competitive advantage in insurance industry

15/03/2023
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Embrace an omnichannel approach. Businesses that work on this strategy look for the demands and needs of their target population and how their goods or services can improve their daily lives. Competitive advantage is a companys ability to perform in one or more ways that competitors cannot or will not match. Insurance is a key instrument of risk transferring, indemnification and intermediation (Outreville, 2015). When looking at consumer behaviour over recent years across industries and product categories, there is a common trend brand loyalty is less relevant; consumers are becoming ruthlessly focussed on price rather than brand. Episode 10: Inflation and its impact on the insurance industry. New market entrants are placing additional pressure on carriers by using technology to transform the industry forcing insurance companies to modernize their systems infrastructure. As the industry becomes more competitive concerning the efficiency levels of firms, the profits of the more efficient firm go up relative to the profits of the less efficient firm. As Aqillas Scantlebury concludes, Ultimately, who knows what will happen next year?! One of the main drivers for adaptability and change is the ability to deliver scalable digital capabilities at a faster pace. Product development can also be accelerated by backing InsurTechs that do not face the usual policy and legacy burdens. Trv is an on-demand insurance agency that uses an application which allows customers to insure single items they purchased (e.g. The study further revealed that insurance firms related to banks in the Ecuadorian financial system improved their revenue generation; being a public insurer and receiving foreign investments do not have a relationship with revenue. Attaining competitive advantage has crucial importance for the companies by applying appropriate strategies and investing in the right plans so that they can pay them off to Customer risk isnt the only source of financial risk requiring senior-level attention. Globally, one in five searches for financial services is from mobile phones, and in Europe, among 78 insurers, digital sales are projected to account for 18 percent of new business in 2016, up from 11 percent in 2011. After a challenging year for dealmaking, whats the 2023 UK M&A outlook? Switching providers, however, was often arduous and involved a fair amount of research and deal comparison that not many customers were willing to undergo. The results revealed that the values of Boone indicator were statistically significant throughout the study period for average cost and marginal cost models. The elections in 2013 led to the disbanding the government of national unity which saw a single part taking charge of the government. Competition in the insurance sector is an important element since it leads to the reduction in risk and uncertainty, enables efficient resources allocation, enhances product innovation, (2020) explored the relationship between competition and financial stability in 10 countries in West Africa over the period of 20002014. The greater the absolute value of the Boone indicator, the higher the degree of competition since the effect of reallocation is stronger. During times of economic hardship, credit managers have a particularly challenging, frontline role to play in helping businesses to protect cash flow, while mitigating financial risks. The challenges associated with the model include that it suffers from a multicollinearity problem if the efficiency hypothesis holds; it assumes that at least some profit gained by more effective firms is transferred to their clients; it does not account for differences in the quality of products; and it neglects design across firms and their incentive for innovations (Boone, 2000, 2001 & Boone et al., 2004, 2005; CPB, 2000; Schaeck & ihk, 2008). Equation 3 shows the relationship between output and marginal costs. This strategy is called need-based positioning where Pinterest only targets the specific population of the market. Management Solutions, Q4 2022! This forms the basis of the ongoing war for talent., A key method that will prove crucial in doing more with less will be automation. Having heavy investments into custom silicon has helped it to develop lockstep with hardware, software, and silicon engineering. We didnt know there was going to be a war in Ukraine and we didnt see the energy crisis coming. The comparative advantage does not imply a better product or service instead the focus is on gaining goods or services of the same value at the lower price. For instance, companies that are now launching wireless chargers are working exactly on differential strategy. From equation 4, profit can be defined as i=+lnMi5, Marginal cost cannot be observed directly or extracted from the financial statement of insurance companies; hence, this study proxy it from the trans log cost function (Pruteanu-Podpiera and Weill and Shobert 2008) and is specified below. Favorable climate and various other aspects of the geography constitute unacclaimed but important bounties of nature. In contrast, life and pension insurers are more stable in a highly competitive