Customer profile - Selectives

Definition

Pay some of their regular commitments by Direct Debit, but are selective which ones.

Generalised portrait

Equal male/female split
Tend to be slightly older, 45+ with highest proportion being 65+
They are more likely to be ABC1s who have older children that no longer live at home
A slightly higher percentage come from lower income households this could be due to the high proportion of 65+ people who may be retired
Living in privately rented properties or homes they own outright
Higher proportion live in East Anglia, London, South East and Wales than other UK regions
They are less likely to be students with a relatively equally split across other employment status classifications.

Assumptions

Their decision is usually influenced by their level of trust in the organisation collecting the payment or where there is no option, all payments have to be made by Direct Debit.

Reasons for being selective:

Concerns about the safety aspect of automated payments
Don’t trust some organisations to administer Direct Debit correctly
Have time to manage financial matters and may be stuck in their ways in terms of how they make their payments. For example, they like paying bills in full where possible
Fear losing control of their finances when too many bills are paid by Direct Debit.

Payment attitudes

Like to pay some regular, necessary payments by Direct Debit but have concerns over security and safety of automated payments. So they like to remain in control and will opt to pay by other methods such as cash or cheque.

Marketing messaging

Safe and reliable, secure, trusted payment method, puts you in control, don’t forget to pay.

Examples of messages to use in marketing communications:

It’s safe and secure because you are protected by a comprehensive guarantee which means you get a full and immediate refund from your bank if a mistake is made
It’s flexible, you can cancel at any time
Direct Debit is a secure means of payment that you can trust
Direct Debit gives you peace of mind - payments are made automatically ensuring bills are never forgotten and paid on time
Direct Debit gives you peace of mind – you can be sure your bills are being paid when they are due where ever you may be
Paying on a regular date each month, gives you greater financial control, and you can usually choose a date that suits you
Direct Debit is a convenient and secure means of payment that can help free up your time.