DATAMONITOR VIEW 1
- CATALYST 1
- SUMMARY 1
- ANALYSIS 2
Large national brokers continue to dominate commercial insurance distribution 2
Independent insurance intermediaries of all types retain their leading market share in 2008 2
Direct players account for a small but growing portion of the commercial general insurance market 2
Corporate partnerships have maintained only a small presence in the commercial insurance market 3
Banks and building societies distribute negligible amounts of commercial general insurance 3
The broker channel continues to dominate the SME market with retention levels remaining high 5
Brokers remained the dominant distribution channel to target SMEs in 2008 5
The internet is the least common platform for SMEs purchasing commercial insurance 6
The majority of SMEs remain satisfied with their insurance provider 6
Long standing relationships are important to SMEs purchasing commercial insurance 7
SMEs purchasing their insurance through a bank or a broker value advice from their insurance providers the most 8
Price is important to many SMEs choosing an insurance provider 9
A significant proportion of SMEs are open to purchasing their insurance via the internet or phone 10
The convenience factor of the phone is appealing to many SMEs considering a telephone purchase 10
Many SMEs are unwilling to purchase their insurance over telephone 11
Over a third of SMEs would consider a purchase online 12
Employers' liability and public liability were the most likely products to buy via alternative platforms 13
APPENDIX 15
Definitions 15
Premium income measures 15
Gross Premium 15
Written premiums 15
Distribution definitions 15
Banks/building societies 15
Brokers 15
Company staff 15
Direct 15
'Other' company agents 16
Utilities/retailers/affinity groups 16
Methodology 16
Datamonitor's SME Insurance Survey 16
Further reading 17
Ask the analyst 17
Datamonitor consulting 18
Disclaimer 18
List of Tables
Table 1: Market share of distribution channels in the commercial general insurance market, 2004-08e 4
Table 2: Q: "How important is it to receive advice on an ongoing basis from your insurance provider?" 9
Table 3: Q: "What business sector are you involved in?" 16
Table 4: Q: "How large is your company in terms of number of employees?" 16
Table 5: Q: "How large is your company in terms of turnover?" 17
List of Figures
Figure 1: Brokers are the dominant route to market for commercial insurers in the UK 4
Figure 2: Most SMEs purchase their commercial insurance through the broker channel 5
Figure 3: Most SMEs purchase their insurance through face to face contact with their insurance provider 6
Figure 4: Most SMEs are satisfied with the service they have received from their insurance providers 7
Figure 5: A large proportion of SMEs have been with their insurance provider for more than 10 years 8
Figure 6: Receiving ongoing advice from their insurance provider is important to most SMEs 9
Figure 7: Many SMEs consider the price of an insurance premium to be an important factor when choosing a commercial insurance provider 10
Figure 8: The convenience factor appeals to many SMEs prepared to purchase insurance over the phone 11
Figure 9: A significant proportion of SMEs would not consider a telephone purchase because they simply prefer face to face 12
Figure 10: A significant proportion of SMEs would consider a purchase online in a bid to save money 13
Figure 11: SMEs show a greater inclination to purchase employers' liability and public liability via the telephone and internet 14