Allica Bank needed strategic research to fuel their rapid growth, but building an internal research team would take time they didn't have. Instead, they found a different path: partnering with Askable to access specialist researchers on-demand, creating a distributed research team that scales with their needs.
As Allica scaled from startup to the UK's fastest-growing fintech, they needed a solid research foundation. It had to empower product and design teams to move with clarity and confidence. With big goals ahead, it was critical to avoid costly missteps, prioritise the right opportunities, and make decisions rooted in real customer needs.
They were shipping fast, testing what they built and iterating quickly. But they also wanted to look ahead. They needed a clearer view of what customers truly needed next, not just how things were performing after launch.
"The first challenge was to find that target demographic panel," said Phil James, Head of Design. UK SME business owners are a particularly specific audience, and reaching the right ones for meaningful insights required specialized expertise.
At the time, there was no dedicated research team. Hiring a senior UX researcher would cost £80–100K annually, plus months of recruitment and onboarding. Traditional agencies meant 4–6 week turnarounds and five-figure fees. Neither option provided the continuous, agile insight they needed.
Leadership wanted an ongoing, cost-effective research solution, one that wouldn’t overload teams or break the budget. "Last year we were announced as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe," Phil noted.
To maintain that momentum while making strategic decisions, they needed ongoing research insights. "Askable provides an on-demand research capacity... flexibility that we don't necessarily have to build out our research function," Phil explained. This meant accessing research expertise exactly when needed, without the complexity of building an internal team.
Allica didn't need more tools. They needed research that could scale with them. Allica found a research partner in Askable. They could tap into certified researchers and specialists whenever needed, as if they were part of their own organisation.
What made Askable different:
The partnership started small. Phil initially engaged Askable to solve a specific panel recruitment challenge. After seeing the quality of participants and speed of delivery, the relationship evolved. Within three months, Allica had expanded to combine Insight Streams for ongoing customer discovery with Project Delivery for targeted, high-impact questions.
"Helping with our strategic research on the idea of Insight Streams, the Askable certified researcher interviews two or three business owners a week and feeds us insight on a weekly basis, helping us investigate to uncover what's important to us,"
This gave them a full research capability that was fast, flexible and easy to activate. When more focused questions came up, like validating new features or exploring a new market, Project Delivery allowed the team to move fast and get expert input in days, not weeks.
Partnership Results
Allica wasn't just collecting data. They were getting strategic clarity that directly shaped decisions.
Concrete outcomes:
One example: insights from weekly Streams conversations revealed that business owners prioritised relationship continuity over feature richness in ways the team hadn't anticipated. This directly influenced prioritisation decisions, leading Allica to accelerate relationship-banking features ahead of several planned digital tools.
"We are a relationship bank, and that means we invest in the human side of banking. Allica really prioritises and nurtures its relationships with customers, and I see similarities with Askable, with us as a customer."
For Allica, Askable has become more than a research partner—it's part of their operating rhythm. The relationship that started by solving a single recruitment challenge evolved into a continuous flow of strategic insight that shapes decisions across the bank.
Askable now helps Allica maintain an ongoing pulse on what business owners value, where trust is built, and where expectations are shifting. Every week, fresh insights inform product strategy, design decisions and roadmap priorities—without the overhead of building and managing an in-house research function.
Customer insight at Allica is no longer a one-off initiative. It’s become a strategic habit.
Insight Streams helps the business stay close to what SME customers need right now and what’s coming next. It surfaces fresh signals every week, from shifting expectations to emerging definitions of what great banking looks like.
Project Delivery ensures that when something urgent arises, whether it’s a new competitor feature or a market pivot,Allica can get expert answers within 48 hours. No scramble. No delay.
“Research now feeds directly into Allica’s annual planning process, informs next year’s roadmap, shapes product priorities and strengthens their long-term strategy.”
Whether it’s weekly discovery or rapid validation, Allica now has the research flexibility to match its ambition.
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Allica Bank
Allica Bank is the UK's fastest-growing fintech, announced as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe. Since launching in 2019, they've supported established SMEs with modern digital banking combined with relationship-led service.
Finance & Banking
500+ empoyees
Insight Streams
Project Delivery
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