Asset Management Benchmark Report: Digital Innovation and Change in Distribution Enablement

BETHESDA, Md., August 9, 2021 (Newswire.com) - MarketBridge announces the release of "Next Generation Distribution Enablement: An Outlook for 2022," a research-based outlook on how Asset Managers are innovating distribution with advances in analytics, improved customer experience, and business agility. This new research uncovers insights from 35+ leading asset management firms on their priorities and objectives for 2022 and beyond. In addition, MarketBridge surveyed 100+ financial advisors to understand their relationships with Asset Managers and needs for support.

With continued margin pressure, slow progress to digital enablement, and significant challenges to in-person selling, MarketBridge discovered how asset management firms can transition their teams to the promise of Next Gen Distribution Enablement. Through a series of surveys and interviews, this study details how asset management firms define success and where they will be placing bets going forward.

"Asset managers have invested heavily in technology to support distribution enablement, yet many have struggled to transition their sales teams to the next generation," says Bill Sheldon, Senior Vice President, Financial Services at MarketBridge. "The past 18 months has been a forcing function, but some firms are still not achieving the benefits of those investments. For instance, our research found that 77% of firms with AUM >$250B don't believe their current enablement systems support their teams adequately."

Select insights from the report include:

• 69% of firms plan to invest more heavily in enablement programs, many without a clear strategy for revenue gains
• Customer experience in the intermediary channel is major concern
• 28% of financial advisors plan to increase the number of asset managers they work with, intensifying an already competitive industry
• More than 50% of asset managers question their analytics capabilities, yet 77% feel it's pivotal to success
• Financial advisors are not receiving the client-facing or educational content needed from asset managers
• 67% of firms believe they need more third-party data

"Technology investments paid off last year for those firms that were digitally ready, according to a recent McKinsey study. Those firms saw a net increase in profits of 12%," said Hazem Gamal, COO of The SME Forum. "Compared to the 'digital resistors,' the difference was significant. MarketBridge's research helps identify what firms believe the keys to success are and provides guidance on how to transition to a successful next-gen distribution enablement strategy. The report found agility, a focus on customer experience, and greater leverage from data, insights and technology are imperative as the industry looks ahead."

MarketBridge collaborated with The SME Forum and Fintova on the design and deployment of the survey.

Access the report here.

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About MarketBridge

MarketBridge is the leading provider of rapidly scalable, innovative go-to-market solutions for Marketing, Sales and CX leaders. Our proprietary approach, Go-to-Market Science, uses analytics, insight, and data to drive revenue growth and customer value.

 About The SME Forum

The SME Forum is a professional membership organization primarily for Sales, Marketing, Operations and Technology practitioners in Retail and Institutional Asset Management firms. The organization is based out of the New York City metropolitan area with over 60 member firms throughout the U.S. and Europe.

About Fintova

Fintova is a unique advisory firm comprised of financial services veterans who've held C-level roles in eight out of the top 10 financial institutions. Specializing in end-to-end digital adoption, the company offers strategic advisory and delivery services to assist clients across their full transformation and operational agendas.

Media Contact:

Katie Artz, Director of Marketing

Phone: 240-752-1867

Email: kartz@market-bridge.com

Source: MarketBridge