ISA Case Study (ISLA)

🌐 Challenge: ISA providers often rely on rate-driven creative, targeting all switchers the same — which leads to low retention and wasted CAC. This client wanted to develop better print and digital creative for high-value savers by understanding who switches, how much they deposit, and what signals LTV early.

👀 Task: Explore live ISA switching trends segmented by deposit size, age, income, and platform origin, to build behavioural-driven messaging and acquisition flows for valuable savers — not volume-driven switchers.

🎯 Problem

Without insight into why and who is switching, the provider's campaigns treated all depositors as equal. They lacked segment-level behavioural clarity, meaning most media spend chased rate-sensitive, short-term users who rarely funded significantly.

🧠 Solution

TFE's behavioural switching data helped them:

Segment users by age, income, and initial deposit intent
Identify switchers with low churn and high LTV potential
Spot platforms losing high-value users for conquesting opportunities
Tailor creative to the specific needs and biases of top-value segments

💡Key Results

📉−21% reduction in cost-per-funded ISA account

after replacing rate-driven targeting with deposit-intent segmentation

🎯+18% increase in high-deposit ISA accounts opened

among users aged 35–54 with income over £50K

🧲+32% uplift in CTR

on campaign creatives targeting Silent Consolidators using behavioural messaging

📈-14% drop in early-stage attrition

for newly acquired users matched to long-term consolidation profiles

🔍Initial Assumptions

The growth and CRM teams assumed:

Users switching with £10K+ initial deposits were most likely to retain and consolidate
Age 35–54 and income tiers above £50K had higher intent to stay long-term
Rate-driven switchers under 30 posed higher churn risk unless educated or segmented properly

📊 Data Required

In order to calculate and validate high-value switchers, we use the following data signals:

Area to Assess	Rationale	Combination Variables
Age Data	Age often correlates with deposit timelines	Age + Transfer Amount
Income Data	Income groups show threshold differences	Income + Monthly Deposit
Monthly Deposit	Indicator of long-term engagement	Monthly Deposit + Retention Curve
Initial Transfer / Deposit	Suggests upfront intent and wealth tier	Initial Deposit + Income / Age
Provider Movement	Understand where they came from and why	Previous Platform + Segment Comparison

⚠️

Data Transparency Note

This case study uses partial, illustrative data extracted from the TFE platform to demonstrate how high-value switching behaviour can be segmented and acted upon.

We’ve intentionally omitted all provider-identifiable intelligence and sensitive competitive data in this public-facing version. Full data access is available through our live platform at TFE.ai.

🧪 What They Did

Using the TFE Switching Index, the marketing and product teams:

Pulled segment-level reports by age, income, deposit amount, and switch intent
Identified top-value clusters like Silent Consolidators and Mid-Tier Builders
Refined their PPC and CRM messaging to reflect motivations (e.g. consolidation vs. rates)
Built new creative flows, with CTA variants tailored to segment LTV and behaviour

Monthly Deposit Data by Age & Income

🔹Insight: Average Monthly Deposit By Age Range

🧠 Insights:

Users aged 25–34 have the highest average monthly deposit (£398), followed by 18–24 (£301)
However, these younger cohorts typically manage lower total deposit volumes, despite higher frequency
Age 45+ cohorts deposit less frequently but often with larger per-event deposits (see below)

🔹 Insight 2: Average Monthly Deposit by Income Level

🧠 Insights:

Highest average monthly deposits come from users earning over £75K/year (£319) and £50K–75K (£299)
Income below £30K correlates with lower deposit consistency and higher churn likelihood
Mid-tier income bands (£40–50K) show stable but unspectacular retention impact

Initial Deposit & Transfer Data by Age & Income

🔹 Insight 2: Initial Deposit vs Annual Income

🧠 Insights:

Depositors earning over £75K had the highest upfront deposits (~£44K average)
Income groups between £30–50K also deposited meaningfully (~£19K–£24K average)
Under £20K had low initial transfer volumes, and are not strong LTV candidates

🔹 Insight 2: Initial Deposit vs Age Data

🧠 Insights:

Users aged 35–44 and 45–54 show the highest initial transfer values (£23K–£39K)
Younger users deposit monthly but rarely exceed £15K total in the first quarter
Older segments (55+) show signs of platform consolidation but fewer account openings

👀 Final Signal: Competitive Provider Movement

Our data shows specific platforms are losing more high-deposit users than others. These shifts are not visible from switching volume alone — but segment analysis reveals:

Certain top-5 providers are over-indexed on low-deposit switchers
Others are quietly attracting wealthier users with stronger intent

Want to see how your platform compares?

Book Insight Walkthrough

🔎 What They Saw

Younger users (18–34) deposited frequently, but had low total volume and high churn
Users aged 35–54 deposited £23K–£39K on average upfront
Users earning over £75K/year had the highest monthly deposits and the lowest attrition rates
Certain platforms were consistently losing higher-value savers, offering conquest targets

⚡ Comparative Overview: Segment Breakdown

Segment	Average Deposit	Risk Score	Switch Intent	Income Tier	Notes
Young Chasers	£2.2K	Low	High	<£30K	Promo-sensitive, high churn
Silent Consolidator	£18.4K	Low	Medium	>£50K	Value-driven, trust focused
Mid-Tier Builders	£8.5K	Medium	High	£40–50K	Moderate LTV, stable frequency

✅ Outcome

TFE enabled the provider to stop chasing all switchers — and instead focus on the segments that mattered:

Rebuilt campaigns around Silent Consolidators and Mid-Tier Builders
Shifted messaging from “highest rate” to “secure, long-term growth” for high-income segments
Launched CRM and paid campaigns with deposit-based triggers and segment-specific CTAs

📉 Result:

A 4-week campaign refresh reduced CAC by 22%, increased conversion from LTV-positive users, and doubled engagement with mid-income savers who previously ignored rate-led campaigns.

📦 Get Full Access

With full access to TFE, you get:

Weekly segmented ISA switching reports
Access to the Switching Index
Behavioural cohort data by income, age, and risk
API and chart embeds for your product, growth, or analytics team
Which user segments are transferring the largest initial deposits
What age and income cohorts they belong to
Where they’re switching from and to

Use this to reduce CAC waste and build messaging that targets the segments with meaningful lifetime value.

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