Trends Report

The US Auto Insurance Buyer's Journey

The Web Is Critical To Research, But Many Shoppers Cross Channels To Apply

November 24th, 2009
Peter Wannemacher, Principal Analyst
Peter Wannemacher Principal Analyst
CM
Chad Mitchell
With contributors:
Benjamin Ensor , Courtney Tincher

Summary

Four in five US adults own auto insurance, and more than one in four applies for a new policy each year. We used Forrester's Technographics® data to analyze how millions of US adults research, compare, and buy auto insurance. Half of those who research do so online, while 15% conduct research using more than one channel. Although more than one in three uses a comparison Web site, the phone is the most widely used channel for quotes. When it comes to buying a policy, a growing portion of auto insurance shoppers cross channels, with 43% opting for a channel that is different from the one they used for research. Age, online tenure, perceived Web security, and attitude toward financial services firms all affect consumers' channel preferences. US auto insurance distribution is officially multichannel, and insurers must learn to build, measure, and reward multichannel and cross-channel strategies.

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