and more concentrated market. Insurance companies had to start afresh building portfolios after their capital and customer base was wiped away. These challenges are not set to become the industry norm soon, but it will all depend on who is the quickest to react first. As some businesses demonstrated during the pandemic, those that are quick to diversify to meet new or growing areas of demand could reap rewards. The competitive advantage that every insurance professional needs, February 13, 2015 at 06:11 AM This investment however eventually pays the company off. Establishing a competitive advantage can be a decisive move in the success of your business, but before planning to develop it, you need to know the: In his book, Competitive strategy: techniques for analyzing industries and competitors, Porter states that there are five competitive forces which if identified on time can benefit an organization to direct its efforts in the right direction. Advanced analytics, IoT, and cognitive applications demand technology capabilities that are scalable and flexible. They also adopted the Boone indicator method for measuring competition. https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/insurance-firms-failing-consider-value-products-and-services-provided-consumers, SECURITY RATINGS 101: WHY INTEGRITY AND CONTEXT ARE SO IMPORTANT, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAVING AND INVESTING, Taiwans SinoPac Selects Temenos for Seamless, Personalized Digital Banking, Why digital transformations in wealth management must be accelerated, How FS firms can get ahead in todays digital-first environment, Your email address will not be published. In addition, competition enables efficient resources allocation, brings balanced development in a country, enhances product innovation, enhances prospects of economic growth, improves efficient production of financial services and reduces credit risk (Caminal & Carmen, 2002). There are no hidden fees or The competition in the market can increase when the products of the insurance firms become close substitutes that is when increases but remains below . Alternatively, competition can increase when entry costs decline. Insurance Industry Strengths Some of the internal strengths are as follows; New Products Technology and industrialization are working in collaboration and introducing new products or models every year. The insurance industry is a good testament to this. (2017). The premium to surplus ratio and inflation in pre-EU accession period were significant while reinsurance and GDP growth rate became statistically significant after EU accession. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. (6) ln[TC/w3]=0+1lny+1/22(lny)2+3ln(w1/w3)+4ln(w2/w3)+5ln(w1/w3)ln(w2/w3)+1/26[ln(w1/w3)]2+1/27[ln(w2/w3)]2+8lnyln(w1/w3)+9lnyln(w2/w3)+(6), The model assumes the cost function has one output yrepresenting gross premiums and three input prices (w1 = Price of labour, w2 = price of physical capital, w3 = price of borrowed funds). Addressing the digital challenge is a matter of survival: insurance companies that act too late or stumble through the transition will lose customers and remain saddled with a relatively high cost base. The penetration rate indicates the level of development of insurance sector in the country. Companies have to define the potential benefits that their product can provide to the target audience that their competitors wont be able to do. Episode 12: Why life insurers need to embrace data democratization. The insurance sector in Zimbabwe is one of the key pillars of the financial system offering a wide range of products. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. The sector wrote business amounting to $3.04 billion for the year ended 31December 2019, showing an increase of 250% from $869 million written during 2018. It is also important to reinforce the message in every communication channel to your customer from advertising to public relations, sales ads, and even from your storefront. From the carriers perspective, by deploying an effective enterprise mobility strategy, they can increase revenue and decrease risk by enabling their agents and partners to access back-office pricing and product data in real-time, thus expediting sales at the most current risk-adjusted rates. For that businesses need to remain up to date with new trends introduced in the market that affect the product including new technology. Penetration rate is measured as the ratio of premium underwritten in a particular year to the GDP. that contributes to economic growth (Haiss & Smegi, 2006). Hugh Scantlebury, CEO and Founder of Aqilla, recognises that this is likely to continue into 2023: The serious problem for next year comes from inflationary pressures, causing rises in food, fuel, energy, and resources. The results show that the amount of competition in the insurance sector was almost consistent mean reverting around Boone indicator of 0.26 and 0.2 using average cost and marginal cost, respectively, implying moderate competition in the sector. As a result, mobile security and role-based access are extremely important in this industry. Compliance as a Competitive Advantage in the Insurance Industry Submitted by: Teresa Settas. Most large insurers