Wal-Mart decided that focusing on a price comparison service was the way to go.Joshua Kazam, founder...

1. Wal-Mart brings one-stop shopping to car insurance
Wal-Mart decided that focusing on a price comparison service was the way to go.
Joshua Kazam, founder of AutoInsurance.com and the founder and chairman of Tranzutary, noted
that 90 percent of people compare prices online for products and services like airline tickets, but its
survey shows that only one in five comparison-shop for auto insurance because it's a complicated
process.
Wal-Mart is bringing one-stop shopping to another area: auto insurance.
www.Walmart.com/autoinsurance.
It works this way: customers log on to the site and provide their name, address, date of birth and
contact information. They can also have the site retrieve their current auto insurance policy,
allowing AutoInsurance.com to automatically fill in the necessary coverage information for an
apples-to-apples comparison. The free service offers customers multiple quotes from some of the
leading national insurance carriers like Esurance, Safeco, and Progressive within minutes.
In a briefing with the media on Tuesday, Daniel Eckert, senior vice president of services for Wal-
Mart U.S., said the Bentonville, Ark.-based discounter will be AutoInsurance.com's exclusive retail
partner and receive promotion payments in its role as marketer. AutoInsurance will earn a
commission every time a policy is sold.
In 2012, Wal-Mart tested a program with Tranzutary to sell prepaid MetLife insurance policies in
217 stores in Georgia and South Carolina. Then last April, it launched a test program in
Pennsylvania where customers who purchased policies from AutoInsurance.com reported annual
savings on their insurance of $1,168, on average. At the same time, it displayed kiosks in Illinois
where shoppers could pick up a saving card that offered a discount on a new auto insurance policy
sold through Esurance.
AutoInsurance.com, a division of Fort Lee, N.J.-based Tranzutary Insurance Solutions LLC, a
licensed property and casualty insurance agency, was created after Wal-Mart realized there was an
opportunity for a quicker service where shoppers can buy and save on car insurance that provides
the final price-- with no bait and switch tactics. Wal-Mart says car insurance is among the biggest
monthly expenses for customers, and for some, it can outpace health care costs.
Wal-Mart has had a relationship with Kazam, an entrepreneur, and his partners that dates back
several years. For example, in 2009 Kazam and his team partnered with Wal-Mart to bring
PetArmor, a generic version of a popular flea and tick preventative treatment, to Wal-Mart
customers. Kazam founded Velcera, which created the PetArmor brand and was acquired last year
by Perrigo. But recently, Wal-Mart has been working with Kazam in improving the experience
related to insurance products.
Customers can choose to either purchase the policy online immediately, speak with a licensed agent
at 800-700-7500 or save the information and purchase later.

2. Last month, Wal-Mart introduced a new money transfer service that it says will cut fees for its low-
income customers by up to 50 percent compared with similar services elsewhere. That service is
being rolled out in partnership with Ria Money Transfer, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide Inc.
The strategy marks Wal-Mart's latest flirtation with insurance marketing and also highlights how the
retailer is trying to use its size to expand beyond food and other staples into a one-stop shopping
destination as it seeks to bring in more shoppers to its site and its stores. Wal-Mart plans to promote
the insurance shopping service in its stores.
The world's largest retailer has teamed up with AutoInsurance.com to let shoppers quickly find and
buy insurance policies online in real time to cut down costs. The service is available immediately in
eight states including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma, and will be available
nationwide in the next few months. Shoppers can log on to AutoInsurance.com or access the site
through Wal-Mart's website at
"Our customers too often have to settle for auto insurance policies that aren't the best fit and cost
more than they want to spend," Eckert said.