• Bunq's focus and direction

Hi there,


Developer at bunq here, I can guarantee you that all wishes here are really evaluated, considered and prioritized. I read a lot of the ideas and at some point they end up at my (or a colleagues) desk. There's a whole process behind the scenes, it takes time, especially for complicated wishes. We also do not have unlimited development capacity, so we need to prioritize. We want the best experience for current users, but we also need to ensure that we get in enough new users. So yes, it takes time, but your wishes are really taken into consideration. 😁


And, for some topics my colleagues indicate that stuff is not (going to be) on the road map. You won't see it too often though as there are not too many wishes that are like that.


Hope this gives a little bit of insight. 😁

    Follow up: people mentioned that one of the problems with Bunq is the lack of focus and direction for their marketing. I totally agree with this. Especially when watching update 7, the total lack of structure, focus and direction is clear. People are encouraged to clap at any moment, even when it doesn’t make any sense, and Ali’s presentation skills are way below average. Beside that: it’s clear that Bunq wants to mimic Apple in some ways. Not only by using the same animations in their presentations, but also by focusing on design. Apple used design guru Jony Ive is some videos and Bunq tried to mimic that by portraining Luca as the design god and let him explain what design is. I mean come on. Ive has earned its stripes and if anyone could explain what design is, it’s him. But using Luca to get across the same message? Come on, that’s misplaced.


    Using such videos and the communication on social media, Bunq seems to show that there is a clear focus and direction. However, observing their updates, marketing and the mentioned “wish list” here on Together it’s clear they don’t.


    So please Bunq, get you product managers together, polish your updates and hire someone with more experience in marketing; remember what Apple did when hiring Scully from Pepsi?


    I would love to have a conversation with you guys at the office to discuss my points 😉

      Nice to hear Sander, thank you for this information.

        Hmm, I partly agree. I think bunq is targeting everyone who like to be in full control of their money, anytime, anyplace. That isn't a easily recognizable target audience, so it can come across as unfocused. I don't think bunq is drifting that much. Their message is perfectly clear to me, but then again I might be somewhat baised :)

        For update8 bunq should absolutely be more focusing on the managing part as you described. There is a lot to gain in this area. I have some idea's though :)

        I think for me the big question is where bunq will draw the line between developing features themselves (and keeping the app clean and easy at the same time) vs relaying on third-party apps. Personally I think bunq should have developed a ITTT system themselves for instance. To be fair, marketing isn't bunqs strongest point. But the website has improved that.

        I'm also available for consulting ;)

          Please, shall we all start by spelling bunq correctly? It feels a bit strange to give feedback while we don't even know how to write their name correctly! :) 🌈

            I, for one, am totally happy with update 7. Love the Apple Pay feature, worth all the fuss!

            Hope that it will be announced on the 27th that it will be available in the Netherlands so that others also can enjoy Apple Pay.

            (I can relate that this needed some technical overhaul. Also the move to aws is a big one)

              John,

              Referencing a name in a sentence is generally done by having the first letter as capital letter.

              That Bunq in their logo only uses bunq does not chance the grammar rules of a language.

              I see you make this comment on many posts and am really wondering what your motivation is expressing this every time ...

                En niet te vergeten dat er geen enkele communicatie is geweest dat de meest belangrijke update, Apple Pay, weer ingetrokken is.

                Bunq had na de introductie van Premium aangegeven geleerd te hebben, maar communicatie is nog steeds niet een sterk punt.

                  Ik reageer in het Nederlands, Engels is me veel te veel gedoe.


                  Kan me helemaal vinden in wat Dirk schrijft.

                  Ik heb bunq al eens vergeleken met GroenLinks. “Luxe” ideeën welke maar een handje vol mensen zich kunnen permitteren.

                  Investeren is helemaal niet erg. Dankzij investeringen en banken bestaat de economie. Geld maken met geld is niet per definitie slecht!

                  bunq heeft zichzelf als fintech bank in de markt gezet. Goede app, goedkoper dan de stropdas banken en zelf bepalen wat je afneemt en waar je voor betaalt. Die uitgezette koers was een prima keuze. In de volledige vriendenkring enthousiaste mensen. Toen kwam premium en is geen mens meer enthousiast te krijgen. Voor een enkeling is de API leuk, maar voor de gewone klant is een API 3 letters in willekeurige volgorde.

                    bunq never ever writes its name with a capital b, not even in legal documents, not even at the beginning of a sentence, never. And there is a whole filosofie behind this. So, why can't we do the same?

