Investigating the behavior of bank customers after the merger of branches with the development of a cluster analysis model; Case Study: Mellat Bank

The emergence and expansion of new service channels in banks, the large number of branches in the service network of banks, and the high cost of the branch, on the one hand, led the banks to reduce the number of branches and the integration of smaller branches in other branches, but factors such as the loss of customers , Brand coverage, social security deprivation, etc., have created considerations for banks in integrating branches. In this paper, a comprehensive overview of the literature on mergers of bank branches and similar issues was first discussed and influential variables were identified in the problem. Then, the behavior of customers influenced by the merger of branches as one of the key variables affecting the problem has been investigated. For this purpose, a five-step model has been developed in this paper, with its main core of cluster analysis techniques. Finally, in order to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the developed model, a case study of Mellat branches has been used in the country.