The insurance industry has been accused of being slow in adopting e-commerce strategies. With online general insurance sales still at a relatively low-level, Mintel has focused this report on consumers' expectations and experiences of finding out information and actually purchasing insurance products via the Internet. The aim is to identify the barriers that presently prevent people buying general insurance products online and to provide suggestions as to how take-up levels can be improved without the necessary dependence of an offline facility to 'seal the deal'. Product areas most likely to witness a growth in sales via the Internet are also outlined using the findings from Mintel's exclusive consumer research.

The insurance industry has been accused of being slow in adopting e-commerce strategies. With online general insurance sales still at a relatively low-level, Mintel has focused this report on consumers' expectations and experiences of finding out information and actually purchasing insurance products via the Internet. The aim is to identify the barriers that presently prevent people buying general insurance products online and to provide suggestions as to how take-up levels can be improved without the necessary dependence of an offline facility to 'seal the deal'. Product areas most likely to witness a growth in sales via the Internet are also outlined using the findings from Mintel's exclusive consumer research.

Further to the extensive consumer analysis featured in this report, Mintel highlights the factors likely to drive forward online insurance sales - predominantly wider Internet access and a greater acceptance of buying financial services via the Internet. An estimated market size for online sales is included and the main sub-sectors are profiled, namely motor, home and travel insurance. Overall industry developments are featured together with the growing influence of online brokers or 'cybermediaries'. Mintel provides a forecast of the market for online general insurance over the next five years in value terms and identifies likely key issues in The Future section.

Other Mintel reports of relevance to this market include:

- Life Protection, Finance Intelligence - UK Report, October 2002

- Private Medical Insurance, Finance Intelligence - UK Report, September 2002

- Home Insurance, Finance Intelligence - UK Report, July 2002

- Interactive Selling in Financial Services, Special Report, 2002

- Motor Insurance, Finance Intelligence - UK Report, May 2002

- Travel Insurance, Finance Intelligence - UK Report, February 2002

- Income Protection, Finance Intelligence - UK Report, January 2002.