operate with legacy IT architecture ill-suited to sharing or presenting data the same way on all channels. These include lack of consumer confidence which reduces the uptake of insurance policies. It must be imperfectly imitable. It constantly innovates its menu of coffee, food, and drinks. In some cases, contracts have been successfully re-negotiated or Covid credits issued. The advantages of panel data are that it contains more information, more variability, and more efficiency as compared to any time series data (Baltagi 2008; Wooldridge 2010). As we know that every new and costly Elsewhere, blockchain has been used as a lever in the battle of reducing bottom line and responding to downward pricing pressures. In addition, the security of customer information is at stake, especially since insurance companies are subject to regulatory guidelines that protect customer information such as HIPPA and SOX. In particular, digitisation can deliver better quality data about customer journeys to support cross-selling or other revenue-generating initiatives., Even in the midst of a profound economic crisis, some businesses will succeed in growing their market share or expanding into new markets. Open navigation menu. Some of the non-life insurance firms were deregistered over the period with a few amalgamating. Using average cost, intense competition was registered in 2014 when the indicator score was 0.4005 after which competition declined (Figure 2). There is no room for cutting corners. The study used the generalised methods of moments (GMM) estimation technique to circumvent the problems of endogeneity. In the world of competition in businesses, there is a dire need of remaining relevant and sustained over time. Senecas famous proverb might be a few thousand years old but couldnt be more current and relevant. The methodology of the study is presented in section 4, while the results of the study are discussed in section 5. Stylised facts about Insurance sector in Zimbabwe, https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2021.1974154, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health. All the correlation coefficients between the independent variables were less than 0.8. According to McKinsey & Company, the insurance industry spends approximately $6 billion in marketing to attract new customers and retain existing ones. As a result, all variables were taken into consideration in the estimation of the regression model. Companies strive to build sustainable competitive advantages. The thought of being forced to go digital as quickly as possible to capture this new consumer can create a series of daunting questions, such as What strategy do we employ first? What is the fastest but most cost-effective path to capturing our new constituents? and How can we make a big impact without eating the elephant all at once? Many life and health insurers are struggling with legacy technology and outmoded organizational structures and are playing catch-up, so it is important to see this transition as a well-planned journey that requires flexibility and agility. Learning about competitive advantage will surely give them a great chance to make better decisions. Advantage One Brokers is more than just your standard IMO. Finance Derivative spoke to five industry experts to determine what we can expect from 2023 and how to weather the storm ahead. Sue Chapple, chief executive of the CICM, commented: Members are reporting significant staff shortages right across industry sectors. It should be difficult for the competitors to imitate and easily adapt to their own strategy. This finding provides support for the competitionfragility view in the Turkish non-life insurance sector. A core competence should open the ways for the organizations to the wider variety of markets. Managers then pursue other objectives different from profit maximisation. Source: Authors computation * 10% significant level, ** 5% significant level, *** 1% significant level. The study period spanned between 2001 and 2006 and applied the Panzar and Rosse model to evaluate the competitiveness of the industry. Yet, it is impossible to truly predict what the next year has in store for us the last couple of years have certainly been unpredictable! Bikker & Boss, 2005). For example, a firm that manufactures a product in China with having lower labor costs than the company that is manufacturing the same product in the US so can eventually offer the same product at a lower price. If your customers see your product being different and more beneficial from others, they will be willing to pay more to gain it. Get alerted any time new stories match your search criteria. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The so-called loyalty penalty has recently been under scrutiny by the FCA. Unfortunately, businesses in some sectors have been experiencing defaults or delays, which can be highly disruptive and financially damaging. It also concluded that through marketing innovation and creativity, the Insurance It has been shown that since the economy started experiencing moderate growth rates, there has been increased activity among insurance companies. We empower our insurance carriers, marketing companies and their producers with patented DataIntelligent solutions that provide them a strategic competitive advantage in the marketplace. They also invest a lot in training the employers when they initially join the company and throughout their career hence providing the company a skilled and committed workforce. Table 2 shows that total gross premiums written by insurance companies. Tony loves the outdoors and most sport events. We have seen the beginnings of this in 2022 but I hope that 2023 will be the year it truly takes off.. But keep in mind that companies willing to move quickly and take calculated risks stand to gain a competitive advantage over their more sluggish rivals. Differential advantage. Insurance is a financial product that reduces or eliminates the cost of loss or effect of loss caused by different types of risks. The study follows the Boone et al. For recruiters serving the industry, the lack of candidates for jobs in areas such as credit assurance and risk data analysis is inflating wage expectations, which makes it even more challenging for businesses to recruit the people they need. It should make a considerable contribution to the potential market populations benefits of the end product. The global insurance market grew from $5946.74 billion in 2022 to $6466.23 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7%. Competition in the insurance sector is an important element since it leads to the reduction in risk and uncertainty, enables efficient resources allocation, enhances product innovation, enhances economic growth and improves efficient production of financial services. Todays consumers dont want to complete a paper application; they expect a mobile-friendly environment for comparing rates and completing an application online. Cobbinah et al. All Rights Reserved. Another important dimension reflected in the results shows that the average Boone indicator for the period 20102012 does not significantly differ from the one for the period 20132017. Dynamics of the Boone indicator in the Zimbabwean insurance industry. The insurance Enterprise Agile planning that provides best practices and faster delivery times, Protect and monitor applications and automatically react to threats and attacks, Deliver flawless customer experiences with web and mobile testing that scales, Automate and scale application deployment across every technology enviornment, AI-powered insights across the entire software development and delivery lifecycle, Automate and orchestrate software releases across complex technology environments, Ensure governance, compliance and security standards are maintained in development, Unify, secure, and generate predictive insights across the software delivery lifecycle, Reduce time to market, optimize software delivery, and scale deployments to any environment, Prevent reverse-engineering and tampering while keeping release pipelines nimble and efficient, Accelerate Agile and DevOps transformations while maintaining governance, risk and compliance, Enable Agile & DevOps teams and practices to scale in order to deliver greater quality software, Learn more about Digital.ai products and solutions, Talk with the Digital.ai team at upcoming events, Visualize tools across the DevOps pipellines, Gain access to hundreds of 3rd party integrations, Catch up on the latest content from thought leaders, The worlds largest enterprises trust Digital.ai, Identify tools across the DevOps lifecycle, Visit our AWS Marketplace page to see our services, Leverage world-class transformation services from consultants and partners, Connect, share product wisdom and get inspiration from other customers, Submit a ticket, search the knowledge base and get support answers, Equip teams with product knowledge to grow product adoption, maturity, and usage, View technical documentation and release notes for all Digital.ai products, See how we help enterprises digitally transform, Become a part of Digital.ai global partner network, Meet the Digital.ai global leadership team, Contact our team of product and services experts, Learn about our opportunities around the world. And millennials, being digital natives, are deeply connected socially. We enable our agents to guarantee their clients competitive rates and benefits through our partnered carriers as well as provide The author is Melanie Vala, COO, Deko The current cost of living crisis is having a global impact, with Konstantin Dzhengozov and Robbie Hadfield of Payhawk Konstantin Dzhengozov, Payhawk Co-Founder and CFO Zero-based budgeting will dominate, and fintech By Russell Gammon, Chief Solutions Officer at Tax Systems HMRC is buckling down on the way it has been Dr Pooja Lekhi, Vice Chair, Department of Quantitative Studies, University Canada West Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is an By Paul Sparkes, Commercial Director of award-winning accounting software developer, iplicit. The results further revealed that there was no significant difference in competition in the periods 20132017 and 20102012. How Much Auto Insurance Do I Need? According to a 2013 LIMRA study, 86 percent of consumers would prefer to conduct their life insurance research online, and if given the option, 23 percent would prefer to buy online as well. The very blurring of the boundaries between