Should Deutsche Bank keep a separate Postbank app or move Postbank customers into one Deutsche Bank app?

Introduction

Deutsche Bank runs two retail brands in Germany: Deutsche Bank, aimed at affluent and private clients, and Postbank, a mass-market brand with millions of customers. Since the "Unity" migration in 2023, both brands run on the same IT platform, yet they still have separate apps, separate brand experiences and different pricing. With Postbank closing branches and becoming mobile-first, a natural question arises: should Deutsche Bank keep a separate Postbank app, or move Postbank customers into a single Deutsche Bank app with brand-specific content? I'll analyse this trade-off with clarifying questions, product understanding, a hypothesis, metrics, an experiment design and a decision framework.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Business Context: Is the goal cost reduction, customer growth, or both?

Why it matters: A single app saves development cost; separate apps may protect revenue from distinct segments. Expected answer: Both, with a strong emphasis on cost efficiency under the 2028 targets. Impact on approach: We weigh savings against churn risk explicitly.

• Brand Strategy: Is the Postbank brand itself being retained?

Why it matters: Merging apps is different from merging brands. Expected answer: Yes, Postbank remains a separate brand in the medium term. Impact on approach: The question is about app architecture and experience, not brand elimination.

• User Impact: How different are the two customer bases?

Why it matters: If needs overlap, one app is easier. Expected answer: Postbank skews towards mass-market and older customers with simpler needs; Deutsche Bank has more investment and premium users. Impact on approach: A single app needs strong personalisation.

• Technical: How much of the app code is already shared?

Why it matters: Shared code reduces the savings from full merger. Expected answer: Back-end services are shared since Unity; front-ends and some middleware differ. Impact on approach: Savings come mainly from front-end teams and release processes.

• Resource: How many teams maintain the two apps?

Expected answer: Roughly 40% of retail digital capacity is spent on duplicate features. Impact on approach: Significant capacity could be freed for new features.