Connect with the author: kurt.vogtgwerder@curinos.com
Over the recent past, banks have shifted resources up-market, treating the mass market as something to manage efficiently rather than to invest in. The implicit belief was simple: real growth lives in Premier.
That belief is now getting in the way.
And it’s not because the mass market has “returned,” but because its economics and growth potential have been hiding in plain sight while most of the attention has been directed elsewhere.
Curinos data show that mass market customers — often entering with less than $10K in balances — are not low-value endpoints, they’re customers in motion. Over time, they stay, add products and evolve into higher-value relationships at meaningful scale.
What makes them more appealing is structural: the cost to serve them has declined as digital delivery and automation have matured. At the same time, returns in the mass affluent and premier segments are flat because these customers may come in with large balances but tend not to grow them (see chart).
Average Customer Balance Change
Over Time, by Segment
Source(s): Curinos Deposit Analyzer; Curinos Distribution Analyzer; Curinos Analysis
Note(s): 1. Customer base established as those who are with the bank at three months on book (does not account for attrition in first three months) 2. Average balance indexed to customer balances at three months on book
Based on consumer customers who entered through checking | Mass Market defined as <$10K deposit balances at M3, Mass Affluent >$10K deposit balances at M3
But too many mass market strategies are built around containment — minimizing cost and waiting for customers to “graduate.” The opportunity, rather, is to design for progression from the start: identify the right customers, engage them with intent and build propositions that anticipate growth.
Curinos helps banks do exactly that. What we call efficient acquisition identifies mass market customers with the highest growth potential. Amplero Personalizer Optimizer personalizes engagement and nurtures value over time. And our strategic support helps define the right design target, build fit-for-purpose propositions and create intentional graduation pathways.
The opportunity isn’t about choosing mass market instead of Premier. It’s about recognizing that tomorrow’s affluent customers are hiding in plain sight — and designing accordingly.