industries owed to the sharing economy and the generation of vast real-time data, is set to create gigantic shifts presenting new market opportunities and threats. The insurance industry is a unique one, consisting of a complex ecosystem of carriers, agents, brokers, and advisors. If you are part of the insurance producer ecosystem, and havent yet thought about mobility, it is time to get started. For businesses and individuals, the cost of living and operating will go up. Of novelty to the study is the use of the Boone Indicator, one of the new empirical industrial organisation methods which has not been applied in the insurance market in Zimbabwe. Resource Based View suggests that the organizations within an industry possess identical resources and pursue similar strategies thats this kind of environment does not accelerate competitive advantage as the resources even heterogeneous in nature are mobile so can be easily bought and sold. People dont want to spend 8 hours a day inputting data into a spreadsheet and they shouldnt have to when technology can automate such tasks. New life or health insurance policy in 15 minutes? Industry-wide challenges include managing risk, recruiting and retaining customers, and now, for health insurance providers, implementing the provisions of the AHA (Affordable Healthcare Act). It allows clients to link core systems & technology through APIs to visualise live end to end process to understand critical issues in performance, variation, and compliance. For that businesses need to do more research, development, and design thinking to produce new ideas that attract the consumers attention and provide more facilities with the same product. ABSTRACT During the last few years, the insurance industry has undergone a series of changes through financial reforms, advancement of communication and information technologies, globalization of In this case, each firm has 32 observations, but the total number of observations under consideration is 608 observations providing more information and viability to the study. Figure 2. Todays new landscape requires a holistic view of the customer and the deployment of innovative technology, yet insurance companies have been plagued by legacy systems for years and are less inclined to adopt new technologies as quickly as their counterparts in other industries. Personal insurance has been the main focus of these companies, however it is expected that life insurance and commercial will soon be the target. Andrew Doukanaris, Business Director Fintech Europe at Intellias, acknowledges that the success of Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) payment options will continue over the next 12 months and beyond: BNPL schemes have become a practically overnight sensation. For instance, if a company advertises a lesser price for a product that has a higher cost in the market, it will definitely attract more consumers and will gain a comparative advantage but if it is advertising higher prices but the features of the product are unique that the competitive product, it can still gather more customers that will be willing to pay more. The more the firm is stabilized the more it lessens the chances of the rivals to neutralize the advantages hence keeping the company at the edge. Whilst we were still waiting for the official FCA investigation results on market practices and fairness, some insurance providers were good to react. While sharing examples of best practice, Nicola Johnson, head of credit and cash processing at PHS, explained that credit management professionals need to invest more time encouraging workers to develop their skills and progress their careers. How do you leverage legacy assets to embrace the transition more quickly and cost effectively. One of the important reasons for its success is its ability to focus on a contingent of specific repeat customers rather than trying to hoard all the audience of different niches. This is all good in theory, but are insurance companies really going mobile? The number of reinsurance broking firms increased by 100% during the period from 4 to 8 which might have increased competition in the industry. It also concluded that through marketing innovation and creativity, the insurance industry can improve their businesses and achieve a competitive advantage. The study recommended that players in the insurance sector should constantly evaluate To analyze the influence of focus strategy on competitive advantage of insurance firms in Thika town iii. What Are Some Of The Best Loans For Fair Credit? In addition, by migrating legacy systems on Cloud not only gives flexibility but allows the organisation to maintain these at a fraction of the cost. Simon Philpin, head of trade credit at credit assurance provider, Markel, added: We have seen increased demand for credit assurance linked to suppliers. Competition in the insurance sector is an important element since it leads to the reduction in risk and uncertainty, enables efficient resources allocation, enhances product innovation, enhances economic growth and improves efficient production of financial services. In particular, businesses note a lack of graduates and skilled young people some of whom are choosing to delay the start of their careers.