Transforming in-app messaging to drive real-time engagement

Transforming

in-app messaging
to drive real-time engagement

Kiwibank + Atomic.io

Forever and a day, our industry talked about the right message, right channel, right time. It always felt that was a bit of a clichéd holy grail...

... but perhaps we’ve actually started bridging that gap now, with Atomic.io helping to enable this.

Simon Hofmann
GM Brand & Marketing
Kiwibank

Simon Hofmann
GM Brand & Marketing
Kiwibank

Simon Hofmann
GM Brand & Marketing
Kiwibank

Results at a glance

Transforming in-app messaging to drive real-time engagement

~30% reduction

~30% reduction

Contributed to a ~30% reduction in card reissue related frontline interactions, just 3 months* after the deployment of card reissue notifications

Seamless integration with Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Greater marketing agility and reduced IT dependency

<1hour

Message deployment time cut from 1 day to under 1 hour

95+%

95+%

positive customer sentiment on in-app messaging

positive customer sentiment on
in-app messaging

positive customer sentiment on in-app messaging

Greater marketing agility and reduced IT dependency

<1hour

Message deployment time cut from 1 day to under 1 hour

95+%

positive customer sentiment on in-app messaging

The challenge

Disconnected channels and delayed communication

Kiwibank is a purpose-led organisation that has modern, Kiwi values at heart and keeps Kiwi money where it belongs – right here in New Zealand. As a Kiwibank, with more than a million customers, their trusted experts are focused on supporting Kiwi with their home ownership aspirations and backing local business ambitions. Kiwibank is the #1 bank in Kantar’s 2025 Corporate Reputation Index and the only bank in the top 15.

Kiwibank faced a growing challenge in how it communicated directly and effectively with customers. However, in-app messaging was difficult to configure, slow to deploy, and often ignored. Messages lacked personalisation and timeliness, reducing their impact and increasing pressure on frontline support.

With consumer awareness of fraud and scams on the rise, the security of 1:1 communication within authenticated environments further compounded the challenge.

Kiwibank needed a secure, fast, and user-friendly solution; Atomic.io arrived just at the right time.

Atomic were responsive, collaborative, and always open to feedback – continually evolving the product with us.

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

Mike Hyde
Senior Product Manager
Kiwibank

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

The approach

Partnership-driven innovation

After assessing the market, Kiwibank determined Atomic.io had the greatest potential to effectively and efficiently deliver the customer messaging experience they needed.

From Atomic.io’s perspective, the project demonstrated the importance of deep collaboration and care. It required the provision of end-to-end support across the implementation lifecycle, integrating Atomic.io into Kiwibank’s mobile and internet banking platforms, conducting thorough testing to ensure performance and security standards were met, and providing training to internal teams for effective use of the platform.

Cognisant of Kiwibank’s internal delivery timelines, Atomic.io aligned with their sprint cycles and assisted in the execution of messaging campaigns.

Atomic.io brought more than just a platform. They brought deep financial sector expertise, adaptability, and a commitment to co-designing the solution alongside Kiwibank.

Rather than focusing solely on delivery, our engagement model is about driving value and adapting as needed. We go on the journey with our customers.

Rather than focusing solely on delivery, our engagement model is about driving value and adapting as needed. We go on the journey with our customers.

Jo Haanstra

CEO

Atomic.io

Jo Haanstra
CEO
Atomic.io

Jo Haanstra

CEO

Atomic.io

Jo Haanstra

CEO

Atomic.io

The approach

Partnership-driven innovation

Atomic.io supported this rollout with hands-on integration, training, and ongoing optimisation, to ensure the personalised, real-time, secure in-app messaging capability is leveraged fully ongoing.

Crawl

Introduced core messaging functionality quickly and securely.

Launch quickly

Launch quickly

Launch quickly

Launch quickly

Walk

Integrated with Salesforce Marketing Cloud to enable personalised, data-triggered communications.

Ramp up

Ramp up

Ramp up

Ramp up

Run

Now expanding into richer, real-time messaging across broader customer journeys.

Scale out

Scale out

Scale out

Scale out

The impact

Felt across customer experience

Customers now receive timely, relevant information directly within 

the digital banking experience, where they’re already active and feel most secure.

Customers now receive timely, relevant information directly within 

the digital banking experience, where they’re already active and feel most secure.

Customers now receive timely, relevant information directly within 

the digital banking experience, where they’re already active and feel most secure.