                      Tja, bunq is niet de beste keus voor iedereen op aarde. Ik ken mensen met geld genoeg die bunq te duur vinden en ken 'arme' studenten die gewoon een Premium abbo hebben. Dus volgens mij kun je niet stellen dat het luxe is die maar handje kan betalen of dat niemand warm te krijgen is voor Premium. Dat bunq wat verschoven is in focus is niet heel gek voor een startup die feedback van gebruikers hoog in het vandaal hebben. Premium is just onstaan nav feedback van gebruikers


                      Persoonlijk ben ik uit het alles-voor-1-heldere-prijs kamp :)

                        Good point. And as a professional organisation as bunq, (mind the capital B) you could argue that providing a workaround for Dutch users for Apple Pay was not that smart in the first place. You know how Apple handles its strict rules and I can imagine that this temporary workaround provided by bunq is not really beneficial for their relationship with Apple in the long run. In the end, communication and marketing is not really in bunq's strong suit and that's something they should change in the short term. Hyping up their product, communicating that Apple Pay isn't to be expected right before the event, releasing it though (although without any specific details in the Update) and then pull it under Apple's pressure doesn't sound as a good PR story, especially not for a company that works towards more professionalisation and struggles with its own USP's.


                        However, I still love bunq and as a communication professional myself I would love to help them out! They know how to reach me ;)

                          Lijkt me dat ieder dat voor zich mag bepalen. Ik houd me aan de spellingsregels zoals ik die ooit geleerd heb. Bunq mag het gerust anders doen ;-)

                          Ook ik zou het fijn vinden als er een duidelijke(re) visie was. Ik wil bunq graag als bank, maar voor bunq om te blijven bestaan is die visie wel nodig. Meer visie, minder hype.

                            By the same logic you would also write e.g. Iphone instead of iPhone, and I don't see very many writers doing that...

                              I am not simple whining about a capital more.. or less :) normally I would find this not a relevant discussion.

                              But it is about the story behind the name and why they write it all in lower case. So, I am simply saying that if you want to discuss bunqs vision (of claim the lack of it) the least you can do is write the name as bunq ment it to be. That's why I make a fuss about it :) 🌈

                                Precies, bunq moet de marketing en de communicatie aanpakken. Mag zelfs met wat hype ;-)

                                  Geen spectaculaire updates in de Bunq app maar dat is mijn persoonlijke mening....

                                  Béétje met anno 2018 meegaan zou ik zeggen zoals pinsparen!

                                  Apple Pay is iets waar ik ook wel een beetje op zat te wachten. Bunq hád een leuke constructie bedacht maarja, was helaas te laat om deze te activeren maar dat krijg je met een échte baan, dan heb je geen tijd om de hele dag met je mobiel te spelen 😜

                                    I agree with the lack of direction. You said your developers work hard, and I believe that. But you don’t need always need your developers to improve your service. You focus on your app, features and api. Bunq is becoming an app for geek. You lose sight of what john doe expects from his bank.


                                    I’m a geek, and I love bunq. 3DS is great, we waited for that. But now, I still have to keep my old bank because you don’t provide the full service.


                                    For example, I can’t move all my money on accounts without interest rates. Do you plan to do something about that ? And about credit ?

                                    Your MasterCard is so cheap, the quality is so bad that people think it’s a fake card. You need to find a way to accept offline payment.

                                    ApplePay is marketing, a tool for geek again (Apple Pay works in France, why not with bunq by the way?). Whatever.


                                    If you want to target geeks, ok, you are on the right path I guess.

                                    If you are targeting regular people, stop making api and start talking to them.


                                    As early adopters, I think we need to understand your strategy and have an overview of your roadmap. What kind of bank do you plan to become? As a consultant in strategy, I can say that you are facing the typical issue of companies run by tech people...


                                    You are an interesting case, I look forward to see what’s your next move !


                                    Good luck !

                                      HI Adrien,

                                      bunq has always been very clear about things as interest and credit: they don't believe in that, not now, not ever. They don't invest (besides bonds) and they believe that you shouldn't have money that isn't yours. These are core principles at bunq (call it vision, strategy or direction :)). Besides that, the interest rates are very low at this moment. If you want to make some money your better should invest you money.


                                      By the way... Apple Pay is far from just a geek thing in my opinion.

                                        Hi John Do

                                        I’m happy for you if you can pay cash your house, but for the great majority of people, we need sometimes to borrow some money for projects, shame on us.

                                        N26 offers invest plan, and there is a lot of “green” investment funds that match bunq investment strategy 😉

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