Speak to the author: george.slack@curinos.com
Data from Curinos’ Journey Effort Score benchmarking shows that providers offering an optional ID scan to prefill applications reduce friction by an average of 15.2 points on a scale of zero to 200.
Prefill removes on average of 9.5 questions per application, seven text fields and 2.5 selection fields – thereby removing a large proportion of time-consuming text entry. The data are based on analysis from brands that offer ID scan as an optional prefill feature, tracked by the Digital Banking Analyzer’s Q3 2025 onboarding dataset.
Some of the lowest-friction journeys still operate without ID scan, but if a provider requires it, the prefill option proves critical. Besides convenience, an upfront ID scan enhances verification and fraud detection. Used thoughtfully it can serve both as a security measure and a meaningful friction-reducer in the account–opening journey.