Intuitive, native-feeling notifications with improved usability and clarity, help customers take confident action.

Intuitive, native-feeling notifications with improved usability and clarity, help customers take confident action.

Intuitive, native-feeling notifications with improved usability and clarity, help customers take confident action.

Messages are actionable in-channel, with deep links guiding customers straight to where they need to go, reducing friction and driving faster resolution.

Messages are actionable in-channel, with deep links guiding customers straight to where they need to go, reducing friction and driving faster resolution.

Messages are actionable in-channel, with deep links guiding customers straight to where they need to go, reducing friction and driving faster resolution.

The impact

Real business results

Proactive alerts

Proactive alerts, like fraud or holiday-related disruptions, now reach customers instantly in-app, have reduced ‘avoidable calls’ and freed up frontline staff to focus on higher-value and more complex customer queries.

Proactive alerts, like fraud or holiday-related disruptions, now reach customers instantly in-app, have reduced ‘avoidable calls’ and freed up frontline staff to focus on higher-value and more complex customer queries.

Proactive alerts, like fraud or holiday-related disruptions, now reach customers instantly in-app, have reduced ‘avoidable calls’ and freed up frontline staff to focus on higher-value and more complex customer queries.

Time & resource saved

Contributed to an approximately 

30% reduction in card reissue related frontline interactions in just three months*, driving both operational savings and improved resource allocation.

Contributed to an approximately 

30% reduction in card reissue related frontline interactions in just three months*, driving both operational savings and improved resource allocation.

Contributed to an approximately 

30% reduction in card reissue related frontline interactions in just three months*, driving both operational savings and improved resource allocation.

Reduced effort to build

Reduced ongoing maintenance cost and effort compared with building, running and maintaining an internally built messaging system.

Reduced ongoing maintenance cost and effort compared with building, running and maintaining an internally built messaging system.

Reduced ongoing maintenance cost and effort compared with building, running and maintaining an internally built messaging system.

Enables team autonomy

Marketing now operates with far greater agility, independently designing and optimising campaigns in line with real-time customer feedback on messaging, and without relying on IT or experiencing long development lead times.

Marketing now operates with far greater agility, independently designing and optimising campaigns in line with real-time customer feedback on messaging, and without relying on IT or experiencing long development lead times.

Marketing now operates with far greater agility, independently designing and optimising campaigns in line with real-time customer feedback on messaging, and without relying on IT or experiencing long development lead times.

Faster to deploy

In many organisations, creating and delivering a message can take an entire sprint cycle. Atomic.io helped Kiwibank reduce this to minutes, accelerating speed to market without compromising compliance.

In many organisations, creating and delivering a message can take an entire sprint cycle. Atomic.io helped Kiwibank reduce this to minutes, accelerating speed to market without compromising compliance.

In many organisations, creating and delivering a message can take an entire sprint cycle. Atomic.io helped Kiwibank reduce this to minutes, accelerating speed to market without compromising compliance.

Speeds up workflow

Messaging that previously took a full day to launch can now go live in under an hour, allowing Kiwibank to respond rapidly to emerging needs and customer insights.

Messaging that previously took a full day to launch can now go live in under an hour, allowing Kiwibank to respond rapidly to emerging needs and customer insights.

Messaging that previously took a full day to launch can now go live in under an hour, allowing Kiwibank to respond rapidly to emerging needs and customer insights.

*Campaign ran July-September 2024

Removing complexity

Atomic.io’s focus on removing complexity played a key role

Simon Hofmann
GM Brand & Marketing

Kiwibank

Mike Hyde
Senior Product Manager
Kiwibank

Simon Hofmann
GM Brand & Marketing

Kiwibank

Simon Hofmann
GM Brand & Marketing

Kiwibank

It’s enabled a more proactive, personalised and responsive experience, which aligns with our commitment to putting the customer at the heart of everything we do.

Partnership highlights

Seamless integration and flexibility

Integration with Salesforce 

Marketing Cloud

Atomic.io responded to Kiwibank’s need to integrate with Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) and built the capability in partnership together. The bank became the first in NZ to connect Atomic.io with SMFC, unlocking the ability to deliver personalised, in-app messages at scale, driven by customer behaviour and data.

As a trusted Salesforce partner, having led many integrations previously, Atomic.io was able to engineer a custom plugin that enabled a click-based, UI-friendly orchestration layer – making messaging seamless within Kiwibank’s existing systems.

