MEDIA-I: Insurance shop links with portal in branding push

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