New kasina research ranks Top 10 Mutual Fund Websites and Top 3 ETF Websites

NEW YORK - Oct. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- The vast majority of asset managers understand that their websites play a crucial role in an advisor’s decision to purchase and recommend their products. However, less than one-third thinks their sites are actually capable of achieving those goals, according to a new study from kasina. This according to kasina’s new study, The Role of Websites in Digital Engagement: Online Leaders in Asset Management (https://kasina.com/research/online-leaders-in-asset-management/).

“There’s no mystery—asset managers know what they need to do to better connect with advisors via their websites,” says Julia Binder, Director of e-Business Research at kasina. “Leading websites provide differentiated content advisors can’t find on news and industry research sites, are accessible on mobile devices and integrate social sharing tools that make it easy for advisors to recommend their brands and products.”

The study also names the mutual fund and ETF managers whose websites best support the digital engagement cycle. This year’s top five for mutual funds, in order, are OppenheimerFunds, Putnam Investments, Royce Funds, Vanguard and Allianz Global Investors. “Leadership is not dictated by resources or budget. Both OppenheimerFunds and Royce Funds redesigned their sites to offer timely content that integrates  rich media, fund profiles that incorporate technical details in a user-friendly and meaningful way, as well as easy access to full-featured portfolio manager bios,” Binder says.

Vanguard, iShares and Charles Schwab rank highest among ETF providers. One reason for Vanguard’s top rank is the firm’s seamless integration of ETFs with mutual funds on its advisor site. The site also delivers a rich array of product education, including a detailed section on ETF myths and misconceptions that advisors can use with clients.

The report delivers a wealth of best practices as well, with examples from more than 20 asset manager and insurer websites. Details on the top 10 websites, how kasina ranked the sites, key performance indicators to benchmark against, and recommendations for getting customer insight and measuring business impact are featured as well. More information on the study is available at kasina.com.

Methodology
kasina used its proprietary methodology to evaluate 51 mutual fund and 14 ETF websites for financial advisors on availability and quality of content, as well as the user experience. Insights were also gleaned from surveys and in-depth interviews with sales executives from a diverse set of 22 asset management firms.