25 October 2017
New Zealanders get savvy with online insurance shopping
National market research commissioned by Youi NZ has revealed New Zealand consumers were becoming savvy with online
shopping for their home, contents and car insurances.
The research conducted by Colmar Brunton showed New Zealand householders and car owners were turning to the internet to
check out their insurance options with one-quarter of the nation’s householders (25 percent) and almost a third of car
owners (28 percent) shopping online for insurance.
Youi CEO Frank Costigan said “the research showed New Zealand customers were changing their shopping behaviour, with
many now choosing to do business, especially when shopping for their insurance, online.”
“New Zealanders aged 18 to 29 years were the group most likely to shop online for their home and contents insurance (46
per cent) followed by those aged 30 to 44 years (41 percent). Only ten percent of householders aged over 55 years would
shop online.
“The research showed that when it came to shopping for car insurance there was an even greater number of New Zealanders
going online with 28 percent opting for the convenience of the net.
“The research again showed the younger generations more likely to go online. Those aged 30 to 44 years were the most
willing (48 percent) to shop for car insurance online followed by 18 to 29 years old (42 percent). Only 14 percent of
car owners aged over 55 would shop online,” said Mr Costigan.
The study showed Auckland car owners were the most likely to use the web (36 percent) while 33 percent of owners in
Wellington would do so followed by 27 percent in Waikato. Only 17 percent of Canterbury car owners would opt for an
online car insurance quote.
“While New Zealand remains a heavily consolidated insurance market, with the two major players dominating, the research
showed consumers were prepared to research online, which is critically important for a new entrant like Youi.
“As a result, in April this year we significantly modified our operations to enable New Zealand customers to complete a
full online quote and purchase, without the need to speak to a sales advisor. Importantly, we have provided customers
with a ten percent online discount to reflect the lower cost of this sales model.
“At Youi, we listen to consumers and make changes in response. The Youi Wall is a great example of customer feedback for
all to see, with a 93% satisfaction rating from nearly 4,000 comments in the last 12-months,” said Mr Costigan.
ends