Viewing customers on the basis of age groupings is valuable in terms of product development, promotion and evaluation of delivery systems. The close association between customer age and product usage suggests a life cycle rather than a strict segmentation approach to marketing. A bank must realise that financial needs change as a customer matures, and anticipate and provide for these changing needs in order to build a solid customer base. Research into the users of 31 retail banks in a Midwestern US state indicates that there is a greater chance of success in promoting certain products to a particular age group, and that product usage tends to support the assumption that user age is a primary factor in bank product selection.