Insurance does not make contact – Newspaper Kommersant No. 210 (7411) dated 11/12/2022
[ad_1]
The growth in the number of online clients of insurance companies has continued this year, although it has slowed down significantly, according to data from the All-Russian Union of Insurers. Experts attribute the slowdown mainly to the end of the pandemic, but expect that the popularity of digital services, which 80% of insurance companies’ customers already use, will continue to grow.
The growth rate of the number of insurers using digital services has slowed down, follows from data All-Russian Union of Insurers (VSS), presented on Friday. Thus, the share of customers applying for insurance policies online increased by 44% in 2021, slightly exceeding 70%, while in 2022 the number of such customers increased by only 6%, reaching 80%. However, according to the ARIA, in 2022 a significant proportion of policyholders preferred to interact directly with the insurer to purchase a policy, rather than with marketplaces where they select insurance.
Experts believe that the slowdown in the growth in the number of customers using digital services directly to obtain insurance is largely due to the end of the pandemic.
“In 2021, almost all processes were promptly transferred online,” says Andrei Burlak, Deputy General Director for Retail Sales of Absolut Insurance, “Clients got the opportunity not only to buy policies remotely, but also to declare an insured event and settle losses.” Yevgeny Sharapov, Director of Ratings of the NKR IC, adds that two products are mainly subject to digitalization – OSAGO and VZR (insurance for those traveling abroad). Against the backdrop of a decrease in the number of people traveling on vacation, the need for a TCD policy is declining, he explains.
Meanwhile, experts are confident that the share of insurers using digital services will continue to grow.
According to VSK estimates, the growth in the number of digital clients could reach 10-15% next year. The VSS expects growth up to 8%.
“A significant increase in online interaction in 2023 should not be expected, since in terms of simple insurance, the level of penetration is already quite high, and complex insurance, in particular life insurance or legal entities, as a rule, requires physical consultations,” explains the vice president of ARIA Viktor Dubrovin. — In addition, there are some consumers who want to use services offline. The share of users of digital insurance services will continue to grow, but the rate of this growth will slow down every year, Alexey Yanin, managing director for ratings of insurance and investment companies Expert RA, agrees. “The higher the share of digital clients, the slower this share will increase,” explains Anton Kosachev, director of the e-commerce department at Ingosstrakh, “since all those clients who tend to use digital services are already using them.”
At the same time, human rights activists warn of the risks of digital insurance services. According to the chairman of the board of the International Confederation of Consumer Societies, Dmitry Yanin, the consumer may face an unlawful refusal of the service. “In addition, when selling digitally, people very often do not look at all the conditions for issuing a policy in detail, do not read the multi-page insurance rules, which are very difficult to understand. They quickly check the boxes that they agree with all the conditions and buy an insurance product, – the expert draws attention. – When selling offline, there is a chance to find some memo of the Bank of Russia in the insurer’s office, talk with representatives of the insurance company and, if the employee turns out to be decent person, get information on risks, exclusions from insurance coverage. However, Irina Kuznetsova, the lawyer of ICA Aronov & Partners, notes that insurers, as part of countering insurance fraud, exchange their bases with colleagues: therefore, refusals are often outwardly and from a legal point of view illegal. “This is dictated by objective factors, such as the buyer’s previous insurance history and ties to other individuals involved in insurance fraud, or a series of suspicious insurance transactions,” he concludes.
[ad_2]
Source link
