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1. AUTO INSURANCE BENCHMARK STUDY
Measuring the online experience of
auto insurance companies
Author: Ann Rochanayon
Sr. Director of UX/CX Research at UserZoom

2. 3
Introduction
The Internet is a common resource for those shopping for
auto insurance. An increasing number of consumers gather
information about auto insurance online. According to a 2012
McKinsey Research study, 73% use the Internet to gather auto
insurance information, an increase from 55% in 20081
.
To gain further insight into consumer behavior while
researching auto insurance online, UserZoom’s researchers
created a competitive benchmark study with the following
goals:
1.Determine what sites participants visit to research auto
insurance options.
2.Understand which auto insurance company offers the
best online quote experience.
3.Assess the impact of the online quote process on brand
perception, Net Promoter Score and conversion.
2008
2012
55%
73%
http://www.mckinsey.com/client_service/financial_services/latest_thinking/insurance,
“Winning share and customer loyalty in auto insurance: Insights from McKinsey’s 2012 auto insurance Customer Insights research”

3. 4
Study Methodology
200 participants
were recruited by
email from
a panel provider
Sites evaluated:
• US participants
• N=200 (~50 participants per site)
• Between-subjects design
• Ages 25+
• Must own a vehicle
• Participated via. desktop / laptop
• Participants were randomly assigned to evaluate one of four auto
insurance companies after completing an open research task

4. 8
Site Specific Findings
User Experience Rankings
Progressive edged out Allstate and other auto insurance
companies tested in this benchmark in the User
Experience Rankings. GEICO had a solid third place
ranking, while AAA lagged behind all sites.
To assess the overall user experience of the sites,
UserZoom captured over twelve measures of the participant
experience while obtaining an online auto insurance quote.
The user experience metrics captured include key
performance indicators such as task effectiveness, task
efficiency, ease of use, trust and conversion. The User
Experience Rankings were derived based on how each site
performed according to each user experience metric.
•
Progressive fares
the best in the
User Experience
Rankings
1. 2. 3. 4.

5. Task 1
Open Research
Description:
Starting from this BLANK WEB PAGE,
research options for auto insurance
online. Do not go through the quote
process. Navigate the web as you
typically would if you were actually
researching auto insurance in real life.
auto insurance
10

6. Which of the following type(s) of information did you look for while researching auto insurance
options [Check all that apply].
N = 200
Auto insurance quotes
Rate Comparison
Rate discouunt information
How to choose coverage / deductible amounts
Multi policy discount
Determine how much insurance needed
Information about agents
Other
56%
52%
44%
36%
36%
29%
22%
5%
Participants were most interested in looking for auto insurance quotes, rate comparison,
and rate discount information.
11

7. Nearly all participants were successful in researching options for auto insurance online,
while 78% found the process easy. Those who had difficulty, primarily were frustrated
with the questions required to obtain a quote.
Were you able to research options
for auto insurance?
How difficult or easy was it to research options
for auto insurance online?
Why was it less than easy to research options for auto insurance online?
Too many
questions
that I couldn’t
answer
2% 20% 78%
2%
98%
They don’t
give quotes
without all your
information
They ask
so many
questions that
don’t matter
They want too much personal info up front.
I’m not willing to give it all away for fear that they’d
plague me with repeated phone calls or emails or mail
Yes
No
very difficult (1-2)
Neutral (3-5)
Very easy (6-7)
12

8. First Type of Site Visited
First Search Engine Visited
During the open search task, participants visited just under
2 sites and spent 2.61 minutes on average. 59% used a
search engine at anytime during the task.
3% 1%
41%
56%
73%
11%
9%
1%
6%
N = 190
N = 107
Open Task Stats
Average Number of Sites Visited
Average Time Spent
Used search at anytime
1.74
2.61 min
59%
56% used a search engine to begin the process of researching auto insurance. Of the
search engines first visited, Google was the most popular (73%) followed distantly by
Bing (11%) and Yahoo! (9%).
Search Engine
Insurance Site
Insurance Broker
Google
Bing
Yahoo
MSN
Other
Other
14

9. Search Terms
Insurance quotes, online insurance quotes
Metlife, Metlife auto insurance
Travelers insurance
Farmers, farmers insurance
Hartford, Hartford insurance
Mercury insurance
21st century
Amica
Auto insurance review
Free car insurance quotes online
Rating territory insurance
Shelter insurance
Safeco
3%
3%
3%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
Search Terms
Auto insurance, car insurance
Auto insurance companies, car insurance
companies
State farm, state farm car insurance, state
farm quote
Allstate, allstate.com
Geico
Auto insurance quotes, car insurance quotes
Liberty Mutual
Cheap, cheapest auto insurance
Nationwide, nationwide insurance
Progressive, progressive auto insurance
AAA, AAA insurance, AAA.com
Insurance
Car insurance comparison, compare auto
insurance
22%
14%
9%
8%
8%
7%
5%
4%
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
N = 190
60% used general search terms to research auto insurance options, while 58% searched
for specific insurance companies during their research process.
General search terms used
Searched for specific insurance companies
17

