Effective web, e-commerce strategies number one trend affecting insurance industry: study

More than three-quarters of surveyed property and casualty (P&C) and life insurers identified the need to have effective web or e-commerce strategies as the number one trend affecting the industry, according to a joint study conducted by Gartner, Inc. and ACORD.

The survey of 104 insurance leaders in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom was conducted in the second quarter of 2015 by Gartner and the nonprofit insurance industry standards association ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development). The survey, released on Wednesday, found that 78% of those surveyed identified the need to have effective web/e-commerce strategies as the number one trend having the greatest impact on the industry.

“Many companies have e-commerce as a leading initiative within their digital insurance strategies and are looking to increase their touch with customers through a variety of web strategies such as improved e-service sites, interactive websites and social media interactions,” Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner added in a press release.

The second industry trend projected to have the largest impact on business strategy and vision was the greater need for cybersecurity practices and procedures, with more than three-quarters of respondents stating that it had a “significant” or “moderate” impact. This was followed by big data/analytics.

Despite these findings, the survey found that that most did not feel that any particular industry trend was reshaping the industry overall.

Gartner said in the press release that there were several trends that Gartner has identified as industry-critical – including the Internet of Things (IoT), the need to create new sources of revenue, threats from nontraditional competitors and changing consumer lifestyles and behaviors — that were not viewed as having a significant impact overall. Some respondents indicated that these industry trends had no impact at all on their business strategy or vision.

“These results are risky given the disruption that the industry is experiencing and the speed of change expected over the next few years as digital insurance models continue to be implemented,” Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, said in the release.

As insurance leaders turn their attention to fulfilling digital insurance business models, they need to be keenly aware of the emerging issues around digital transactions and digital commerce, Harris-Ferrante said. She added, however, that most are not looking at the growing threats from outside or transformational use of external data; for example, from IoT devices. “This may be creating a false sense of security that results in insurers investing in incremental business model adjustments, instead of the massive transformation that will be needed to meet the emerging business needs of the insurance market during the next five years and beyond,” she said.

Few of the survey respondents identified these trends as completely reshaping the industry as a whole. Even when they felt that the trend had or would have an impact on their own business models, they did not typically view that trend as having the potential to reshape the business processes, products or the competitive landscape industrywide, Gartner said. “The result is that their companies will be ill-prepared for new competition and new consumer requirements.”

Survey results also show that there is a fundamental misalignment between consumer attitudes toward emerging competitors and the perception of those competitors as risks among insurance leaders. Insurers overestimate the reliance that consumers have on agents, brokers and traditional channels, not realizing the potential threat that new competitors represent and the power of these consumer-friendly and recognized brands. The survey found that 53 percent of insurers believe that the most significant threats are the top five competitors in their local market.

“Having that point of view may be acceptable short-term, but awareness of the possible disruption long-term is imperative for survival,” Harris-Ferrante said. “Insurers need to understand the disruption that could occur from new market entrants as they bring in new insurance offerings, represent more consumer-oriented brands, and that have higher loyalty overall.”