To reflect the scope and additional functionality of the upgrade, eCom has been renamed Retail Online. The enhanced solution features an advanced look and feel, new personal financial management tools and an integrated landing page that provides immediate access to the features customers use most often, including CheckFree RXP for bill payment and ZashPay person-to-person payments.

Retail Online will be released in January 2011, and deployed within Fiserv community banking platforms during the first quarter of the year. The company's clients running Premier have been familiar with the solution as eCom since its introduction in 2000, as have Cleartouch clients, although they knew the product as Retail Internet Banking for Cleartouch. Clients running the Precision bank platform will be introduced to the product as an additional online banking option this spring. Going forward, these online banking solutions will all be Retail Online.

"Consumers today expect more online self-service from their banking relationship than ever before. The online channel is a critical component of a bank's acquisition, retention and profitability strategy," said Jamie Deterding, general manager, Customer and Channel Management, Bank Solutions at Fiserv. "According to our research, technology adoption through online channels, including e-statements, online bill pay and person-to-person payments, results in higher customer profitability for financial institutions. Retail Online will help our clients stand apart in a crowded field of online competitors."

With more than three-quarters of online households using an online banking service through their bank, credit union or brokerage account, delivering the optimal online user experience is critical for financial institutions. Retail Online offers the flexibility and convenience of around-the-clock, real-time access to account details and personal financial management tools, in addition to streamlined navigation that ttakes banking customers directly to the information they need.

Performing financial tasks takes fewer clicks, thanks to Retail Online's enhanced landing page where consumers can pay bills using CheckFree RXP from Fiserv and make person-to-person payments through ZashPay. From the landing page, consumers can also view a snapshot of their spending habits, get account balances, transfer funds between accounts and more. In addition to up-to-date features and functionality, Retail Online boasts a fresh look and feel, with a visually appealing and user-friendly format. The latest enhancements to the solution were based, in part, on an in-depth ethnographic study of online banking consumers that showed a desire for a more sophisticated experience that goes beyond generic services.

To provide consumers with a snapshot of their spending activity, a personal financial management tool called the Spending Report displays categorized transactions in a pie chart available on the Retail Online landing page. A December 2009 Fiserv survey showed that while there is strong demand among consumers for personal financial management tools, concerns were expressed about sharing personal information with third-party service providers. Because Retail Online's financial management features are available through the financial institution, consumers benefit from enhanced security and greater peace of mind.

For financial institutions that utilize Retail Online, flexible, customizable branding options help maintain a consistent look and feel throughout an organization?s website. Additional services are also available to Fiserv clients, including marketing assistance, consumer education and customer-facing materials.

These latest enhancements are the result of in-depth market research and a Fiserv-wide design process that incorporated user-experience elements from the Corillian Online banking platform, Retail Online and other Fiserv online solutions. Working together, Fiserv was able to apply the best ideas from usability and design groups throughout the organization, in addition to industry-wide best practices and consumer research.