HONG KONG: Online insurance company kwiksure.com has partnered with
hongkong.com to build its name on the portal's care4u website.
The website selects the best insurance option for users and offers a
choice of more than 30 insurance companies.
Kwiksure.com director, Neil Raymond, said one of the hurdles online
insurance companies face is that - while shoppers may not think twice
about buying CDs or books online - insurance has traditionally been a
"human touch" service and customers have come to expect face-to-face
guidance. The traditional aspect of closing an insurance sale - positive
body language, eye contact and a handshake - are also hard to depict
online.
"The target market for insurance can be anything from 17 to 70 years
old. When you are talking about insurance, you are looking at a
reasonable amount of money and people need trust for that," said
Raymond. "We went with hongkong.com because it has a good customer base
and solid brand." One of its competitors is Speedinsure.com, backed by
the eKong group.
Both sites offer discounts and a lengthy questionnaire. Users are
notified by email if a suitable policy is found.
