5 min read
Did you know? Millennials account for about a quarter of the world’s population i.e. 1.8 bn people in the world are millennials (born between 1981 and 1996). They became the most populous generation around 1992 and especially continue to dominate emerging economies like China and India.
According to Eurostat, 102 million millennials were living in Europe in 2017, which was about 20% of the population. 9 out of 10 millennials use the internet daily and the same number has a smartphone, spending 5 hours online every day. They have a propensity to travel and combined with their love of technology, are increasingly becoming digital nomads.
Seemingly meaningless, these numbers and attitudes hold great significance for insurance businesses looking to grow. The previous Generation X and Baby Boomers opted for insurance because they were a dominantly cautious and play-it-safe generation.
Travel, technology, and trust
Travel
For travel insurance companies especially, the millennial market is a lucrative market.
According to *Deloitte’s Global Millennial Survey 2019, travel and seeing the world was the top millennial aspiration. 57% of millennials expressed this desire. In contrast, slightly fewer than 49% aimed to own a house one day. Imagine the possibilities that open up with more than half of an entire generation, wanting to travel. And being the aware citizens that they are, millennials will increasingly look to insure their travels as well- if not from the get-go, then definitely at a later stage.
And where will they look to get insured?
Technology
Technology, yes, a.k.a their smartphones. 71% of millennials feel positive about their use of technology and hence, increasingly rely on it to search out information. 80% of millennials do this and 6 out of 10 millennials then make an online purchase.
Growing up in the internet age has also wired millennials to expect immediacy. Gone are the times when the slow pace of business proceedings was seen as normal. Now, it is merely seen as an inconvenience. Millennials expect businesses to have fast pathways embedded in their business interactions.
But this is not all that millennials are looking for in a business.
Trust
The survey also found that millennials today remain skeptical of business’s motives. In their eyes, businesses care about and promote only their interests, sometimes at the expense of societal interests. In 2018, 61% said businesses had a positive impact on society. In 2019, this number went down to 55%.
This concern about the larger picture has led millennials (along with Gen Z) to be sensitive to a business’s values, practices, and methods. Many of them have demonstrated through their actions that they won’t hesitate to stop buying from a business if a misalignment of values occurs. Increasingly, millennials want to ‘put their money where their mouth is’ and support companies that work for more than profit.
If as a business, though, you think this skepticism is reserved for you alone, then there is more. There has been a decline in the overall optimism and trust levels of millennials- the lowest it has been since the survey started 6 years ago.
This being said, companies have to work harder than ever to earn and most of all, to keep the trust of this generation. It won’t come as easy as one thinks.
Thus, the technology that millennials so enthusiastically use can be a double-edged sword- building trust slowly, but snapping it in half quickly.
Using Spixii's solutions for the 3 T’s
Travel, technology, and trust- herein lies the secret of successfully capturing and serving the millennial market. And there is one tool/ method which can help an insurance business to reach out to millennials in all three segments: Spixii solutions. Let’s find out how.
First off, millennials work long hours and due to the digital culture they grew up in, expect immediacy and quickness. And so, the current journey of constant phone calls, back and forth emails, receiving responses during business hours alone, just doesn’t work.
Spixii solutions provide both and act as the first quick touchpoint for millennials to contact an insurance company. Even if the customer service isn’t able to take calls, the solution can help millennials to know the basics of insurance or make a claim quickly as per their needs. Data at Spixii reveals that more than 40% of interactions with automated solutions, happen outside of office hours.
The lack of time also plays a vital role in discouraging millennials from inquiring about insurance when setting out to travel. Anticipating delays, a lot of (e)paperwork, and office visits, most of them do not even begin the process of getting travel insurance. Not only do businesses lose out on a segment of the market, but millennials, too, increase their chances of facing great personal and/ or monetary loss due to being uninsured.
Spixii solutions act as a boon here as well. They work on the principles of immediacy and personalisation. They also allow millennials to access insurance services wherever in the world they are. No timezone or business hours issues. No charges for international calling. Guaranteed speed, efficiency, and simplicity through and through.
Finally, trust rests entirely on transparency and honesty. Using Spixii solutions, the entire process of choosing a plan, knowing the quote, making a claim, becomes transparent and visible. Moreover, since one is reaching out to millennials and using the same language they do (in terms of personalisation, speed, and efficiency), the level of understanding goes up.
An added bonus of using these solutions is that they can be leveraged to collect real-time and factual insight into the behaviour of millennials and their preferences. No guesswork or ‘what the experts say’ needed. You can find out what your millennial audience wants, needs and adapt to it by iterating your digital solutions. Then come up with the exact plans/ policies/ products etc. that fulfil those needs. Thus, Spixii solutions become your direct millennial communication line.
*The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2019
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