How Customers Purchased Whole of Life Assurance in 2020

Summary

This report examines consumer purchasing behaviors and preferences in the whole of life assurance market, covering both guaranteed acceptance and underwritten policies. It identifies the most common purchasing trigger among customers, reveals the most popular purchasing channel and method, and explores the key features customers want from their policies.

The attitudes, preferences, and behaviors of customers purchasing whole of life assurance in the past 12 months differed depending on whether the policy was a guaranteed acceptance or whole of life underwritten policy. This affected factors including whether they purchased independently or with advice, what triggered them to purchase a policy, their top financial concerns, and the product features they sought.

Scope

• Speaking to an IFA or broker was the most common pre-purchase activity in 2020 among whole of life underwritten customers.
• Purchasing directly from an insurer was the most common channel used by guaranteed acceptance customers, increasing its share of distribution considerably in 2020.

Reasons to Buy

• Understand consumer purchasing decisions and how these will influence the market over the next few years.
• Improve customer engagement by recognizing what is most important to them and how to adapt your products and services to meet their needs.
• Discover which providers lead the way in the whole of life assurance space.
• Adapt your distribution strategy to ensure it still meets customer purchasing behaviors.