Trustly uses Appinio’s insights to revolutionize utility bill payments

Trustly, a Swedish fintech company, set themselves a goal - To make payments easier and more direct. How? By enabling customers to pay businesses straight from their bank accounts—no middleman needed. They wanted to improve how people go about their monthly utility bill payments and identify opportunities for better customer experiences.

Together with Trustly, we executed a Usage and Attitude study, where we explored how people currently manage and pay their utility bills, identifying bottlenecks and potential areas of improvement. As a result, Trustly was able to refine their open banking solutions, offering a seamless, consumer-friendly payment experience that not only improved customer satisfaction but also positioned them for future growth in the expanding open banking market.

And here is a breakdown of how we helped them do it.

The Challenge

Paying utility bills can be an annoyance, as current payment options like direct debit don’t always meet customers’ expectations. Driven by the desire to ease the billing process and emphasize the value of open banking for utilities, Trustly wanted to understand consumer frustrations better and find out how their offerings could be enhanced.

Appinio’s Approach

To help Trustly understand consumer behaviour when it comes to paying utility bills, we conducted a Usage and Attitude study. This type of study is designed to gather insights into how people behave (usage) and how they feel (attitude) about specific products or services. Unlike traditional consumer analysis, this method provides a deeper understanding of both actions and emotions, giving a more comprehensive view of customer experiences and motivations. In this case, we aimed to explore how consumers pay and sign up for utilities, as well as their satisfaction with the available payment options.

The study addressed key questions, such as:

• Who is responsible for paying utility bills in the household?
• How do people usually pay their bills (E.g., direct debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or pay-as-you-go)?

After 72 hours, a total of 2,000 responses were collected and cleaned, which Trustly then was able to use, in order to make decisions about their utility payment solution. All backed up by reliable data. 

Impact and Results

The results were a game-changer for Trustly, giving them the strategic insights they needed to make business decisions confidently and accelerate their growth. 

Aligning with customer expectations: Through our U&A research, Trustly gained a deeper understanding of their audience’s needs and frustrations with existing sign-up and payment processes. This knowledge allowed Trustly to fine-tune their open banking offering, ensuring it better connected with their customers and kept them at the forefront of payment innovation. The insights we provided enabled them to make better decisions that aligned with consumer expectations.

Market positioning reinforced: With 41% of UK respondents already using open banking, Trustly’s market positioning was solidified. This not only validated their decision to expand in this space but also strengthened their credibility as a leader in open banking, giving them the confidence to leverage these insights in their marketing and sales efforts.

Empowered customer conversations: Equipped with real-time, actionable insights, Trustly was able to engage in more meaningful discussions with their clients. They could clearly demonstrate the tangible benefits of their open banking solution, creating stronger client relationships and a sharper competitive edge.

"Understanding users is paramount for us at Trustly. We always try to be pioneers, but we innovate in the high-trust space of payments and transfers. Through Appinio market research is much more available. It’s faster, cheaper and easier to use. On top they provide great service. The product is simple enough to use as self-serve, but it’s money well spent to have a research expert on hand ensuring our methodology is sound."

- Jacob Häger, Marketing Director, Trustly

Conclusion

Together with Appinio as their market research partner, Trustly was able to make informed decisions that directly improved their utility payment solutions. Armed with a deeper understanding of their customers' needs, Trustly enhanced their offering, delivering a seamless payment experience that resonated with users and positioned them for continued success in the open banking market.

Our collaboration didn’t just provide data—it empowered Trustly to strengthen their market position, build stronger relationships with their clients, and stay ahead of industry trends.

If you're interested in how Appinio can help your business achieve similar results, get in touch.

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