfaction

• 99% satisfied (Very satisfied + Satisfied)

Top drivers:

• Security

• Ease of transaction

• Convenience

Barrier Insight

Non-usage was not driven by confusion. It was driven by preference for existing methods:

• 43% prefer standard bank transfer

• 29% prefer cash

Strategic takeaway:
Adoption growth requires behavior shift messaging, not feature explanation.

3. IBFT: Strong Awareness and Fee Acceptance

Feature Understanding

• 88% aware of IBFT

• 86% associate it with real-time transfer

• 83% know it enables transfers to other banks

Php 10 Fee Perception

• 82% aware of the fee

• 85% find it acceptable

Descriptors included:

• Affordable

• Fair

• Reasonable

Even among those unaware of IBFT, expectations aligned with real-time, low-fee transfers .

Strategic takeaway:
Fee is not the barrier. Communication framing can strengthen perceived value.

Business Impact

This study revealed three growth levers:

1. Communication Optimization

Push notifications and in-app contextual messaging were preferred channels for explaining the Php 10 value proposition .

2. Security Reinforcement

Security consistently drove satisfaction. Messaging anchored on trust can accelerate QR adoption.

3. Habit Disruption Strategy

Since non-usage is habit-driven, campaigns should focus on demonstrating speed, simplicity, and everyday convenience.

Even a 5–10% uplift in QR frequency among existing weekly users could significantly increase transaction volume and ecosystem stickiness.

Why This Matters for Digital Banking Teams

For fintech and digital banking platforms, feature adoption depends on:

• Awareness

• Perceived security

• Behavioral ease

• Clear value communication

This case demonstrates how structured mobile banking user research uncovers not only feature performance metrics, but behavioral friction points that impact scale.

How Entropik Enables This Level of Insight

Through AI-powered consumer research, usability studies, and behavioral analytics, Entropik helps financial institutions:

• Measure feature awareness and usage

• Identify behavioral barriers

• Evaluate digital experience satisfaction

• Optimize communication strategies

• Strengthen digital adoption journeys

By combining quantitative research with behavioral and emotional intelligence, banks can move beyond feature launches toward measurable adoption growth.

Final Takeaway

High awareness does not automatically translate to high habitual usage.

The opportunity lies in refining communication, reinforcing security perception, and influencing behavioral patterns.

Customer insight research provides the clarity required to scale digital banking features strategically and confidently.