This allowed them to use their existing 

tech stack without adding complexity – 

a breakthrough in execution.

This allowed them to use their existing 

tech stack without adding complexity – 

a breakthrough in execution.

Kat Lowry

Senior Customer Success Manager, Atomic.io

Jo Haanstra
CEO
Atomic.io

We’re most proud of integrating Atomic.io with Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

It’s changed how we engage with customers and has laid the foundation for smarter, more proactive experiences.

Jordan Burt

Marketing Automation Manager

Kiwibank

Jordan Burt

Marketing Automation Manager

Kiwibank

Jordan Burt

Marketing Automation Manager

Kiwibank

Partnership highlights

Seamless integration and flexibility

Rapid fraud response

Atomic.io brought more than just a platform. They brought deep financial sector expertise, adaptability, and a commitment to co-designing the solution alongside Kiwibank.

Flexible, collaborative support

Atomic.io showed up as a true partner – not just a vendor. Their proactive mindset and responsiveness helped keep momentum strong.

We focus on being a genuine extension of our customer’s teams- responsive, pragmatic, and deeply aligned to their goals.

Jo Haanstra
CEO
Atomic.io

Navigating challenges together

Rolling out a new platform during a broader digital transformation brought complexity. The key was aligning internal stakeholders behind a phased approach – proving value incrementally and scaling responsibly.

Atomic.io’s pragmatic, steady style helped Kiwibank build internal confidence and momentum. Behind the scenes, Atomic.io navigated technical debt and data challenges with flexibility – adapting to Kiwibank’s pace, structure, and compliance requirements. A huge benefit of the Atomic.io approach was the very minimal code required for app integration – reducing the technical heavy lifting for Kiwibank.

Navigating challenges together

Rolling out a new platform during a broader digital transformation brought complexity. The key was aligning internal stakeholders behind a phased approach – proving value incrementally and scaling responsibly.

Rolling out a new platform during a broader digital transformation brought complexity. The key was aligning internal stakeholders behind a phased approach – proving value incrementally and scaling responsibly.

Atomic.io’s pragmatic, steady style helped Kiwibank build internal confidence and momentum. Behind the scenes, Atomic.io navigated technical debt and data challenges with flexibility – adapting to Kiwibank’s pace, structure, and compliance requirements. A huge benefit of the Atomic.io approach was the very minimal code required for app integration – reducing the technical heavy lifting for Kiwibank.

Atomic.io’s pragmatic, steady style helped Kiwibank build internal confidence and momentum. Behind the scenes, Atomic.io navigated technical debt and data challenges with flexibility – adapting to Kiwibank’s pace, structure, and compliance requirements. A huge benefit of the Atomic.io approach was the very minimal code required for app integration – reducing the technical heavy lifting for Kiwibank.

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

Mike Hyde
Senior Product Manager
Kiwibank

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

They didn’t push for perfection. Instead, they focused on steady progress. There was very little code required to integrate Atomic.io in our apps. The power of the messaging is in the Atomic.io engine.

What’s next?

Atomic.io is now a foundational part of Kiwibank’s digital communications. The teams continue to evolve the partnership – driving deeper integrations and smarter, more contextual customer experiences.

Working with Atomic.io has been great. They’ve felt like a true partner, collaborative, responsive, and up for a challenge.

Whether it was integrating with Salesforce or helping us move faster as a team, they’ve been there to support us.

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

Mike Hyde
Senior Product Manager
Kiwibank

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

Mike Hyde

Senior Product Manager

Kiwibank

We’re most proud of integrating Atomic.io with Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

It’s changed how we engage with customers and has laid the foundation for smarter, more proactive experiences.

The results have been real, with faster time to market and targeted messaging we’re delivering a smoother and more tailored experience for our customers. We’re excited to keep building on what we’ve started together.

Next steps

We’re here when you’re ready

We'd love to meet you, show you Atomic, discuss your situation, answer your questions and help you evaluate Atomic quickly and easily.

Next steps

We’re here when you’re ready

We'd love to meet you, show you Atomic, discuss your situation, answer your questions and help you evaluate Atomic quickly and easily.

Next steps

We’re here when you’re ready

We'd love to meet you, show you Atomic, discuss your situation, answer your questions and help you evaluate Atomic quickly and easily.

Next steps

We’re here when you’re ready

We'd love to meet you, show you Atomic, discuss your situation, answer your questions and help you evaluate Atomic quickly and easily.