Financial Services Studies in Poland

Financial services market research encompasses projects covering banking, insurance, investment funds, leasing, fintech, and payment services. The goal is to understand the needs, expectations, and behaviors of financial institution customers — both individual and business clients. Financial services is one of the most sophisticated market research client sectors, driven by intense competition, regulatory complexity, and the high lifetime value of individual customer relationships.

Poland’s financial industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation. Mobile banking penetration exceeds 60% of the adult population, and fintech applications (BLIK, Revolut, PayPo) are reshaping expectations of traditional institutions. Meanwhile, the insurance market remains under-penetrated compared to Western Europe, creating significant growth potential. Regulations (KNF financial supervision, GDPR, IDD directive) impose transparency and consumer protection obligations on institutions, further increasing the demand for research-backed decision-making.

The most common financial sector research types include: customer satisfaction and loyalty studies (NPS, CSAT, Customer Effort Score), mystery shopping in branches and call centers, concept testing for new financial products (cards, apps, loan offers), institutional trust and brand image studies, customer journey mapping, and pricing research (price sensitivity, willingness to pay for premium services).

Methodologically, financial research requires particular attention to data protection and compliance. Respondents are reluctant to disclose financial information, making anonymity assurance and trust-building essential. The most commonly used methods are CAWI (fast, anonymous online surveys), CATI (satisfaction surveys among specific institution customers), mystery shopping (service quality audits), and IDI with B2B decision-makers (CFOs, treasurers, procurement heads).

A notable challenge is recruiting customers of specific institutions — banks cannot always share their customer databases for research, and identifying these customers within a panel requires precise screening questions. Furthermore, the rapidly evolving regulatory environment (e.g., new ESG requirements, PSD3) means research findings can become outdated quickly, necessitating cyclical monitoring rather than one-off projects.