The Power Of Knowledge: Insurance Competitive Analysis Best Practices And Tips

Competitive analysis in the insurance market space helps to identify industry trends, understand the market, and also provides insights on how your services can work to stay ahead of your competitors. It enables you to develop a strategy after having a strong understanding of your competitors and how they reciprocate to the emerging requirements of the customers.

How competitive analysis stands as the key to success in the insurance industry space

The insurance industry is significantly getting transformed on the back of underlying drivers of change. Without a competitive analysis, it is difficult for a company to assess the size of the market and its strengths and weaknesses. Insurance analytics is known for controlling risks in underwriting, pricing, rating, claims, marketing, and reserving in the insurance sector. 

Hugh Kenyon, Personal Lines Pricing Director at LV, once said, “Insurance has been based around analytics for decades but the key change we’re seeing is from the pricing and actuarial into customer management, experience, and marketing activities.”

The global insurance analytics market size was valued at USD 7.91B in 2019. It is estimated to reach USD 22.45B by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 14.2% in the 2020-2027 timeframe, also solidifying its importance.

Moreover, technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are aiding the solutions. As per a study by Accenture, using AI in the financial sector can lead to a 31% increase in profitability rates by 2035. The global insurance industry is embracing digital technologies like never before. Competitive analysis has become even more important as insurance companies are trying to battle challenges like catastrophes, amplified risks, uncertain economic environments, etc. 

As per IBM, insurance companies that have already implemented analytical solutions outperformed the competition by 76%. Also, it is pivotal for an insurance organization to use analytics to better understand the customer base and their priorities along with organizational exposure to risks. 

Over the years, insurers have found out that insights from third-party information along with current first-party data enable them to get a better view of how great the risks are to the businesses and how to effectively mitigate them. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the insurance analytics market due to the surge in the use and adoption of advanced technologies to offer digitized services across the globe. This has also led to insurers adopting and implementing insurance analytics solutions globally. 

Challenges of analytics implementation 

Now let us talk about the challenges related to analytics implementation in the insurance space. there are certain massive barriers when it comes to the adoption and usage of massive chunks of data for competitive analysis. There is no singular way that the analysis of the data and its impact can be automated. It is also difficult to implement this huge data pool that originates from a diverse set of sources.

Moreover, there is a requirement for talented data scientists who understand the science of data to perform the most effective analytics.

Key tips to get started with an effective competitive analysis

Find your competitors

The first step is to find out two types of competitors, direct and indirect. The direct competitors have expertise in the same type of insurance and work with similar agents. On the other hand, indirect competitors are those whose work doesn’t line up exactly, which means that their target audience, service, and specialization might differ. It is a mandate to identify both your direct and indirect competitors to identify new market opportunities.

Assess their online marketing strategies

Once you have mapped your direct and indirect competitors, you should take a look at their online presence which includes social media handles, newsletters, websites, news articles, and more. You need to take cues from their websites and how they appeal to the target audience. You also need to check the trending topics on social media, which posts get the maximum amount of interaction, the selling point of the insurance companies, customer service ratings, their offerings, etc. 

This will help you understand how you can differentiate yourself from them. You can dig deeper by signing up for your competitor company’s marketing lists. You need to go through their white paper, newsletters, blogs, and videos to understand where they stand in the insurance industry and the way they communicate with their target audience.

Customer interactions with the companies

Once you have found out the probable competitor companies and assessed their online marketing, you need to find out the reactions of the audience. check if the companies are customer-focused and take their opinions seriously or not. Both positive and negative interactions can be very informative.

Identify the market gaps in the insurance ecosystem

You need to assess the areas in which you can act as a bridge. If there are under-served areas and opportunities, you need to invade the same. If there are unmet customer needs, you must tap into the same. A thorough competitive analysis will provide you with insights into your position in the market.

Despite the challenges, competitive analysis is mandatory in the insurance market space. It helps in benchmarking and finding out the gaps in the market so that you can cater to the same. Companies will continue using insurance analytics to reduce expenses, optimize customer relationship processes and use predictive analytics in insurance models in order to create reports across product lines. With rising competition in the insurance ecosystem, demand for analytics solutions will continue to rise to sustain the competition in the global market.

By analyzing the market landscape and understanding your competitors’ strategies, you can develop a winning strategy that sets you apart. Our team of experienced professionals can guide you in assessing your direct and indirect competitors, assessing their online marketing strategies, and identifying market gaps that present opportunities for growth. To know how our comprehensive competitive analysis solutions can elevate your business in the rapidly evolving insurance space, contact us.