The insurance market in the UK has been revolutionised over the past decade. Insurance has moved away from the door to door or office to office sales model to multichannel access via branch, broker, email, web portal and telephony.

In addition, the range of products offered by insurance companies now extends far beyond the big three of life, house and car insurance. Insurance companies are offering products and services in all areas – travel and holiday, pet insurance, medical including day to day health bills, accident and serious illness, sports – and not just insurance – pensions, mortgages, loans, credit cards, discount deals with gas and electricity companies, home repair and vehicle recovery deals, even broadband connections.

Adding to the competition is the involvement of companies, such as the major brand name supermarkets and the Post Office, in the insurance arena. And it seems their experience in marketing fast moving consumer goods has brought a fresh breath of life into the marketing of financial products, with not only imaginative television ad campaigns (talking shopping trolleys – what next?) but also imaginative financial offerings. Insurance companies have been forced to sit up and take notice to the advantage of the customer.

Undoubtedly, from the customer’s point of the view, the major difference over the past few years has been the ability to shop online for the best insurance deals, in many cases cutting out the middle man, and reducing the overall cost of insurance.

The Internet allows you to compare and contrast deals quickly and easily with a few clicks of the mouse. You can also apply for your insurance deals online. And, unlike the often agonisingly long telephone calls where a company representative takes ages to obtain your details because inevitably their computer system is ’slow’, you can register your email and a password with the company and take your time completing any forms you have to fill in. If the Internet is slow or you need to take a break, most company’s sites give you the ability to save your work and return to it at a later stage.

Finally, and pleasingly, you get the option to opt out of any direct marketing by the company or third party organisations they send the information on to, something which may not always be offered over the phone. And, thanks to a recent court case, you may even be able to sue them if they breach this agreement.

For those of you who are concerned about online security, the company is obliged under the Data Protection Act to take all reasonable steps to protect your information from being misused. In addition, provided you follow a few common sense precautions, your information is as well protected as it would be over the phone or in the branch. See our online security tips or visit the following government site for additional information in this area www.getsafeonline.org.