How Quilter Transformed Its Digital Presence While Preserving Its Heritage

The Challenge

Quilter, a distinguished leader in UK wealth management, reached a pivotal moment in their digital transformation journey - to modernise client interactions while maintaining the sophistication that had defined their company for decades.

With progressive thinking, Quilter identified that their legacy systems no longer aligned with their vision. They sought to replace fragmented user experiences with solutions befitting their premium market position.

Quilter's thorough assessment revealed that potential enterprise multi-experience development platforms (MXDPs) fell short of the design excellence required to maintain their standards.

Their strategic objective was clear: unify disparate data sources into a sophisticated platform serving both web and mobile users.

The Solution

To address this challenge, Quilter engaged Etch to conduct a comprehensive technology landscape review, seeking an approach that balanced advanced coding capabilities with long-term value and reusability.

The assessment centred on five essential criteria: visual fidelity across all digital touch points; integration with existing enterprise architecture; commercial feasibility; adaptability to future digital demands; and regulatory compliance within financial services.

Through focused evaluation sprints, Etch identified an optimal hybrid platform solution that combined web  and mobile development.

This approach delivered consistent quality across all channels while maximising code reuse between platforms.

The initiative has been transformational for Quilter Cheviot, our high new worth business and has really set the foundations of our digital strategy moving forward. The collaboration, support and technical input we received from Etch both initially and throughout the development have really set us up for success.

— Wendy Gell, Head of Digital

Proof of Concept

The process validated both technical capabilities and business requirements through structured, iterative development using Agile principles.

The entire evaluation was completed efficiently in five focused sprints covering:

1. Technical Assessment

A rigorous evaluation of potential solutions against Quilter Cheviot's requirements, featuring hands-on experimentation with various frameworks, emphasising visual quality and delivery speed.

2. Proof of Concept Development

The team created a working prototype demonstrating complete customer journeys; authentication, interactive visualisations, and seamless integration with legacy systems and a comprehensive CMS. The solution featured consistent design implementation and secure identity verification across both iOS and Android platforms.

3. Governance and Validation

All technical decisions underwent thorough review by Quilter's leadership team and Architecture Review Board (ARB), ensuring alignment with and introducing new enterprise standards.

This approach delivered swift evaluation whilst maintaining exacting quality standards, providing concrete evidence of the platform's enterprise capabilities and scalability.

The project proved instrumental in establishing development patterns, with shared components across platforms maximising productivity and maintaining consistent progress throughout implementation.

MVP Build

The initial proof of concept phase, through its rigorous technical assessment and Agile development of a working prototype, proved pivotal. It not only validated technical capabilities and business requirements, showcasing the proposed technology suite's ability to deliver a sophisticated, cost-effective digital user experience, but also established crucial development patterns and shared components. This foundational success directly informed the subsequent MVP build, where Etch and Quilter collaborative team ensured skills transfer and future ownership. This approach, alongside exceptional component reuse, minimised resource needs and enabled the seamless delivery of a sophisticated, brand-consistent digital experience across platforms, ultimately transforming the initial evaluation into a scalable platform driving Quilter's digital evolution and maintaining exemplary customer experience standards.

The Impact

The solution delivered several significant outcomes. The technology stack delivered Quilter Cheviot's sophisticated, brand-consistent digital experience while seamlessly integrating with legacy systems. UI management accommodated late branding changes seamlessly, whilst use of a cross-platform app development platform ensured consistent user experiences, supported by efficient and streamlined deployment, enhancing development efficiency.

Mobile application development required only 50% additional effort beyond web development, with component reuse substantially reducing resource requirements. The initial Sprint established crucial development patterns, whilst strategic team organisation and thorough documentation enabled seamless resource scaling, maintaining consistent progress throughout.

Our knowledge transfer approach equipped Quilter team with technical capabilities and methodologies essential for sustainable development. This foundation confirmed commercial viability, establishing a scalable platform that drives digital evolution whilst maintaining exemplary customer experience standards - positioning Quilter to leverage digital transformation as a competitive advantage in wealth management.

Enhanced User Experience

  • Successful UI management through a frontend design system preview tool, accomodating late branding changes without disruption
  • Seamless identity verification solution integrated across mobile platforms, delivering intuitive application behaviours
  • Streamlined deployment to app marketplaces
  • Robust authentication aligned with industry best practices

Technical Excellence

  • Exceptional component reuse between platforms, substantially reducing resource requirements
  • Sophisticated digital experience integrating smoothly with existing systems
  • Effective knowledge transfer equipping Quilter internal teams with technical skills and methodologies essential for ongoing evolution

Business Value

  • Validated commercial approach establishing a flexible platform supporting Quilter's digital strategy
  • Maintained exceptional customer service standards throughout digital transformation
  • Mobile application development requiring only 50% additional effort beyond web development
  • Strategic team organisation and thorough documentation enabling seamless resource scaling

Looking Forward

This strategic technology selection has positioned Quilter to offer distinctive digital experiences that strengthen their leadership position in wealth management.

For UK enterprises facing comparable modernisation challenges, this case demonstrates how thoughtful technology decisions paired with effective delivery methods can empower traditional organisations to thrive in the digital landscape while preserving their distinctive identity and values.

Contact us to discover how we can help your business navigate digital transformation with confidence.