10. When asked to obtain a quote, participants were most successful on the GEICO site and
rated GEICO highest on ease of use. Allstate had the second-highest ratings and
participants encountered the least number of issues while performing the task.
Site with the highest rating
Site with the lowest rating
Task success: Responded “Yes” when asked, “Were you able to obtain an auto insurance quote on [COMPANY] site?
Ease of use: Responded 6-7 on a 7-point scale when asked, “How difficult or easy was it to obtain auto insurance information on this
site?” where 1 = Very difficult and 7 = Very easy.
Did not encounter issues: Responded “I did not encounter any problems or frustrations” when asked, “Which of the following problems
and frustrations, if any, did you encounter while obtaining an auto insurance quote?”
*Significantly lower than site with highest rating at 90% CI
Key Performance Metrics
Task success
Ease of use
Did not encounter issues
62%*
46%*
34%
80%
63%
47%
82%
69%
39%
76%
52%*
42%
20

11. Participants had more difficulty obtaining a quote on AAA due to a variety of obstacles.
AAA participants had more problems determining where to start the quote process and
technical issues. Allstate participants encountered the least problems and frustrations.
Quote
Process
Information
Required
Scrolling
Tecnical
Issue
Unclear where to go to start the quote process
Process of obtaining a quote was confusing
Unsure where I was at in quote process
Too many steps required
Unsure how to move forward with obtaining a quote
Unsure what info was required vs. optional
Too much information was needed
Didn’t understand why certain info was required
Didn’t understand terminology used
Too much scrolling required
Encountered an error / technical issue
Site was slow
Other
I did not encounter any problems or frustrations
16%
6%
2%
8%
4%
2%
6%
4%
18%
24%
20%
26%
16%
6%
2%
8%
6%
10%
6%
6%
16%
10%
16%
16%
16%
6%
2%
6%
18%
16%
22%
20%
10%
6%
12%
8%
12%
8%
22%
10%
4%
0%
8%
2%
4%
0%
6%
4%
12%
12%
12%
8%
34%
47%
39%
42%
Problems and Frustrations
AAA Allstate GEICO Progressive
22

12. Study participants found the Allstate easiest to use to obtain a quote, significantly
easier than AAA, the lowest rated site across all key performance metrics. There were
no other meaningful differences in other key performance metrics.
Progressive rated highest on Organization and Layout, Overall Satisfaction and on
Likelihood to Visit to Request a Quote in the Future.
Key Performance Metrics
Ease of obtaining a quote
Organization and layout
Overall satisfaction
Likelihood to visit to request a quote
in the future
42%*
56%
50%
34%
65%
63%
57%
43%
61%
59%
55%
39%
54%
66%
60%
50%
*Significantly lower than site with highest rating at 90% CI
Site with the highest rating
Site with the lowest rating
Ease of obtaining a quote, Organization and layout, and Satisfaction: Responded 6-7 on a 7-point scale when asked, “Please rate the
[COMPANY] site on the following” where 1 = Negative and 7 = Positive
Likelihood to visit to request a quote in the future: Responded 6-7 on a 7-point scale when asked, “How likely would you be to visit the
[COMPANY] site to request a quote in the future?” where 1 = Not at all likely and 7=Extremely likely
25

13. Brand perception slightly decreased for all sites after interacting with the sites to obtain
a quote. The drops were not significant.
Participants had a better impression of the Allstate site both pre and post-study with
brand perception ratings significantly higher than all sites.
Pre vs. Post Brand Perception
Based on what you know / your experience today, please rate your perception of [COMPANY].
Pre
Post
56%
46%
73%
63%
52%*
45%*
55%*
48%
AAA Allstate GEICO Progressive
N=39
N=50
N=49
N=51
N=46
N=49
N=47
N=50
Site Delta
AAA
Allstate
GEICO
Progressive
-10%
-10%
-7%
-7%
*Significantly lower than site with highest rating at 90% CI
Responses of 6-7 shown from a 7-point scale where 1 = Negative and 7=Positive
27

14. In addition to having the best perceived brand perception, Allstate also had the highest
Net Promoter Score with more site promoters than detractors.
How likely is it that you would recommend the [COMPANY] website to a friend or a colleague?
AAA
Allstate
GEICO
Progressive
-34%
4%
-22%
-8%
Detractors (0 -6)
Passivees (7-8)
Promoters (9-10)
24%18%58%
35%33%31%
24%28%47%
36%20%44%
NPS
28

15. 29
Allstate also had the most increases in positive brand attributes associated with the
company. GEICO and Progressive saw a few increases as well.
Change in Associated Positive Brand Attributes Pre vs. Post Site Evaluation
Which of the following words or phrases would you use to describe [COMPANY]?
Innovative
Comprehensive
Trustworthy
Dependable
Established
Customer-oriented
Convenient
Helpful
Easy
Accessible
Value
Inexpensive
16%
-8%
-10%
2%
-16%
-26%
-4%
0%
0%
0%
9%
0%
-6%
-6%
-6%
0%
-14%
-16%
-19%
-3%
-26%
-22%
-6%
-11%
-12%
17%
2%
-3%
-9%
-6%
-4%
0%
-14%
8%
-9%
-1%
-11%
-2%
-4%
-18%
-3%
21%
4%
8%
7%
12%
-2%
-5%
AAA
Allstate
GEICO
Progressive